Small Stress Cracks on Transom

[Nbatch1801]

Greetings,

I have a 2005 1801 with original F115 Yami. This has been my baby for the last 10 years.

This last time out I noticed these spider cracks on the top of my transom on both port and starboard side of the engine.

Please see attached picture.

Has anyone experienced this before?

I do not want to allow water ingress so I was thinking of dremmeling these cracks and filling with epoxy...

Thoughts on cause and solutions would be very welcome.

Sincerely
Nick

 

[CityIsland2320]

I had similar cracks on my 2120. as time went on they got worse. I figured out that water was getting in the transom from through holes or bolt holes that would cause cracks to spread upwards and eventually become noticable at the gel coat. Each year I was repairing the crack from the top which didn't help because I wasn't fixing the root of the problem.

 

[Bodick93]

I had similar cracks on my 2120. as time went on they got worse. I figured out that water was getting in the transom from through holes or bolt holes that would cause cracks to spread upwards and eventually become noticable at the gel coat. Each year I was repairing the crack from the top which didn't help because I wasn't fixing the root of the problem.

And you... said "had." Did you do a transom?

 

[afitzray]

You’ll have to investigate more to figure out if it’s just cosmetic or more serious. Gelcoat degrades over time and it might just be stress cracks in the gelcoat.

Start with the dremel as you planned. Usually you’ll stop spraying dust and start slinging dirty, wet stuff if you get through cracked glass and hit moisture. Before you start, have some epoxy on hand ready to seal things back up so you don’t possibly create a new issue from investigating. But if it’s wet, and localized just on that one spot, you’ll need to protect it until it can dry so you can epoxy it properly.

If you hit moisture, or just for peace if mind- Do you have a transom mounted transducer? If the transom is really badly rotten then you could maybe find that out by pulling off the transducer and checking those holes. ( usually closer to the bottom of the keel where water would settle in a fully rotten transom)

Could also pull the engine off and do the same with engine mount bolts but that’s obviously more involved.

 

[Bodick93]

Get that little rusty looking spot also. Grind/fill with epoxy and then paint. Monitor of course.
Rust Oleum topside paint is pretty nice.
I am no expert! But I could make it moisture tight, look nice and sleep at night for not too much money. The grinding will reveal what you have, then you will have time to plan your next step, if any.

 

[tomc585]

grind
fill
fish