91 Sailfish I/O Engine bulkheads issue

[Diogee2]

Greetings, on my pre-purchase survey they found a few issues I wanted to ask about. Firstly, he found that the bulkheads surrounding the engine port starboard and forward (aft of the fuel cell) failed the tap test and indicated moisture with his meter. The questions I had is in regards to repair timing, are these bulkheads structural or are they tied to the stringers indicating potential other issues requiring a more immediate repair or are they just to encapsulate the engine. As for repair, I assume that after removing the large center deck plate and possibly having to remove the fuel cell I should have good enough access to repair/replace them with with composites to prevent future issues. Second he said the lower outboard corners near the trim tabs tapped bad as well, and indicated possible moisture, is there a better way to test the moisture level in the transom vice assuming an entire transom replacement? Thanks ahead of time for any tips, advice or experience on this one.

 

[Jimmyfiretruck]

Tapped bad - that’s indicative of delamination, core dry rotted. Not a good thing. That indeed, means a transom recore.

stern drive boats are problems waiting to happen - the transom plate for the drive needs to be cut out, via the correct template - the core is left bare, where the steering arms are. This provides a direct path, to the core of the transom.wood wicks moisture like a sponge…