Transom Repair

[Wendel]

Was hoping some one would be able to give me some advice on the upcoming transom repair I'm about to undertake.

My boat, a 2002 Polar Kraft is a great boat, I love it, but the 115HP honda on it is just too heavy, even though the boat is rated for a 150hp(new Polar Kraft are rated by weight not HP, imagine that!)

anyways, the transom had a bow in it, so we put together a stainless steel brace and that worked good for a season or so.

This spring when I took it out storage and was cleaning it up, dreaming of getting it out on the water, I noticed some huge cracks!!!

 

 

You can see the brace that I had made, I think I either need to replace the transom, or find a way to brace it under the floor..

 

Hoping someone could help me out with some thoughts...

 

My other thought was to just get it welded, change the motor to something smaller and sell it...

 

I've tried to contact polar kraft, not getting any response from them so far... I'd atleast want their advice lol

 

Thanks for looking and to see all the pics I've taken go here

[Pikeslayer]

Sorry, I can't help you with the fix but wanted to ask whether you use a 'transom saver' when hauling you boat?

 

Slayer

Edited April 26, 2011 by pikeslayer

[HTHM]

You are into a large repair, as Pikeslayer says were you transporting with a transom saver? If you look at the amount of work it is to repair this, you may want to swap everything to a different hull. However if you do go ahead and fix it the opportuntity is there to make it better and stronger than it was.

[Wendel]

yes, there is a transom saver...

 

You can see it laying on the ground in this pic lol

 

[bubbles]

You need to get rid of either the boat or the motor, get a boat that will handle the motor or a smaller motor and repair the boat.

I would not try and fix it, you will have issues elsewhere, it is obviously too heavy for the boat.

[aplumma]

You might look at in photo one. Remove the decking and place a 90 bracket on both sides and weld them on the outside front and rear edges then bolt from outside to inside one from front to back and one right to left. That will take the load off from the thrust of the motor. This idea will only work if the core of wood is not soft if it is then their is no strength for the repair and it will fail.

 

 

Art

[fishnsled]

I would have thought the boat might be covered under warranty still? Is your dealer still around? If so I'd be going through them, assuming you are the original owner. WARRANTY With the bracket being added the warranty might be void.

 

If no warranty for whatever reason check out J & J Marine.

 

J & J Marine in Hagersville, Ontario

 

Call Jim Kosh at 905 768 9188

 

Here is his Website

 

 

Check the boat repair section and the pics of the work he has done.

 

 

Edit - noticed the shot of the motor (transom saver shot) and was wondering it the damage was do to a collision? Skeg and prop look a bit rough.

Edited April 26, 2011 by fishnsled

[Wendel]

thanks for the reply Sled...

 

The damage is basically due to the motor being too heavy, the skeg is good shape actually, but the prop does have a few little dings on it from some rocks I found in Wollesley bay last year :/

 

I have a friend that wants to swap me motors, but I'd rather just put that motor on a newer hull I think... Love the honda... it's an absolute gas miser!

[Fisherman]

Maybe just an illusion looking at the dimension of the large transom cut out, I would be betting that's half the problem. If a new boat is rated for the weight of the motor, seems a little fishy, maybe they are lacking in transom strength and have found this out through other complaints. Just a thought.

[pikehunter]

I wouldn't rule out talking to Polar Kraft just yet. Could be worth the trouble. Maybe if you were interested in replacing your hull with a new Polar Kraft the company rep may have some pull and at least and get you a discount? Who knows, with the economy the way it is anything is worth a shot, one more happy customer on the roster wouldn't hurt their reputation. Start it off by looking for a free repair then lead them around to you willing to consider a new one if you don't have any luck getting compensated. But then that would all come down to what your budget is and if you are willing to dig down to pocket lint scrapping up the coin.

 

Just an opinion so take it for what it's worth.

[Fish Farmer]

I'm surprised they would package a motor that size on that boat. I see they added a after thought plate, looks a little suspicious. That transom is to thin by the looks. Good job you didn't get the 150 hp. I think I'd be going after the dealer. 70 Hp Max on that boat.

[outllaw]

ONCE AGAIN WELDED ALUMINUM. seems to be a boating industry weakness. i would attempt a solution thru polarcraft.

[Sinker]

I'd contact polar Kraft too.

 

It doesn't really look "that" bad to me. Those welds aren't very strong. It doesn't take much to pull them loose. Can you see the transom move when your under power??

 

For a boat that is only 9 years old, it should be fine still. My boat is 18 years old and solid as a rock. I'm not a fan of welded hulls though. I'd never own one myself.

 

S.

[Wendel]

I did try to contact polar kraft a couple times, no response, left a voice mail yesterday, no help.

I spoke with Jim from J&J Marine and as it stands I have an appointment to take my boat in to see him on Friday.

The boat came with a mercury, not sure the horsepower but all the controlls are Mercury.

There is a history of problems with these boats when 4 strokes started to hit the market, they are so much heavier they caused problems like this.

I bought the boat used with the honda on it... even though I have this issue I wouldn't change anything about it...

I could try and whine to polarkraft and maybe they fix it, then I send my boat away and get it back just in time for NEXT spring...

It's a rivetted hull but some pieces are welded to it......

[glen]

How thick is the metal that is cracked?

[NAW]

Did you notice any cracking before you put your stiffener plate on? Or only bowing in the transom.

 

If there was cracking before you put that homemade stiffener plate on, then you may have a case with Polarcraft.

 

IMO, it's that homemade stiffener plate that caused the big cracks in those paticular areas, but it's hard to tell from the pictures. The way it's gusseted down looks a little suspicious. Seems to be pulling on places that weren't designed to be pulled on. Hense the cracks right near the end of the gusset plate.

