'01 288 Sport - Wet Transom - Help!

[Rick Taft]

Just attached a transom-mount transducer on my new (to me - bought it used two months ago) '01 288 Sport. The drill shavings came out wet in all 5 places, drips even from the holes near the hull. No evidence of rot - all the shavings were brown and white and clean, no black. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this with Nitros, how big a deal this is likely to be and advice on how to proceed. I see no evidence of structural compromise externally - no cracks, large or small. A little advice please?? Thanks, Rick.

 

[Gilbert Scales2]

Rick, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. It is a big problem, and must be corrected. I am not sure where this water is coming from. Do you keep the boat outside, not covered? It may be coming from the top of transom, sometimes just a molding. It also could be coming from aroumd the motor bolts, or drain plug. Try your best to figure it out, moisture and wood do not mix. Good Luck,



Bubby

 

[Pat Goff]

Good advice given.



Water is very very bad in the transom, usually due to shotty rigging, the dealer didn't seal the mounting holes during install.



This is important...do NOT run the boat again. You'll need to dissassemble the rigging, remove the motor, and all thru transom fittings, livewell plumbing, etc. so you can determine exactly where the leakage is coming from. Usually you can park it with a heat lamp for ten days or so and dry everything out, sometimes not.



One thing I can guarantee, if you continue to run it as is, the transom will fail, and it will be very expensive to replace.

 

[JP Heintzman]

Rick,



I have the same problem with my 95 170TF Nitro. You could grab the motor by the foot and see the transom flex just below the motor mount. I wasn't willing to pay the $$ to replace the transom, so I had a guy fabricate a brace that extends well beyond the motor mount and has a lip that comes up and over the transom. There are also two long brackets in the inside the go horizontally where the motor mount bolts are. Put the motor back on and it still tracks, rides and runs perfect. I would have spent 2,000 to 3,000 to replace the transom, but only paid $500.00 for the bracket. It should give me another five years, then I'll turn the boat into a "bird bath" and use the motor on another boat. Problem is that Nitro doesn't take the time to seal the motor mount bolt holes and water seeps in and down throughout the transom, really sucks! Too bad you can't take that boat back and get your money, I sure hope the seller didn't know about this problem before he sold it to you, that would be really underhanded. Best of luck to you.



Jim

 

[Drew Dennis]

I have a 2002 701 nitro...it has a large amount of sealant around each bolt holding the motor on so I dont think generalizing that just because yours was not sealed well means that nitro's in general are the same way. I am quite sure there are a few lazy dealers out there who don't rig the boats correctly. I am confident you would find the same issues on any other boat if you looked and asked around....lazy and/or untrained workers are not limited to working at the nitro factory



Also I would not trust that bracket for 5 years...rot spreads and will eventually weaken the entire transom. Replacing the transom yourself, while time consuming, will save you a lot of money. Check out this link on doing it yourself with a pourable product called seacast



http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=206019

 

[JP Heintzman]

Dennis,



thanks for the link. I wish I had known about that method before I dropped the $500.00 on the bracket. The hardest part for me will be figuring out how to get the engine off my boat, I don't have access to any type of engine hoist/stand. Thanks again and I'll probably end up doing the seacast job eventually.



Jim

 

[Jim in VA]

Jim:



When you need an engine hoist, it may be worth checking out Northern Tool. Here's what I found on a search for "engine hoist":



http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/NTESearch?storeId=6970&N=0&Ntk=All&Ntt=engine%20hoist&Nty=1&D=engine%20hoist&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchallpartial



Seems to be quite a range for hoists, including a 3/4 ton free standing hoist for $100 and a 2-ton for $130. With the engine hoist screw for merc's, one of those should do the job. May need to check height clearance just in case.

 

[Greg Meyer]

I helped a friend do the Seacast method... Time consuming... But, worth every minute and $$$... Fantastic result... Just follow the website instructions...



Something like the engine hoist... look on e-bay or Craig'sList... do what we did... bought one used and when we were finished sold it... wasted the cost of freight and $20-30 (don't remember exactly) for a total of about $75... Cheaper than renting one...

 

[Drew Dennis]

Craigslist is the way to go for used...also check for one of the travelling tool sales..like Cummings tools.. they sell surplus, reman'd and closeout as well as offbrand.