Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

HA RSEGRETO
BOY IT SEEMS THAT WE SHOULD CHANGE THE NAME OF THIS SITE TO “THE WET TRANSOMS” EVERY TIME I LOOK THERE IS ANOTHER ONE THAT HAS TO BE DONE OR MIGHT NEED TO BE DONE ANY WHICH WAY WELCOME TO THE BOARD. WHAT YOU DESCRIBED DOESN’T SOUND GOOD. TRANSOMS CAN GO BAD AS SOON AS 5 YEARS FROM CONSTRUCTION SO YOU COULD BE LOOKING AT A MAJOR FIX. I DON’T KNOW OF ANY GOOD WAY TO GIVE YOU A DEFINITIVE ANSWER BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I DID TO DETERMINE MY DECISION.
1. AGE OF BOAT- THAT PART IS IN YOUR FAVOR.
2. WATER COMING OUT OF THE SCREWS-THAT ONE IS A BIG NEGATIVE.
3. REMOVING ALL THE THROUGH HULL FITTINGS AND INSPECTING THE CONDITION OF THE WOOD. (BLACK AND WET, MUSHY, OR NICE FRESH WOOD)
4. DRILLING OUT HOLES AND INSPECTION THE CONDITION OF THE WOOD THAT COMES OUT OF THE DRILL BIT LIKE #3
5. USE ONE OF THOSE METERS BUT IN YOUR CASE IT PROBABLY WILL SOUND LIKE A 5 ALARM FIRE.
6. TAP ON THE TRANSOM WITH A MALLET (THIS ONE WAS NO HELP FOR ME)
7. TAKE A COIN OUT OF YOUR POCKET AND SAY HEADS = IT’S OK, TAILS = REPLACE IT.
8. GET A MARINE SURVEY $200-300 THAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THIS TYPE OF THING TO GIVE YOU HIS OPINION. IF YOU ASK A GUY THAT DOES TRANSOMS FOR A LIVING YOU KNOW WHAT HE IS GOING TO TELL YOU. HIS ANSWER IS $$$$ TO FIX.
9. OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER IS I/O, OR 1OR 2 OUTBOARDS, BRACKETED? ALL THESE THINGS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. ON MY BOAT I HAD 123 INDIVIDUAL DRILL HOLES IN THE TRANSOM THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD DRILLED IN THE TRANSOM. IT LOOKED MORE LIKE A SWISS CHEESE THAT ANYTHING ELSE. ALL THOSE HOLES ALLOWED WATER TO SEEP INTO MY TRANSOM.
WELL ALL THIS INFO AND I STILL DIDN’T ANSWER YOUR QUESTION JUST GAVE YOU MORE INFO TO CONSIDER TO MAKE YOU YOUR MIND. MAYBE SOME ONE ELSE CAN HELP YOU BETTER THAN ME WITH FEWER WORKS.
FELLOW-SHIP [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Rsegreto....Welcome

Same thing Fellow said ..... and if its an outboard and you really feel the transom's shot(which it may not be since its not that old) ....lower the motor while on the trailer and stand on the cavitation plate and bounce!!! Have some one else watch the transom and see if your getting alot of flex (indicative of the soft transom syndrome [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ).

I think West marine sells a moisture meter but they aint cheap....I think it would be much cheaper to get a surveyor to check it out.....but even at that you already know its wet....just how wet is it. You may need to punch some holes in the transom to truly diagnose your dilemma.

Good luck….Scott

“THE WET TRANSOMS” .... Fellow Ship you crack me up [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

HA SCOTT
HOW THINGS GOING?? I HAVE NOT TALKED TO YOU IN A WHILE, HOW’S THAT BOAT OF YOURS COMING?? DID YOU DECIDE TO DO THE TRANSOM YOUR SELF OR GET SOMEONE TO DO IT FOR YOU?
FELLOW-SHIP [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Dear Scott & Fellow-Ship-

Thank you both for the advice, I think that it may be a long winter for me here in N.E. if the transom is rotted. But I guess we'll have to wait and see, until then I'll enjoy the rest of my summer up here.

Rich Segreto

1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Hello Gentlemen-
I'm new to this forum and wanted to say hello as well as ask a question. I have a 23' Seacraft w/a model that's a 1989. Recently while installing trim tabs to her, I notice some water trickle out of the transom as I was screwing the tabs on. Now with that in mind, how much water damage should I be looking for before thinking of replacing the transom? Also, where can I buy one of those handheld gadgets to test how moist the transom actually is?
Thanks in advance!