 

Like I said, it's hard to tell from the pics exactly where the cracks are.

Edited April 27, 2011 by N.A.W

[Cast-Away]

Wendel,

It is a great time of year to sell a boat. I would fix it up the best that you can, putty up the cracks and paint the entire area. You should also replace the prop and lower unit casing for appearance sake. I would not hang onto that boat, it is an accident waiting for a place to happen.

 

A few comments:

 

The boat is 9 years old so you should not expect a manufacturer to honour any type if warranty. Put yourself in their shoes, how do they know what the boat has been subject to and exposed to?

 

Based on the photo showing the skeg, I would say that you hit something at a good clip. This may have caused the cracks. If the boat sat all winter and hot and cold, the expansion and contraction would cause the cracks expand. These cracks are minor because the area is just the splashwell for the transom.

 

If the transom has a significant bow to it the wood under the aluminum is probably rotting and needs to be replaced. This is a huge undertaking that requires professional knowledge. I would not attempt to do this on your own.

[NAW]

Wendel,

It is a great time of year to sell a boat. I would fix it up the best that you can, putty up the cracks and paint the entire area.

 

Note to self.. Never by a boat from Cast-Away..

 

Edited April 28, 2011 by N.A.W

[irishfield]

What I see there, and what I call it in the airplane world, is "bigger band-aid" syndrome. Guy finds a week spot (bowing transom board in your case), adds a huge ass reinforcement/doubler etc which transfers the load to another spot that was never designed to take a load causing catastophic failure. The area that is cracked is simply a splash well, it wasn't designed to have something structural depending on it. On my Lund I don't even think the splash well corners are welded, the corners are bent against each other and caulked before paint (either that or they're the smoothest welds I've ever seen). My Lund (and most of them), Princecrafts, others, have reinforcing gussets similar to what you've made Wendal, but there is another set underneath the splash well that they are attached to and the lower set is attached to the hull stringers. You had the right idea for taking the load off the transom board... you just need to pick up the underside of those brackets you made and get them tied into the hull stringers somehow.

 

Remember.. when the motor is pushing the boat.. load isn't an issue (unless you over trim nose up). It's sitting at the dock and trailering that cause the transom to pull rearward.

Edited April 28, 2011 by irishfield

[lookinforwalleye]

Wendel,

It is a great time of year to sell a boat. I would fix it up the best that you can, putty up the cracks and paint the entire area. You should also replace the prop and lower unit casing for appearance sake. I would not hang onto that boat, it is an accident waiting for a place to happen.

 

A few comments:

 

The boat is 9 years old so you should not expect a manufacturer to honour any type if warranty. Put yourself in their shoes, how do they know what the boat has been subject to and exposed to?

 

Based on the photo showing the skeg, I would say that you hit something at a good clip. This may have caused the cracks. If the boat sat all winter and hot and cold, the expansion and contraction would cause the cracks expand. These cracks are minor because the area is just the splashwell for the transom.

 

If the transom has a significant bow to it the wood under the aluminum is probably rotting and needs to be replaced. This is a huge undertaking that requires professional knowledge. I would not attempt to do this on your own.

 

 

Ya put a bandaid on it and hide the damage then sell it, good solid advice there.

[jimmer]

Wendel,

It is a great time of year to sell a boat. I would fix it up the best that you can, putty up the cracks and paint the entire area. You should also replace the prop and lower unit casing for appearance sake. I would not hang onto that boat, it is an accident waiting for a place to happen.

 

A few comments:

 

The boat is 9 years old so you should not expect a manufacturer to honour any type if warranty. Put yourself in their shoes, how do they know what the boat has been subject to and exposed to?

 

Based on the photo showing the skeg, I would say that you hit something at a good clip. This may have caused the cracks. If the boat sat all winter and hot and cold, the expansion and contraction would cause the cracks expand. These cracks are minor because the area is just the splashwell for the transom.

 

If the transom has a significant bow to it the wood under the aluminum is probably rotting and needs to be replaced. This is a huge undertaking that requires professional knowledge. I would not attempt to do this on your own.

Would you really do that to some unsuspecting buyer? That would be devastating to me if I bought a boat, only to find out later that it was damaged and then had a shoddy repair done.

[NAW]

What I see there, and what I call it in the airplane world, is "bigger band-aid" syndrome. Guy finds a week spot (bowing transom board in your case), adds a huge ass reinforcement/doubler etc which transfers the load to another spot that was never designed to take a load causing catastophic failure. The area that is cracked is simply a splash well, it wasn't designed to have something structural depending on it. On my Lund I don't even think the splash well corners are welded, the corners are bent against each other and caulked before paint (either that or they're the smoothest welds I've ever seen). My Lund (and most of them), Princecrafts, others, have reinforcing gussets similar to what you've made Wendal, but there is another set underneath the splash well that they are attached to and the lower set is attached to the hull stringers. You had the right idea for taking the load off the transom board... you just need to pick up the underside of those brackets you made and get them tied into the hull stringers somehow.

 

Remember.. when the motor is pushing the boat.. load isn't an issue (unless you over trim nose up). It's sitting at the dock and trailering that cause the transom to pull rearward.

 

Very well articulated Wayne. That's what I was trying to say..

[bubbles]

Note to self.. Never by a boat from Cast-Away..

 

 

 

X2 and that is NOT Sarcasm.....geez

[Cast-Away]

Guys, I wasn't saying to dump it on someone else, I said to fix it up as best as he can and get rid of it. The cracks shown in the splashwell were minor. The big and visible issue with the boat was the bow in the transom itself. That is visible to any buyer.

 

The advice was to not bother with the repair himself.

Edited April 29, 2011 by Cast-Away

[corvette1]

take the top motor plate off i think your wood in the transom is rotton just a guess