Re: Transom replacement gone wrong
 

Just Wondering What Year And Model Your Wellcraft Is? The Way The Stringers Look From Your Pics Seems To Be About A 38 Scarab? Im Asking Because I Have A 1998 Scarab And Am wondering If this Is Something I should Look For In the future?

Re: Transom replacement gone wrong
 

JJones, I have an 86 34' Scarab III. From what I hear, the 80's models made by Wellcraft are notorious for rot. What I found with mine is that the transom wasn’t yet rotten… it was soft (very wet) in places. Directly below the drives and all around the water inlets was soft wet wood. Everywhere else including the tabs, exhaust, and swim platform mounts were dry. I didn’t know what rot was until I removed the firewall bulkhead… there was nothing but brown paper (should’ve been wood). Same with the stringers forward of the bulkhead… gone.

I think the biggest problem I see, is that the builder put all the wood in without separating sections, i.e. If rot starts anywhere in the boat, it will spread throughout the entire boat unabated… like cancer. They may have changed things, because I heard the 90’s models were much better in resisting rot.

Personally, if I knew I had a wet transom that some day would need replacing, I would check the stringers real close. I would take a couple core samples with a nice sized drill bit (all the way through, it only hurts the first time). I would refill the holes with thickened epoxy. If the stringers look good, I would cut the stringer at the transom and fill it to make sure the transom wood does not come in contact with the stringer wood. I would then schedule a transom replacement for sometime in the future. I’d keep an eye on it year after year and schedule a replacement when it was good and ready.

Wow! coming on 2 years! I've been taking my time enjoying the fiberglass itch. Lemme see if I can catch you guys up.

if there is anything worse than the project from hell... it's in my yard.

I had to go about halv way through the cabin to find good wood

When I replaced the center stringer in the cabin I decided to leave the existing glass. If you look close you can see I just stuffed new wood where the old stringer was. At the very front by the bulkhead I cut it at a 45 to slide the bulkhead piece in. goobered it up real good.

Ripped the floor off and look what I found... it's an old US Customs boat.

I figured since it worked so well in the cabin I would try the same thing on the main stringers. I used a chainsaw to cut the tops of the stringers off and just kept going down to the hull. I could see the hull and made sure I had all the crap out. My neighbors thought I was nuts! When I put the new wood back in I first put a healty layer of thickened epoxy (1/2") all along the bottom. I cut the wood at an angle to fit the hull pretty good. I then poored in more thickened epoxy to bond the new wood to the old glass.

About this time I received my second major injury. Somehow while I was chain sawing the stringers something very small came and hit me in the nose. I must've dug something up from the depths of hell because I though I was going to lose my nose. I'm not kidding, I though it was a sliver of glass... it was so tiny I could barely feel it. About this time I was so itchy anyway I didn't pay much attention. In about 2 day I had what looked like the biggest pimple on the end of my nose and it hurt like hell. Went to the doc and got some antibiotics... they didn't help. went back, more tests, more shots, more antibiotics... it kept getting worse. It was to the point within 7 days I had to wear a bandage across my nose to keep from grossing people out... and I was actually getting scared. They were going to put me in the hospital. My throat was getting so swollen and even my armpits.. I never knew I had lymph nodes in my armpits! Anyway, the lab results came back with some exotic bacteria, once they knew what it was they had the right meds to clear it up fast. I still have a scar on my nose from this damn boat! I will not be defeated!!

Oh, the first major injury was pulling my back putting in the transom.

I found this interesting... the old floor was ~1/4" to 1/2" away from the hull. see the ridge on the vertical piece... the fat section below the ridge wasn't touching the hull. Fortunately I ran into someone that told me about hardpoints. At first I though it was more lame manufacturing.