Transom trouble

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Thefishes540

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Hi all,

I have a 1991 23 ft Gulfstream. Love the boat but unfortunately I think a transom replacement is in order. I have noticed several cracks in the fiberglass and significant wood swelling. Does anyone have any repair shop recommendations in the Tampa Bay area? Also any guess how much this would cost? Thanks for your help!
 
I just received an estimate of 5,000 to 6,000 for the transom tear down and repair. It would be an extra 1,000 to 2,000 for someone to take the motor off then rewiring and putting the motor back on. So in total roughly 8,000. Anyone know if that seems reasonable?
 
I'd shop it and get 2 more estimates. Nobody does anything on boats inexpensively these days unfortunately.
 
There's gotta be lot's of shops down there in Fla that can do this. Probably at least a half dozen, or more, within an hour or two drive. Get a few more estimates.

You need to provide some specifics as to what, exactly, they're doing to get a better idea. For example, are they skinning the transom or doing the work from the inside. Personally, on a 28 year old boat, I'd skin the transom and not even worry too much about making the cut line trying to cosmetically match after the repair. Even for resale (keep receipts/document it), it's not going to matter - a solid transom would be much more important.
 
Thefishes540 said:
I just received an estimate of 5,000 to 6,000 for the transom tear down and repair. It would be an extra 1,000 to 2,000 for someone to take the motor off then rewiring and putting the motor back on. So in total roughly 8,000. Anyone know if that seems reasonable?
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i think their rigging charge is pretty revealing. i can de-rig and remove a motor in about an hour in my home garage and it would take me maybe another hour to pull back all the wiring out of the way to clear the entire transom area for action. i am not fast and the job is faster with two people. that charge to me is an indication they assume you have no idea what is entailed in the work they will be doing and are trying to hit a home run off you

to put it another way, a mechanic shop will charge you about the same amount in labour to remove and replaces an engine from a car, which is about 10 times more time consuming and difficult than removing and reinstalling an outboard.
 
Its not reasonable but its not surprising... I poured a new transom on a 20 footer.... 15 gallons of Carbon Core was $600 and remaining materials and various tools and incidentals brought it to $2k.

as for the motor, you can buy a motor jack at Harbor Freight for $100.
 
I was questioning that rigging charge, as well. If we go with $1,500 at $125/hour, that's 12 hours. I really can't understand how that would take more than 3 or 4 hours (remove and replace)... and that's estimating high.

But again, more detail in the quote may help. And/or ask them to clarify why it's going to take so much time. It could be that they just don't want to do that part of it so they gave you an "incentive" to get that part done before you bring them the boat.
 
Thanks for the replies. I thought the motor piece was high as well. He has a different guy come in and do that part so maybe it's high to make it worth the motor guys trouble. I am getting a couple more quotes so we will see what comes of it. Hoping to be under 6k all in
 
I would do the motor rigging myself but the boat is on a lift and I do not have a trailer or a place to store it
 
I'd also ensure apples to apples on the repair process. I would think they would work inside out and not cut the hull. It is a fair amount of work but done right it should be as good as new. The only risk is stringer damage that would come to light during the process. Good luck and let us know how you make out.
 
Fishtales said:
I'd also ensure apples to apples on the repair process. I would think they would work inside out and not cut the hull. It is a fair amount of work but done right it should be as good as new. The only risk is stringer damage that would come to light during the process. Good luck and let us know how you make out.
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Thanks for your reply. So far they have all mentioned working from the inside out. As you stated, my fear is they open her up and then see stringer damage. Guess I'm pretty well stuck at that point. I will make sure to let you know how it turns out.
 
In case you're curious about the process, there are some videos out there. I used Coosa board when I replaced my transom and made the notched transom into a full height. I have a couple thousand in materials I think.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCATvLuuBWqIPmRX0gH9FiMQ/videos You can search my videos for some of the steps I took. It turned out really great. Super solid.
 
Here are links to my pourable transom project if you are interested.
I removed the inside skin to ensure full transom coverage and a clean skin to bond to.
People have had success just going at it digging from the top edge of the transom with the chain saw and filling as much as can be reached. Something to consider.

 
Don't worry. If your all-in on it and the stringers need some work, it really isn't that much more work. You'll never know until your knee deep. Just roll with the punches.
 
If somebody is talking about charging as much as 2000 dollars to take the motor off and get the wires out of the way, RUN. That's an hours work. I just did 2, the first one took me about 1.5 hours the second about 30 minutes.
And I'm not a mechanic who's done 50 of them... I understand they need to make a living, but holy cow, they can go for your throat.
 
Hi fisher, I understand the your concern with doing the transom repair yourself, it is a bit of a big bite! I do think you should remove the outboard yourself, I have done it, so if you can get a place undercover preferably. Buy a chain hoist (cheeper than renting with no rush to complete) connect to the ceiling joists then just take your time removing the engine, and pick away at removing the necessary wires and controls. They all had to be attached, so they all can be detached and you just might learn something about your outboard motor. The quote you are getting is WAY to high for the job just mentioned. Take your time and enjoy the process. There are no fancy tools to complete the UNDO. Cheers and good luck, trapper
 
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