What would a normal reading be? What percent?

i think ten to twelve is normal. Been a while since i had one done but if memory serves this is what i was told.

cool ...then i should be very happy with 8

How much past "normal" would cause concern? Anything over?

I would think that anything below the norm should start to be a concern .

There were some places on a boat i had done the were in the twenty-thirty percent range that housed very damp wood and a few spots that pretty much pegged it and those areas were salad. As i remember my survey guy said you should start getting very concerned at about twenty percent and on up. Honestly its gonna be a margin call in the twenty percent range. All older boats are likely to show some elevated levels and you just hafta decide how you want to roll the dice.

I have seen a boat surveyed that supposedly had a moist transom, the very same day it was picked up (literally) by a travel hoist under the tabs and way forward, slung off a trailer and into the water. Seemed to me that considering they had it rendered WAY forward on the front sling, and BY the tabs themselves, if there was any question on the transom, it would have plucked the tabs straight out of the boat.

Just struck me as odd, seems moisture meters (unless pegged) can be interpreted differently to different people. Obviously, erring to the side of caution is wise, but looking at older boats, it's bound to be there in some form or another.

does the stringer carry most of the engine tq compared to the transom?

What could happen if the transom had a high percentage of moister. What fails??

I would think a powerboat being not left it the water wouldnt show much?



Rob


Water is weight

Couplers will fail due to the transom flexing and basically causes misalignment of the drive.

I am a marine surveyor and the moisture meter is one of my tools that I use on every boat. The moisture meter does indicate moisture although it can also indicate a high reading due to a void in the laminate or wood in the transom. Sounding the area with a phenolic hammer will help determine if moisture is present. The ONLY real proof of high moisture is to use destructive testing to get a core sample or drill a small hole to see if water runs out. It should also be noted that bottom paint and some resins also will set off a moisture meter to read high moisture when there really is no moisture in the laminate. The moisture meter is a tool that is valuable to use around thru-hulls to determine if the thru-hull is bedded properly. The moisture meter is a tool that indicates possible moisture. Follow up testing should be used to prove the mosture meter reading.