silly question??

[saburke17]

Hey Guys i know the scope can vary but does anyone have an idea what a transom replacement should cost? the boat was shipped over last week and when it arrived there was a vertical crack on the transom that wasn't there before, the inside of the transom was soft but didn't really know how bad till we stripped the panels off. got a quote for 7k for a whole new one soup to nuts

[Rawleigh]

on what boat?

[saburke17]

31 FBC

[Rawleigh]

The transom should be solid fiberglass. These were build in two halves and glassed together. The gel coat on the transom over the joint is usually too thick and gets stress cracks in it. If that is what it is they are purely cosmetic and do not need an major repair.

[Tony Meola]

Rawleigh

Actually the mold was in two pieces. We had this discussion a while back. So the hull was not put together in two pieces.

Now tor the transom, Rawleigh is right, solid glass and should not rot. If it has rot, then someone put wood in that boat for some reason or she is not a true 31.

The gel coat will spider crack. After 40 plus years, I know have some spider cracks in the transom and I tribute it the boat twisting during winter storage. Some years depending on how she is set, she seems to twist more that others. This year not much twist, but last year, could not close the door to the head. This year the door opens and closes perfectly.

Something is wrong if you are being told that the Transom needs to be rebuilt. I have never heard of a transom on a 31 ever going bad.

[Bruce]

Is this an outboard or sterndrive conversion?

[saburke17]

Hey Bruce, no just repairs. the transom has a skin of teak that developed a vertical crack when it was shipped. not sure if from lifting it or maybe the boat bounced on the trailer? The guy doing the work is trusted by my mechanic and he said he drilled holes and wood/balsa came out. I'm getting some pics in a bit and ill post, i was looking at the transom repair guide on the old site and it shows two skins with a core, doesn't that mean its not solid fiberglass? did any of the later models have marine ply or balsa with interior and exterior skin? there are some trim tabs that the previous owner put on and he used teak to space them off the transom about 3/4 of inch, the guy says the water got in through there and prob the inside while it had water sitting in it from storage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nv98rg4ypc4yz ... 9.JPG?dl=0

[Rawleigh]

Tony, I believe you are correct about how it is built. What I should have said was that the gel coat where they cleaned up the seam area is thick. i know on my boat I have stress cracks up the center of the transom and up the stem.

We need pictures from the inside. It is possible that they put some wood inside to fasten through to when adding the teak?? The transom should just be about 1/4" solid fiberglass. Capt. Pat's post was about other type boats with a cored transom.

[saburke17]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vr8y0pd186eka ... .jpeg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hd9iqtjpuwvhr ... .jpeg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dl18166u4thoo ... .jpeg?dl=0

[Pete Fallon]

saburke,
That boat sat next to mine in the South Florida Marine Yard in Riveria Beach for many years Mine was stored on land during hurricane season from 2004 to 2006 before I moved to Stuart. The Palm Beach Lady used to fill with water after every rain storm and hurricane she didn't have the cabin drain plug removed while it was in the yard. That boat was re-done on Long Island before Augie moved it to Florida by way of Virginia Beach.
I have only see one other 31 Bertram that had a crack along the split mold seam on the transom 2' up and along the bottom for about 4' . That boat was dropped off a fork lift and split the bottom, it was up in Mass when it happened.
I don't think $7,000 to$10,000 is out of line for a new transom while your at it have a tuna door installed.
Good luck with the repairs. Did you have the boat surveyed before you bought it?
Pete Fallon

[Tony Meola]

Based on those pictures, I see screws coming through the transom.. Probably to attach the teak transom. I am assuming if there is wood on the inside of the transom that is is there to help support the screws that attach the teak.

So that raised the question, do you just need to remove the teak, and the wood backing and then just repair the transom and go back to gel coat of paint the hull rather than rebuild the whole thing.

Before I would take a sawzall to the transom I would remove all the wood and see what I have. Then if it is shot, reach for the saw. There is no way that the factory transom is rotted. Now because of the wood, the glass could be holding water that would be another story. But usually fresh water does not create blisters like salt water does.

Good Luck

[Dug]

SAburke, do not cut out the transom. You do not need a new transom. The transom of the B31 is a thin one, but NO CORING. It is not uncommon to have the cracking others have referenced, but it is not an indication of rot. If your guys are telling you they drilled a hole and got balsa out of it, they are smoking something and I would ask to go see it yourself.

Just my humble opinion. Any wood there is aftermarket. If that teak on the transom can be preserved and restored it would be damned pretty. And VERY expensive to replicate.

Dug

[Marlin]

My suggestion is to listen to this sage advice, these guys really know this hull,there is probably no one repair shop that has the accumulated experience u are being offered. Have someone sound the transom ,that will tell u a lot, I also assume the teak transom was/ is near a 1/2” thick and sets on top of something fabricated maybe out of plywood,sort of a shelf, that’s the area that the trim tabs would attach to and could be your source of the bad wood. I would want to know a whole bunch on how the new transom is going to be attached. My 5/8” teak transom was built on the bench, edge glued with epoxy. This is the method all the custom high end cold molded Florida boat builders use and there is never 1 screw used to attach the unit, lots of clamp placement well thought out,of the clamping method. The unit sets on a 1/2” coosa shelf that is from the boot strip down, no wood below the water. The non wood wedge necessary to create a straight/ flat plane for the trim tab attachment on my boat was taught to me by the Bertram master rebuilder, Capt Pat, .i temporarily attached the trim tabs to the coosa lower transom with screws that were well waxed, Saran Wrap on the trim tabs ,manually worked the trim tab action to prove they were still working easily, packed in thickened peanut butter epoxy, put a Saran wrapped piece of wood under the bottom edge to keep the thickened epoxy in place, let it kick off, remove the trim tabs and there will be a flat ,rough ,porous shape that will allow u to now put on the second coat of thickened epoxy with a straight edge working across the wedge shape created by the first application,shaping the top edge. I eventually thru bolted the trims in place with the fasteners caulked to keep the water out