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

By the way, can anyone tell me what the cost of a new transom would be? I'm not to handy when it comes to something like that and therefore I'd have to get it done by a professional.
Thanks in advance for your advice.

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

HA RSEGRETO
I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH SOME ONE WOULD CHARGE YOU I DID MINE MYSELF. I KNOW THERE ARE A FEW GUYS THAT HAVE GOT QUOTES OR HAVE HAD SOMEONE DO THEIRS MAYBE THEY WILL CHIME IN. REMEMBER BECAUSE OF THE AGE OF YOUR BOAT YOU MIGHT BE OK.
FELLOW-SHIP [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

rsegreto,
I have a GRP meter to measure moisture. If you drilled holes and water came out, save your money on the meter. It will tell you that the whole thing is wet. When I was boat shopping, 80% of the boats more than 5 years old that had cutout style transoms, and outboards were signifigantly wet according to the meter, regardless of manufacture or visible inspection. I talked to Carl Mosely this week about my boat (great guy, thanks for the info Carl), and he said that water from the atmospheric preasure changes will naturally penetrate any transom. If you have water in the bilge, which has no sealing gelcoat, it will migrate into the wood. It is a fact of life. I don't know if this is the cause, but I agree by observation, as to what I saw. I went thru a boat yard in Tarpon Springs and put my moisture meter on about 60 boats, and the majority of them had wet transoms (these were high end boats under cover, and dry stored). If you have water running out, you need to determine whether or not it is structurally compromised, or just wet. If it is structurally compromised, it needs a new transom. If it is just wet, you might be able to dry it out, than us a West Epoxy treatment on it. Mine was wet but structurally sound (as best I could tell). I dried it out to 15% or less moisture detection, than treated it with West Epoxy, and sealed it back up 3 months ago. I check it every month with the meter, and it has stayed a consistant 10 - 15% on the meter. As far as flex on the motor goes, I have a 250 Merc which weighs about 470 pounds. If you stand on the back of it, there is very little flex in the transom, but if you start bouncing it back and forth, you can see some flex. I think that even a good transom with almost 500 pounds bouncing back and forth will get some flex to it. My long term strategy is to put a bracket on that will distribute the load evenly across the back of the boat.
Keep us up to date on what you find.

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

JohnB-
Your boat's a beauty....Great picture!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Well, here's another little bit of info. for you. I've also noticed that my water line is starting to go below the water level, not much but it's noticeable to me anyway. I would expect this maybe when I have a full tank of fuel but at half? Does this seem possible? I have a Merc. 200 hp. outboard hanging off the back which adds some weight as well. I'll have to stand on the engine when I take it out for the season this year to try and determine what the heck's going on. But as someone stated earlier, I don't think that I need to go out and buy a moisture meter. Maybe the best thing to do would be either to drill some more wholes into the transom or have it surveyed.

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Hey Rich

When the water that came out of the transom .... did it stop or just keep dripping till you put the hardware back???

and how long have you noticed the waterline disappearing???.....Any chance your foam filled stringers are wet???

I ask as a 23 SeaCraft that was restored down here had a similar problem (not sure about any water line changing however) but the transom was wet(this was an I/O) and when they started the work the guy told me that five to six …5 gallon buckets of water were recovered as it drained out of one of the stringers.....he said it just poured out. They did nothing but got the bulk of the water out, let it dry as best they could and then finished the transom.

I never found out how they thought the water got in there ... however it was over some time. The whole point is that this was about 200Lbs of water that could affected the trim of the boat.

You may want to drill some holes in the stringers (I think Fellow-Ship went through this exercise) down low to see if there is water in there..

Hope this helps!!!!! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Scott

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

FYI,
My boat stays on the trailer 95% of the time, and when it is parked,
I tilt the nose way up in the air to make sure that any water anywhere
above or below deck drains out. I have seen some seacrafts that
when at rest, are nose down and this would allow water to seep into
areas that it shouldn't over time.

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

RSEGRETO

Your fortunate that you live in the NorEast as you can expect to pay top dollar to have it restored by a pro (that knows what he is doing)

Wow was that sarcastic....but seems to be true!!!!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

But anyway up here in the north it seems we premium for any marine service. I am in the same situation as at some point I want solid wood in the transom.....It's ok now but will need some help soon. I've tried to get a few quotes down here in NJ and they are all over the place from a couple grand to 4-5 [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] and thats for a notched transom.....Problem is that from experience something always happens and it ends up costing more!!!!!

