Center Console 15 with Cracked Transom

[onoahimahi]

Hi. I'm looking at 15-foot Boston Whaler boats. I found a Center Console 15 I like, but the transom looks a bit scary. The first photo (which needs to be rotated 90 degrees to the right) shows a long crack nearly the full length of the transom from top to bottom. You can see at the bottom the stain from water leaking out of the transom which is wet. ( I didn't need my moisture meter to see that!)

The second photo shows similar stains from water leaking out of the hull at the drain tube. All three tubes in the transom where shot and showing signs of water leaking out of the transom as the boat sat in the yard over the winter.

Is this long crack a common problem for classic Boston Whaler transoms?

Should I walk away from this boat or is it an common "before" picture at the start of a standard restoration?

Whaler_crack1.JPG (61.44 KiB) Viewed 9508 times

Starboard_drain.JPG (149.23 KiB) Viewed 9508 times

Also, it appears from the second photo that the drain hole is two-thirds of the way below the water line. Is that normal for a 15-foot Boston Whaler?

Thanks,
--Scott

[jimh]

The first image shows a long vertical crack at the portion of the transom on a Boston Whaler 15-foot hull where the transom thickness increases for the center reinforced area where the engine is mounted. You can compare the appearance of the boat in question with other hulls in excellent condition that can be seen at:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/graphics/15Bracket/brktphoto2LR800x600.jpeg

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage50.html

In my opinion the appearance of a crack at that location is very unusual. It is possible that the crack is located only in the gel coat layer and might be considered cosmetic, but even if that is true, I would be highly suspicious of the cause of the crack. A crack in the gel coat would only have occurred if that area had been subjected to very high stress and tried to flex. Since the gel coat is not very flexible and can be brittle, it cracked, leaving behind evidence of the high stress that caused the crack.

The strength of the transom must be investigated to determine if it has been weakened and has become flexible. Use the gear case of the outboard engine as a lever arm, and try to move the engine relative to the transom. The transom should not flex.

If there has been ingress of water into the transom's wood reinforcement and the transom is weak, repair of such a major defect would be difficult and expensive.

The second image shows stains from water that has drained out of the two drain outlets. I suspect the boat was left uncovered when out of the water, and water that accumulated in the engine splash well drained out of the upper drain. Water that accumulated in the cockpit sump drained out of the lower drain.

The location of the water line of the anti-fouling paint on the hull being above the engine splash well drain could be reflective of two situations:

--the water static water line of the hull is about where the anti-fouling paint ends, and the engine splash well drain is normally below the static water line, or

--the anti-fouling paint was applied to high, and the actual static water line of the hull is lower, putting the splash well drain outlet at or above the water line.

[Oldslowandugly]

Aside from the defective drains which are normal, I agree with Jim. Something dramatic caused that transom crack. Three things come to mind. Either the boat was operating at a high rate of speed and the motor's lower unit crashed into something solid like a rock. Or while on land, the boat on a trailer was backed into something solid. Or, while on land, something solid hit the boat, like a car. Finally, the high water line, if accurate, would indicate a too large motor was once on there and contributed to a high speed collision with an underwater obstacle. The outline of a larger motor is clearly seen on the transom as well as sealed up mounting holes. It was probably a total loss and another smaller motor was hung there just for a resale. Even if it passed Jim's flex test, I would pass on this.

[onoahimahi]

The boat was covered, so the dark water stain from each drain tube is actually water leaking from the inside of the transom to the outside. That is also clear on the port-side tube above.

Also, on the left side of the port-side photo, there is a pinhole with the same dark stain.

Also, I think the long vertical crack is more than superficial gelcoat cracking because the same dark stains are there indicated that water is leaking from the inside of the transom to the outside through that crack. Attached is another photo of the crack which shows this more clearly.

Is there just foam behind that crack for coring material?

Port_drain_v.jpg (88.6 KiB) Viewed 9438 times

Whaler_crack2.JPG (84.32 KiB) Viewed 9438 times

[jimh]

That the boat was covered, and that water is leaking out from the inside the Unibond hull is just more bad news about this hull.

The Unibond hull does not use foam as "a coring material" in the sense that the foam is part of the materials before they become the hull. The foam is really an important part of the hull structure. The Unibond hull is really a double bottom hull in which all the space between the two hulls is completely filled with foam that is applied and cured under pressure and has a higher than usual density. Become more familiar with Unibond hull construction. Read

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/factory.html

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... atent.html

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... esign.html

The Unibond hull is a unique construction method.

