Achilles Heal Found ( transom ice box/ hatch )

[nestorpr]

That's probably one of the reasons my boat's previous owner eliminated ALL the transom thruhulls except for the bilge drain, he drained everything into the bilge and depended on the 2 LARGE bilge pumps to drain it out. I understand this is not the best solution but he thought that with these boats, the fewer holes you have thru the transom, the longer it will last.

Something else that may help is to make a larger hole thru the transom, fiberglass it thru and thru, and then install the fitting and seal it with epoxy or silicone (same as when you make a hole thru composite materials, you never leave it exposed to possible water intrusion). That way, even if the seal fails, it won't seep into the transom ruining it. I've seen it on older Bertrams and other high-end boats and apparently it works for many years, those older transoms were still dry as a bone 30 and 40 years later. Just a thought.