1989 G-W I/O I just got this a month ago, I was looking at the transducer mount wher some one had mounted one then removed it,plugeg it up with 5200 it looks like yhat,anyway I pulled at it and it came out with a little effort and water drained out for about 30 sec. straight. wher is the water comming from, and do I have anything to worry about. I have tapped on the bottom of boat and all around the transom and it sounds the same. what can and should I do? the holes where it was plugged are about 1-1/2" deep.
transom G-W
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Think about it this way. A transome is made of wood,fiberglass and resin and is one solid mass. If you can wick water out of it in a stream for 30 sec straight you have a big problem on your hands.
I really hope you got a great deal on this boat but with that much water in the transom it should be tended to by someone who knows what they are doing.
Good Luck with your Grady.
I really hope you got a great deal on this boat but with that much water in the transom it should be tended to by someone who knows what they are doing.
Good Luck with your Grady.
You have a transom rot issue, and you will need to have it fixed before I would use the boat again. Those holes should have been epoxied over, 5200 is fine unless it breaks down or the holes get bigger, but is really better suited in sealing a screw, not the entire screw hole. Although the 5200 is not the right way to fix that in the first place, it's properties should have kept that sealed, maybe they used a silicone sealant, if it came out without much work it was not 5200.
You have several choices, you can have the boat brough to a fiberglass repair shop, have the engine removed, drive unit taken off and have the interior of the transom cut out, remove the wood, have them replace it with new wood(marine grade treated wood)...wood that was coated in epoxy before being bonded to the hull, and then refiberglass over the wood. Having the transom replaced is the ONLY thing I recommend, but it will cost the most. It will also give you the safest fix and the one that wil last the longest. There is NOTHING wrong with wood in a transom, it is cheap and lasts if cared for, just in your instance the previous owner did not care for it correctly.
Your other option is to drill several small holes in the transom and let it drain and then pump in resin, but if the wood has substancial rot, you will loose a lot of its strength, yes you will harden up soft spots but it will not take a load like it used to.
Some guys have used git rot to fix rotted wood, but I would NOT use this for a transom, for a deck maybe(although I always recommend doing the job right instead of cutting corners), but not for a transom. Git Rot will solidify what it can reach but will not bring back the strength of the transom like a sheet of wood will. It will ge trid fo f aosft spot and bring back some of the strength, but not enough to support the forces from your outdrive which pushes the boat.
I would also recommend having your stringers near the transom checked, they might have had water seep in depending on how bad the transom itself is, and how well Grady sealed the transom to hull connection, it should be good but is surely worth being checked to be safe.
If you wish to save money, disconnect all of the wiring to the engine yourself and mark them well, if you have access to an engine hoist, removing it yourself as well will save you even more money. Even if you pay a friend to help you it should be a lot cheaper to remove the engine then having the yard or repair shop do it, they will charge an arm and leg. Giving them a boat with the engine removed will get you in and out faster as well.
Sorry for the bad news, but there is only one way to fix that problem and keep you and your crew safe. Hopefully it all works out for the best.
You have several choices, you can have the boat brough to a fiberglass repair shop, have the engine removed, drive unit taken off and have the interior of the transom cut out, remove the wood, have them replace it with new wood(marine grade treated wood)...wood that was coated in epoxy before being bonded to the hull, and then refiberglass over the wood. Having the transom replaced is the ONLY thing I recommend, but it will cost the most. It will also give you the safest fix and the one that wil last the longest. There is NOTHING wrong with wood in a transom, it is cheap and lasts if cared for, just in your instance the previous owner did not care for it correctly.
Your other option is to drill several small holes in the transom and let it drain and then pump in resin, but if the wood has substancial rot, you will loose a lot of its strength, yes you will harden up soft spots but it will not take a load like it used to.
Some guys have used git rot to fix rotted wood, but I would NOT use this for a transom, for a deck maybe(although I always recommend doing the job right instead of cutting corners), but not for a transom. Git Rot will solidify what it can reach but will not bring back the strength of the transom like a sheet of wood will. It will ge trid fo f aosft spot and bring back some of the strength, but not enough to support the forces from your outdrive which pushes the boat.
I would also recommend having your stringers near the transom checked, they might have had water seep in depending on how bad the transom itself is, and how well Grady sealed the transom to hull connection, it should be good but is surely worth being checked to be safe.
If you wish to save money, disconnect all of the wiring to the engine yourself and mark them well, if you have access to an engine hoist, removing it yourself as well will save you even more money. Even if you pay a friend to help you it should be a lot cheaper to remove the engine then having the yard or repair shop do it, they will charge an arm and leg. Giving them a boat with the engine removed will get you in and out faster as well.
Sorry for the bad news, but there is only one way to fix that problem and keep you and your crew safe. Hopefully it all works out for the best.
If you choose to pull the engine, drive and assoc wiring before taking the boat to the yard, remember that the removal of all that weight from the rear of the trailer will drastically change the tongue weight. In my case, I couldn't crank the nose of the trailer up with the trailer jack to get it hooked to the truck. After alot of cribbing and a large floor jack, I was then able to pull the boat out of the way, lower the engine,(yes, it was hanging well above the boat the whole time), and close the barn door.
Drill a 1/8 inch hole two inches higher, see what comes out, if no water comes out, what color is wood on drill bit?
BobP said:
A lot of times even if no water comes out of the upper test holes that are drilled, the moisture / water gets wicked up the transom through the wood.
If there was enough 'soak time', the wood higher up will be dark with moisture as well.
There may be a glassed in void down there that Grady didn't fill that is now being filled from the bilge va transom drain, fingers crossed.
There is also the possiblity that the hole goes completely through the transom and into a sealed compartment inside the boat. I've seen this a few times on GWs, Makos, etc. Those compartments can get enough water in them that it would take 30+ seconds to drain from 3/16" hole or so.
If that's the case, you might get lucky depending on how long ago the transducer was removed.
Do some exploratory drilling...maybe test w/ a moisture meter...before you go pulling the engine/drive out.
If that's the case, you might get lucky depending on how long ago the transducer was removed.
Do some exploratory drilling...maybe test w/ a moisture meter...before you go pulling the engine/drive out.
gw204 said:
Right on the mark.. Hopefully the holes went all the way through. If not, you probably have a major issue. Tapping the transom won't really tell you much until delamination occurs and then is all bad news.
The best way to assess the damage is with a moisture meter (made for fiberglass).
Sorry for the late reply... had a glass expert look at the damage (two glass guys ) not to worry they both checked with a meter and said the transom will out live me. another 30 years. the deck covers over the tanks are bad the meter went off the scale,I will replace them in the fall,along with many other things. thanks for the input and the Scare some gave me I reliaze you are speaking from experience and had to let me know what was what. needless to say I am a happy boater now. thank goodness.