transom flex

[Finster]

My wife things I have some serious issues with the amount of time I have been reading on this site.

Don't even go there......Welcome to the club. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[JohnB]

Most all of these boats have transoms that are questionable and flex, unless they have been redone. I have a high end moistor meter, and have tested alot of boats over the last couple of years. Almost ALL boats more than 10 years old, have had moderate to severe moistor in the transom problem, which leads to rotting in the wood. One thing I have noticed, is that boats in fresh water tend to rot faster then boats that are used in salt water. I also noticed that boats that sit out of the water tend to rot faster than those left in the water.
Another thing is the bigger/heavier the motor is, the more flex you see when bouncing it. I have a moderate amount of flex in mine with a 250 merc efi, and have a few small spider cracks in the gelcoat. I don't think it is gonna fall off in the next year or two. The skin and glass on these was overkill, and you can just about take the wood out, and it would flex alot, but probably not fail/break.
These boats, especially the older ones did not have the weight on them that the new 4 strokes carry. I would not put a 4 stroke on one of these that hasn't had the transom rebuilt and structurally upgraded.
I also noticed that boats that are up north, once they get water in them, tend to crack out more. I think once the water gets in there, if it goes thru freezing/thawing cycles, really does some damage, compared to wet transomed Florida boats.
Flex is a good indicator, but I think cracks (more than spider cracks) are a better indicator of problems. I have a buddy with a 2 year old 33' high end CC boat with very large twin 4 strokes. The bracket/transom has cracked 3 times, 1/2" wide, and has been repaired by the manufacture. It is becoming obvious that that boat was not designed for the weight of 2 4 stroke engines. I would watch for cracks. Also, if you have access to a moisture meter, if there are cracks where you can't see them, more than likely, they will be letting moisture in, and you will see it with a meter.
A happy SeaCraft is a wet SeaCraft, transom and all. These boats weren't perfect. I have seen a couple over alot of different years, and some of the glass work around the transoms was pretty ugly, some better, some worse.

[Abe's Rocket]

I got home last night and the laptop was missing and my wife wouldn't tell me where it was...

gives me a reason to go to work now...

[cooppat]

John B thanks for the information it is very helpful.

Abe's Rocket I told my wife I would bring the labtop in bed she agreed she said it was the only thing at this point that would keep her warm since I wasn't.

[ocuyler]

she said it was the only thing at this point that would keep her warm since I wasn't.

Ouch!