Ok, it looks like I am screwed. Chris Craft dealer says that my transom is soft around my SB drive. Everything else back there is tight. Boot is new. When you put it in gear it flexes and leaks more.

I think that I have a guy to do the transom work. But I will be de-rigging and re-rigging the boat.

I have done removals and replacements of small blocks before. These are SBCs.

Any wise words? Anything that you learned when you did yours?

Went there last year. Complete transom, 5' of stringers, 6' of floor. + rebuilt integral swim step.

Remove everything from transom and immediate area. Mask or wrap everything. Give the boat a good coat of wax before it goes, as it will sit in the sun. Completely seal of the cabin and any air passage to it as the fiberglass dust gets EVERYWHERE.

When I say wrap everything I'm talking about anything they may touch. Cover the sides where they climb in with something durable. It is a messy nasty job. Impossible not to get resin on something.

Good luck

Thanks Mark. Good call.
I was already thinking about ways to seal the cabin and protect the cockpit.
plus... I will gut the boat as much as I can, even topside.

Question... if my stringers are ok and the Port side drive cutout is solid and dry, is it legit to just have the SB side done? Or should I still have the entire transom done. The transom assy was off of the Port side last year exposing the entire cut out and the transom was fine on that side.

I have a PM in to an OSO member in my area that I think I would like to do the transom work.

I cant answer that, I know that they do do partial repairs. I wanted to have the strength for whatever HP i put in there, so I went with a complete job. When they were done I put a mercruiser offshore style mount boted through the stringers with a 3/8" backing plate on the other side. Don't want to go there again.

We found rot at the drain plug, 1 K-plane and one of the HYD steering rams. + Both stringers.

This time I left the transom with clear resin cover. So that I can see any rot starting in future.

Having been down this road. I know if I ever buy another boat it will be wood free.

This is a good time to replace all bilge pumps, place depth transducers etc. I went from 1 bilge pump to 3, 2 under motor and one under cabin on my 29 footer.

About 3 months all told.

My plan is to start before summer is over and be done in the spring of 2006.

I will never put much more than 260 horses into each side, so I am not as concerned about the HP issues, but I still want a solid boat.

I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get there.

Thanks for the input.

Seriously consider the cost vs value of making the repair. Often the rot isn't just confined to the transom, but is evident in other parts of the boat. It would suck to put this much work into the boat, only to find more rot ala AudioFn.

Sell it and buy a 311...just by coinkidink, I happen to know where one is


We make you special deal...you call me at ding wah palace!

Yea Noah really saw him coming