Fellow…..I think that also answers your question on how the boat is coming……
Its been a less than Ideal summer for me …. With neck and back problems….I just look at the boat and my back goes out!!!!
HOWEVER…….I’m looking to float the little lady in the early fall just to play a little and maybe get a hook or two into some underwater creatures…..Time will tell!!!
[img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[ August 23, 2002, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: Scott ]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Hi Scott-

The water stopped a very short time afterwards and well before I put the hardware back on. As for the water line, I first noticed it towards the end of last year but didn't really think much of it and just attributed it to perhaps extra gear that was onboard. It seems to be the most noticeable on the starboard side though. About 3/4 of my scupper is under water as opposed to the other which is around a 1/2.
I suppose that my stringers may be wet but I wouldn't know the first thing about how to go about taking them apart to see if that's the problem though. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Rich

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Hi JohnB-
I was surprised to see that when you used your moisture meter while looking at boats in Tarpon Springs that so many of them had wet transoms. I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or not but I'm glad to know that SeaCrafts aren't alone in "The Wet Transoms" Club. I guess that water has a way of getting into all kinds of boats no matter what name brand it is.
Rich

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Rich

The water peeing out of the transom doesnt sound too bad ......when I took a transducer off the boat several ounces of water peed out under pressure......I think I invented a few new words that day [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Hmmm.....That shift doesnt sound too bad either ... although I know it would bother me also...At least your not telling us one scupper is under and the other is 2" above the water line [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

If you really feel the need to check the stringers ... I think Fellow Ship suggested to me to drill a couple holes through the walls of the stringers in the bilge close to the floor of the hull. Nothing big ...just to see if there is any water in there..... to tell you the truth I think there is a drain in the stringer back next to the live well. Look at the lower left of the photo and you'll see a tube glassed into the stringer.

Oh yeah your looking at the transom starboard side and under the splashwell.

http://www.fishingworks.com/Users/Us...om%20bilge.JPG

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

HA SCOTT
THAT TUBE WILL ALLOW WATER TO DRAIN FROM THE HULL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STRINGERS WHERE THE WIRING HARNESS RUNS. IT DOES NOT DRAIN THE STRINGERS THEMSELVES. THE TUBE GOES STRAIGHT THROUGH THE STRINGERS THEM SELF.
FELLOW-SHIP [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

rsegreto,
Thanks for the compliment. Believe it or not, alot of people refer to my boat as the 'ugly boat', armadillo, and the turtle. Once the seas start to kick up, and that hull starts to work it's magic, they usually just stay quiet then, and follow me in.
Here's a couple of observations:
1. "water line is starting to go below the water level, not much but it's noticeable to me anyway. I would expect this maybe when I have a full tank of fuel but at half? Does this seem possible? I have a Merc. 200 hp. outboard hanging off the back which adds some weight as well."
The difference in the water line can change quite a bit between an empty tank and a full tank. That could be as much as 840 pounds, (4 pretty good size guys). When you say 1/2 tank of fuel, how do you know it's half? I havent been on a boat yet, that the gas gauge dosen't vary between 1/4 and 1/3 of a tank. Mine says 1/2 a tank when it has 90 gals of gas in it at rest. Than under way it say 3/4 to full. Is the water line low in front and back, or just in the back? The 2 things you want to look for are the water line, and the distribution. If it is low in the back, is it high in the front? or is it low all the way around. If it is low all the way around, maybe you picked up water, or maybe just have alot of gear in it. If it is low in back and high in front, maybe it's just the distribution of weight. Try removing all the gear on board and see if that helps. Dive gear is especially heavy. 2 batteries or 2 heavy anchors on the same side of the boat will make it lean that much.

2: "I'll have to stand on the engine when I take it out for the season this year to try and determine what the heck's going on."
Look for cracks around the corners of the cutout of the transom. Mine has 1 crack on each side, about 3/4 of an inch long. They have not grown in size, and I believe they have been there for years. Gelcoat is pretty brittle and likes to form hairline cracks. Keep an eye on them though. If something is flexing they will grow.

3. The moisture meter would be a good tool to check the stringers with. Drilling a couple of small 1/8 holes would be a good idea to, just make sure you seal them up when you are done.

4. If the boat is going to be out for the winter, in a dry place, you could remove all the screws from the top trim to the bottom transducer and try to dry it out. I used space heaters, dehumidifiers, and hairdryers on mine (be careful). You could use a moistuer meter to check the progress (it took 3 weeks for mine to dry out to less than 15% moisture). Then in the spring you could seal it all back up. If water ran out, that only means that water is getting in there. Find out where it is getting in, check for rot, dry it out, use some West marine expoxy/repair materials, and seal it back up. I like the moisture meter to just check the thing out about once a month to determine if I have any problems coming back.

