Cracked fiberglass on engine mounts
 

So the boat I just bought was sold to me as a solid boat with no rotted stringers. I was cleaning the bilge and noticed a booger of silicone on the starboard side mount. I pulled it off and found a crack. I left it open incase and water got in there and had a small box fan blowing on it for a few days. I came back and the crack spread.

I think the motor mount base is shot. I can spin the lower pedestal lag by hand. Looks like I will have to take out the 350 and cut it open to see what's going on in there. I'm NOT happy and neither is my wife.

Is there anything I can do to the seller or am I stuck? I already recovered some seats, made a new engine cover, re-padded it and re-upholstered it. I also installed a new radio, speakers, dual blue tops and new 2ga battery cables.

This boat was bought at a local dry dock and they ( the owner and his son) stated the boat was solid.

I'm about to puke over this!!

Please advise

Have you approached the seller?
How old is the boat?
How long have you had it?
Did you pay fair market value for said boat or was it priced low?
Do you have anything in writing stating the condition?
Was the boat surveyed prior to purchase?

The seller is not returning my calls.
The boat is an 88.
I bought it below market value.
I bought it in May and only took it out once and had to get towed in.
I have nothing in writing.
I did not have it surveyed.

Buyer beware I guess.

I have the means and ability to fix it, but was hoping I had a structurally sound boat first and foremost.

If you have nothing in writing your pretty limited I'm what your able to do.. Most I can tell you is enjoy it the rest of the season.. At the end of the season, pull the motors and assess the damage.. If your lucky you can section off and change the rear section of the stringers .. Worse case full stringers, floor etc.. Like I said enjoy it now, sometimes a little crack can be a can of worms..2cents

Well, sorry to say, you're probably stuck with whatever issues it has.

I agree with new banana. I'd ride it out till fall time and really assess it then.
Repairing bad stringers is not all that bad. It's just messy and a bit time consuming.

Good luck man.

I filled the crack with West System's two part epoxy. I also drilled into the area just behind the crack in two small holes and pumped it full of epoxy also. I think this will hold for the rest of the season. I just won't romp on it and take it easy.

Thanks for all the help guys.

No reason to back down without a face to face meeting.

Did they post the condition of the boat as solid in an advertisement? If the boats condition was represented as solid, and you can still access the ad for the boat, you may have some grounds to work with.

Safe to say the seller was aware if they put a blob of silicone over the crack?

I had my good friend with me and he heard the guy state the boat was a solid with solid stringers. I just don't know how to get an old Craigslist post.

The boat was bought from drydock marine, a local drydock. This whole venture has me sick to my stomach. I think I'm gonna have to talk to my lawyer to see what can be done.

save the money the lawyer will cost to put into the boat. even if you win a judgement against seller, that is all it is...a judgement. the court won't turn him upside down and shake him till the money falls out of his pockets. which stringer, right or left side? left is worse, engine pulls up on that side. right side it is pushing down.

Left side has a small crack, the right side is MUCH worse.

Anybody ever use that Rot Doctor CPES? I am planning on pulling the engine at the end of the season, as long as the cracks don't get worse. I will cut the glass off the engine mount pads and asses from there.

If the stringers are bad, hows the transom???

As far as I can tell it's ok. I pulled everything off the back when I bought the boat and everywhere I looked it was solid.

I agree that paying a lawyer to fight this for you will cost more than just fixing the boat.

I just didn't plan on doing sooooo much work to this boat.

Did you think buying a 26 year old boat was going to be perfect and have no issues?? (that would be like finding a 26 year old virgin stripper!!!!)

Its a USED boat. If you want a perfect boat and something that has zero issues buy a 2014 boat not a 1988.

Go buy a 1988 yugo, and see what has more problems ;)

I know. I know. I just hate when a guy looks you in the eyes and says....it's a solid boat.

If I had an 88 Yugo I'd pull my 512 BBC out of my Camaro and install it in that POS and enter a wheelie contest!

start tapping on the stringers/transom with a plastic hammer listen for different sounds, if the stringers have dud sounds and transom is ok, get GitRot, drill holes all along where bad area's are found, when you drill end you can tell what condition the wood is in, start filling with the gitrot in sections when full paint over and ride..it will be fine for a boat like that...

Git rot huh?

Gonna have to look into that!!

Should I still pull the engine to repair the glass that is delaminating?

In look at it this way (and this is inly me, you are not me and may not be anything like me)...

I use my boat, while not particularly big or fast, I run it hard. I go hammer down and launch that sucker.... Now cars are different than boats.... If I get a flat because I figured a tire was good enough, I pull over and change it. If the exhaust comes loose, i tie it up untill my next day off to fix it. if a motor mount goes bad I will baby it untill I can fix it in a day or two... If the truck lets me down, a rescue mission ride is only a phone call away.

On my boat, you just cant pull over to the side of the road and call your brother for a ride as easily. if the motor comes loose and starts flopping in the bilge, if the bellows lets go that you were going to change next weekend and the boat starts filling with water, well that phone call to your brother may or may not save your butt, but your 10 miles out in 3 to 5's, the ***** is sinking and you have your water wings on as its getting dark.

Now do you want to fix your boat right the first time before water gets up your nose?

^^^lol^^^

well put!!!!!!