[71kidcasper]

Stella Blue1, Welcome to the clan. There are several ways to determine the condition of your transom, some are less invasive than others. The simplest way would be to tilt your engine all the way up, then bounce up and down on the lower unit. If the transom flexes you have some work ahead of you. The other method would be to take a 1/4" drill bit and start exploring from the outside. I would first check around any fasteners that you may have such as engine bolts. If the shavings on the drill bit come out wet and mushy then you have a project for this winter. GOOG LUCK!!!