water coming from transom

[Rick Coles]

Hi all, RE: Bombard Explorer 4.85 FB

A small issue has come up. I was drilling holes for a bracket for my bilge pump towards the bottom of the transom. The two lower holes started producing water as fast as I pulled the drill bit out and ran for about a minute. The hole produced perhaps less than an ounce of water. I am assuming it came in through the outboard mounting bolts.

I can pull the bolts and reseal, or install a small drain plug in the transom well area that drains the water from the transom at whatever intervals.

Ideas, recommendations?

Thanks, Rick

[cgoing]

Have you checked to see if there is water inside the hull? There should be a hull drain plug probably betlow the deck drain on the outsdie of the boat.

[Vandad]

Originally Posted by cgoing

Have you checked to see if there is water inside the hull? There should be a hull drain plug probably betlow the deck drain on the outsdie of the boat.

I agree with the above comment , were you working whilst the boat was floating on the water?

My drain plug is usually open and I hardly see any water coming out of it but once i was working on my transom and because the weight on the stern was more the water started coming from the plug which I knew was rain water in the hull.

[Rick Coles]

Originally Posted by cgoing

Have you checked to see if there is water inside the hull? There should be a hull drain plug probably betlow the deck drain on the outside of the boat.

See attached pic for location arrows of culprits. Well drain is obvious. Inner hull drain in left of photo. The holes I have just drilled are quite a bit higher that the transom drains.

I pull the drain plugs in the transom well every time it's out of the water. I have plugged all of the hatch wells to stop water entering the inner hull. There is no mechanical way to compleye drain the inner hull (yet).

As for your question CGoing, there is no plug of any sort below the deck drain on the outside. I have been pondering some kind of plug on the outside of the transom at a low level. maybe it's time.

[Vandad]

Originally Posted by Rick Coles

See attached pic for location arrows of culprits. Well drain is obvious. Inner hull drain in left of photo. The holes I have just drilled are quite a bit higher that the transom drains.

I pull the drain plugs in the transom well every time it's out of the water. I have plugged all of the hatch wells to stop water entering the inner hull. There is no mechanical way to compleye drain the inner hull (yet).

As for your question CGoing, there is no plug of any sort below the deck drain on the outside. I have been pondering some kind of plug on the outside of the transom at a low level. maybe it's time.

maybe whilst you were drilling the holes it has damaged the plug-seal (the shake to the transom etc.) so you may have to use some fillers to make it watertight.

[Rick Coles]

Hiya Vandad, not sure what you mean

Originally Posted by Vandad

maybe whilst you were drilling the holes it has damaged the plug-seal (the shake to the transom etc.)

I have mearly "opened" up the transom. The water has been held in there. It's the first holes since the ones drilled for the motor install.

Rick

[Erin]

That reminds me of a boat I owned some years back. Very similar drain well arrangement. Mine didn't have a transom drain so I decided to fit one. When drilling the transom for it quite a bit of water came out. I have no idea how it got in there, but it could either have been the engine bolts (which I doubt) or soaked in through some bad fibreglass work hidden from view within the hull. The hull would always end up with some water after rain, and I guess it must have soaked in.

[Vandad]

the water is so clear and looks like rain water...

Can you take a better picture, showing different angles of transom?

[PeterM]

Forgive me for saying but isn't water inside the transom generally a very very bad thing ?

[willk]

Originally Posted by PeterM

Forgive me for saying but isn't water inside the transom generally a very very bad thing ?

Yes, but that's the inside of the transom and it's got a smooth gelcoat finish, so I'm guessing that's it's actually an internal moulding that abutts the "structural" transom which would be glassed on the inside. That would leave a potential cavity of sorts between the two.

A solution will depend on what structure is in there...

[Erin]

Maybe Mr Willk, but there still shouldn't be water in that cavity unless there is a defect somewhere.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Erin

Maybe Mr Willk, but there still shouldn't be water in that cavity unless there is a defect somewhere.

yew twatt - dat nobbur has a specule drayn fower drayning hys hull intwo hys hull

wots ay phew maor droppes off haitch too oh inn de eekwaishun

i fink itt mite bee traypped watter dis iss lyke traypped winde onlee wettyr

[biffer]

the water shouldn't be there and it's a bad thing, now we've sorted that out, let me think about a cure, if it's an internal moulding it's probaly not connected to the transom too well, if at all, tap all round the drill hole to see if it's live, there should be a dull thud around the outboard bolts and that should be the sound all over.
you need to get it dry for the next bit, but sealing the holes up will just seal the water in, take the bung tube out completely so any water can drain from a bigger hole, this drying is going to take some time, while you're waiting you can redo all the outboard bolts, seal inside and out.
if you can apply heat to the transom do it.
let say you've got it dry, to repair it you will have to drill a hole at the highest point where your transom is live, get a large syringe and pump a hot resin mix down the hole.
it will go without saying but i'll say it anyway, keep all your bungs done up tight when you're in the water, if nothing can get in there will be nothing to come out


i forgot to say, if it's live all over forget everything above, and you don't want to know how it will need to be fix

[Erin]

Originally Posted by willk

yew twatt - dat nobbur has a specule drayn fower drayning hys hull intwo hys hull

Yew eevan bigga twatt.

Just because his concealed hull areas drain into the bilge well via that little hole on the starboard side, doesn't mean to say that water should be present within the thickness of the transom. My Osprey has a smooth gel finish inside and out of the transom and there's no void or cavity in the thickness. I know, cos I've drilled it for engine mounts and bilge drain hole. I still stand by my original comment that there must be a defect somewhere allowing water into the construction of the transom, irrespective of whether the bilges are open and/or free draining. Yoo nobbur

[Downhilldai]

Originally Posted by Erin

My Osprey has a smooth gel finish inside and out of the transom and there's no void or cavity in the thickness. I know, cos I've drilled it for engine mounts and bilge drain hole.

Different construction though - the OP's boat appears to have a one-piece moulded deck and transom liner, whereas the Vipermax has a sheet of gel-faced GRP laminated against the inside of the transom (for aesthetic reasons). The deck of the Vipermax is plywood and a separate structure to its transom. You can see where the flowcoat of the deck finish is dressed up over the bottom of the gel-faced panel on the transom.

[Erin]

Ahh, ok I stand corrected

That means Wiilk reverts to be a standard twatt rather than a bigga twatt. Upgrade rescinded

[biffer]

Originally Posted by Erin

Ahh, ok I stand corrected

That means Wiilk reverts to be a standard twatt rather than a bigga twatt. Upgrade rescinded

now now girls, no water inside boat, got it, have a cuppa

[cgoing]

I'd be willing to be there is a void between the inside of the transom and the outside of the transom. You'd probably be able to confirm that if you remove big transom drain. i had an old Zodiac Cherokee that had an issue like that. The core betweeen the inside and outside of the transom did not come all the way to the bottom of the transom. It was about four inches short. Over time the gasket on the transom drain failed and the area filled with water. We dryed it out over the winter and filled as much of the void as possible. Last I knew she was still going strong at about 19 years old or so.

Best of luck !

[willk]

Originally Posted by Erin

Ahh, ok I stand corrected

Originally Posted by biffer

now now girls, have a cuppa

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by willk

Such restraint and graphically equilibriated .. I'm impressed ... in the bin