Good luck.

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Hi Fellow Ship

I guess If anyone knows the answer to where that tube goes you do!!!!!

My only question is why is the drain there ...... that wire "race" opens to the stern of the boat there...if fact there is a wire coming out of it in the pic Does that "race" have a dip in it....hence the need for the drain????? [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

Thanks

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

HA SCOTT
THERE IS A CUT OUT AT THE BACK OF THE STRINGER LIKE YOUR PICTURE SHOWS BUT IT DOES NOT GO DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE HULL. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STRINGER IT IS ABOUT 4” HIGH. WATER CAN GET TRAPPED IN THERE THUS THE DRAIN TUBE. THE REASON FOR THE CUT OUT OF THE STRINGER IS TO PROVIDE ACCESS FOR WIRES AND HOSES FROM THE BILGE TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THE BOAT.
FELLOW-SHIP [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

HA SCOTT
THERE IS A CUT OUT AT THE BACK OF THE STRINGER LIKE YOUR PICTURE SHOWS BUT IT DOES NOT GO DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE HULL. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STRINGER IT IS ABOUT 4” HIGH. WATER CAN GET TRAPPED IN THERE THUS THE DRAIN TUBE. THE REASON FOR THE CUT OUT OF THE STRINGER IS TO PROVIDE ACCESS FOR WIRES AND HOSES FROM THE BILGE TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THE BOAT.
FELLOW-SHIP [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Hi JohnB-

Here's what I noticed this past w/end after just getting back from Fishers Island,NY w/my little boat. It's a great place to go boating if you and the guys are ever up this way. Anyhow, I filled her up completely on the return trip, in which case I believe is a total of 75 gal. of fuel on my boat. Now I'm definately sitting a bit low on my starboard side towards the stern and your right about the fuel gauges, mine is certainly far from being accurate. I'm seeing that the water line is low only in the stern area which may be a weight distribution problem as you mentioned. My starboard scupper is at or about 1/2 to 3/4 in the water while my port scupper is steady at about a 1/2. I'll have to try removing everything off the boat this coming w/end and see if that makes a big difference or not. I'll have to check the stringers along w/ the rest of the boat when I get it out of the water in another month or so. Unfortunately I'll be storing the boat outside once again this winter so I guess trying to dry the transom out indoors won't work to well. Anyone in the Westerly,RI area wanting to stop by and offer an opinion as to what they think, please drop me an email, I'd appreciate it. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]
Thanks in advance!
Rich

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Westerly, where do you keep your boat? Are you in the Pawcatuck? I plan to surfcast at some point this weekend over at Naps or Weeky Point... Beautiful view of BLock & Montauk lights [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Hey John R-
I keep the boat right on the river there. I'm on the Pawcatuck side over at N.W. We go to Napatree quite a bit, it's one of the nicest one day boating places around, as you know I'm sure.
Take care-
Rich [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

It's also one of the best night surfcasting places too [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

I would not necessarily worry about the transom rot. You will experience cracking(especially) in the corners if she is fllexing. You will get cracks way before it gets critical. Point is that it may not be anything to worry about. Your scupper thing is something to look into because your transome could not hold that much water to make it list. You may have some water trapped somewhere. Then again it may have always been that way. My Hydra-sport started to list to starboard. It was becaiuse the 2 batteries on that side were replaced with 2 that weighed about 20lbs more. Just enough to change it's attitude. This winter unscrew any screws in the transom and inspect again. Make suer you are using a good sealent when you put them back in.....in the spring. Let it dry out all winter and see what gives.

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Hello Mr. Bigshot! (Nick)-

Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate it. I intend on pulling out all of the screws on the transom when I pull it out of the water this week. Hopefully all that it is, is a little trapped water and that's it. I hear one of the best sealants to use is the 5200 series, I'm going to give it a shot in the spring. Should I leave all of the screws out for the winter to try and drain the water out or is it only necessary to this for a few weeks? Let me know if you or someone else can help me out with this.

Thanks in advance.

Rich [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] <blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">code:<pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;"> </pre></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

Re: 1989 23' Seacraft.
 

Leave them out if it will stay dry. In the spring see if still wet. If so try a few drills in surrounding area if you can conceal it later with epoxy and bottom paint. Most rot will be under the waterline unless you have cracks above. Water intrusion takes longer than you think but once she rots.....oooofffa!