Cracks!

[T-water]

Hey there everybody. I have a 1987 Lund 16ft with a Honda 30 hp 4 stroke. When I bought the boat 15 years ago it had an old crack on the transom trim. I watched it closely for years and it hasn't changed. Tonight I noticed a small crack on the other side of where the motor is mounted. I assume this isn't good. How bad is it?  Any thoughts about some remedies?  BTW The boat is supposed to be able to handle a 40 hp motor...in 1987. 

[delcecchi]

By transom trim, do you mean the triangular pieces in the corners?  

[RebelSS]

Lund had some big issues with the wood inside transom area rotting away.....mid 80's to mid 90's.   I suggest you check for that by doing this....from the sounds of it, that may be your issue, due to flexing.

 

 

[T-water]

Thanks for the replies.  The cracks are both fairly close to where the motor is mounted.  Assuming the wood has gone bad (I'll test it tonight) what would be the repair process and would it be worth it for an older boat?

[RebelSS]

The cracks are both fairly close to where the motor is mounted.

That woulda kinda answer that.    BIG JOB!!!!!!!   Some methods are around  of pumping epoxy in there, but with old crumbling wood, it further degenerates. The cure is tear out and all new wood. It's up to how comfortable you are with doing all that work....All I'm gonna say.

[delcecchi]

If the wood needs to be replaced, you might look around in this forum.  Some guys have done it and talked about the process here.   

[CaptainMusky]

My buddy did his 2 winters ago. He is more ambitious than I am. It was a ton of work. In the end he has a very nice finished product, but there was a lot of time involved.

Many of the boat companies didn't seal the top cap of the transom very well or at all. That is how they had water intrusion or by drilling a bunch of holes for transducers, etc.

Edited January 11, 2017 by CaptainMusky

[T-water]

I'm not up for the process it would involve, especially because i was planning on selling the boat this spring.  Probably just put it on Clist with the appropriate discussion of the transom issues.  A repair shop I talked to said repair would be around $2000, which is definitely more than the boat is worth.  Now i need to figure out if I should sell it as a package or separate the boat and motor.  Thanks for the feedback any other ideas are welcome.

By the way the repair shop guy said to assess the problem I should tilt the motor up about 1/3 of the way and then try to lift it.  If the transom doesn't stay solid there's a problem.  Still haven't made it out to the garage but I'm assuming this will clarify the issue.

[RebelSS]

Pkg is almost always better, and then the whole works is done and over. Lot less headaches, just my opinion. 

[T-water]

I think you're probably right Rebel.  Pain in the arse!