Carbon film
 

Looking at a boat that gets what looks like some black carbon dust on the inside of the transom around where the exhaust enters the trasom. Is there a leak in the exhaust there? What may cause this, and would this also allow water to get down into the interior of the boat. There were some soft spots in the interior of the transom. Not sure if from rot or from a bad layup job. Thanks.

Re: Carbon film
 

Without seeing any pics or what boat it is, might be an exhaust leak and if so, possibly some water may blow through. The soft spots is a scary thing, what boat and what year? I'd definitely recommend getting a surveyor out there to give you a real review of what you might be getting yourself into. Could also call the manufacturer if still in business and pose your questions regarding the soft spots, they should be able to provide some insight as to if there were any problems with this specific model boat. Again, it's tuff to give you any specifics without seeing it first hand. Post some more details on the boat, you might find some people here that have the same model and can tell you if they have the same problem or seen it before...

Good luck!

Re: Carbon film
 

The boat is a 1997 python. The boat is solid, just some things poped out in the transom. No stress cracks, etc. Boat seemed pretty cleaned and was in climate controlled storage for most of the last 5 years (about 30 hours put on the boat). But if there is a leak from the exhaust that goes into the transom, then going to sit in there and cause rot. THere was also a mushroom on the transom wall where the exhaust goes into the transom. Boat is a great ride, just do not want to deal with transom rot. Has an HP 500, etc. Everything else looks good. Would a transom have areas where the fiberglass is not backed by anything? I would think not, but maybe I am wrong.