how long did you have a soft ass for?
 

How long have you guys used your boats with soft transoms? I picked up a nice little seafari in Orlando last weekend and its great except for the aluminum transom plate. I know whats under the plate but I dont really want to tear into her. Id like to just cruise the ditch and bays with her. I know im not the only one whos doing this, anyone care to fess up and make me feel better about this?

3 years and going on. I have some aluminum C-channel to stiffen it. I have a 370lb 4 stroke and a 60 lb kicker back there. I have gotten it all the way airborne twice like that and it seems to be doing well.

http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...ad.php?t=24398

Plywood has no place in a fiberglass boat.

What year is your Seafari? Just wondering if it might be my old boat. If it is, I bought it +10 years ago with the plate.

3 years. Not sure how long he ran it like that before though.

Mines a 78 bought it in Maitland last week.

Hey Ryan
At least 15 years my '78 transom was wet. I bought the boat in '85 and it had damage at the lifting pad eyes where the thru holes in the ice boxs had leaked.
It was still black & rotten when I replaced it and added the bracket in '08. :(
Look at the rebuild pictures under the 23' footers

If the plate wraps up and over the transom, could be mine. I bought it from a guy in Miami who bought it with the plate already installed. I'm guessing more like +15 yrs if the same boat.

The longer you wait the easier it will be to replace when you decide to do it. ;)

Ain't that the truth!

Yeah....the brown goo is easy to clean out. :) As Capt. Chuck said that problem seems to be the leakage from the two storage boxes at the transom. When I did my transom the area where the engine is mounted was fine, however about an 18" x 18" area around the drains on the boxes was real easy to clean out.....a big screw driver cleaned it perfectly with no effort. My worry was from the dive ladder bracket mounted in that area, when you would put pressure on it the transom would flex in about 1/4" to 1/2" and you could hear the crackling of fiberglass, not good.