[Oldslowandugly]

Here is a diagram of where the wood is.http://continuouswave.com/maintenance-logs/bimini/graphics/woodLocateDiagram15Whaler.jpeg As you can see, the crack is just outside the area of strength. I would suspect there is serious waterlogging in the foam back there. I once opened and rebuilt a waterlogged transom on an aluminum boat and it was a mess. The wood had to be laboriously chopped out and there was not a lot of room to work inside. Since mine was aluminum I could use a long chisel to chop and gouge the rotten wood away without fear of punching right through the transom. On fiberglass you better be careful you don't make it worse. With this boat, you already know water has gotten inside. Count on the foam being soaked, probably the wood too. If there is any flex at all as per Jim's test, then the foam has to come out so you can reinforce the transom from the inside with fiberglass. If the wood is shot then it gets really interesting because the drain tubes pass through it. If the wood needs to be replaced then you might consider what I did. The plan was to convert the transom from a short shaft to a long shaft design. I cut double thick sections of plywood to fit. Next I cut sheets of marine grade aluminum to cover the new areas. Then I encapsulated the whole thing by pouring fiberglass resin into the transom all over the wood right up to the top. The old aluminum transom cap went back on. Let me tell you, that is one STRONG transom! I even tried a 125hp motor on it and it didn't flinch. In your case if you decide to buy the boat and tackle the job it can go two ways. The easy way is you drill a few holes to drain the water and when it is out and dry you find the transom is solid. Then you just grind away the crack and repair with epoxy or fiberglass. The hard way is you find the foam soaked and the wood rotten. Then the whole thing gets opened up and repaired. The up side to that is you can then make it stronger than new. With that in mind I would value the boat accordingly.

[Acseatsri]

I doubt that water getting into the foam is the problem, but more that the water in the transom is rotting and swelling the wood in the transom and exerting pressure on the glass, especially if its been used in fresh water. How long before it progresses to flexing of the transom is anybody's guess.

[onoahimahi]

I doubt that water getting into the foam is the problem, but more that the water in the transom is rotting and swelling the wood in the transom and exerting pressure on the glass...

Interesting thought - I probably should have mentioned that the boat is in a cold climate state. Perhaps the water in the transom froze and expanded enough to cause the crack. However, if swelling or freezing is the root cause, I would think it would have happened to lots of other boats and so far I have not found any others with a crack like this.

-Scott

[porthole]

Since the water line appears to be above the well drain pipes, no doubt the transom is soaked

[kwik_wurk]

Scott.

To answer your original question: Walk away from this boat.

(Unless the price is very very low and reflects the value of engine and trailer, and a significant repair job needed for the transom.)

[dgoodhue]

The water line depends on the weight of the motor. My water line is at the splash well holes. If you added a 1" or so buffer line that would correct for my boat. I have a 260-lbs motor with a jack plate.

[Oldslowandugly]

It has a 70hp Yamaha 4 stroke right now, 257-lbs. Add soaked transom and fuel tanks. That would explain the high water line.

[onoahimahi]

Okay - OP here closing out this thread. The Whaler with the crack was so pretty I couldn't walk away even though I knew that I should. It has a new 2014 F70 that is still in warranty with nice wood and cushions and I really liked the center console style. I made an offer about 30% less than his asking price and he declined, saying he plans to have it repaired and then raise the price some. The owner of the yard thanked me for convincing the guy to have the work done because he will be doing it. I looked at one more 15' Whaler and that also had a bad transom with a junk motor and got discouraged. That was the fifth one I looked at and it, like several others, just looked too tired. I ended up buying a Scout Sportfish 155 on Sunday for about the same price as the Whaler with the bad transom and junk motor. This is a 2002 with a strong Yamaha 60 HP 2-stroke with low hours that runs great. The hull has no wood anywhere and is virtually free of stress cracks. It's not a Whaler but it will work for me for now. It has an interesting layout I like including a large livewell in front of the center console and a built-in 14 gallon tank. Scout boats don't have a user forum so I may be lurking here from time to time... ;^)

Cheers,
-Scott

Scout155.jpg (122.8 KiB) Viewed 9223 times