Boat transom repair

I have a 2001 Crestliner Fishhawk 1750. I have noticed the last 6 weeks or so that there is water getting into my boat. Monday I was out fishing so I popped the access cover in the splash well. There was a water trail from the back side of the transom board Below the motor mounting holes. When I got home I was checking thing over and decided to tighten the motor bolts. To my surprise 3 of 4 bolts were not tight. I called the local Crestliner dealer and asked what the bolts should be tightened to. He asked why and I explained the situation. He said more than likely the transom is rotten and that is why the bolts are not tight anymore. So I went back outside and started pressing on the transom plywood and it was soft. I pulled apart one of the scuppers in the splash well the wood is crumbling and falling apart. So I got on google and searched for boat repairs near me in the Twin City area. Came up with Shipwreck boat repair in Princeton , MN. that quoted me $2,500 for the repair and said it takes 20 hours. He said he uses composite materials for the repair. The other place is Anchor Marine Repair in Delano, MN. He quoted me $5,000, said it takes 40 hours and uses plywood for the repair. Has anyone on here used either of these repair facilities. What kind of job did they do for you. Are you happy or not. HELP!!!

I have two friends that had transoms replaced at Shipwreck. Both are very happy with the quality of the work and the fact that the work was done right after dropping off the boats in Princeton. I’ve inspected both boats and composite material is used and the work looks like it was done with care. Both of my friend are very happy.

I have a 1997 fishhawk 1750 had the same issue. I replaced the transom myself this spring . If this is an option for you i’ll offer any advice i can .

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My god why wood was ever used in boat components is beyond me.

gim wrote:

My god why wood was ever used in boat components is beyond me.

Probably because for years boats were made of wood. Still to this day my favorite boat is an wood boat!

gim wrote:

My god why wood was ever used in boat components is beyond me.

Because it’s light and strong? Lol

But I agree with the technology and materials available today, it should be illegal to use wood for anything in a boat.

Carpet should be illegal too

I don’t have carpet in my kitchen…..why the hell would I want it in a boat!?!?

B-man wrote:

I don’t have carpet in my kitchen…..why the hell would I want it in a boat!?!?

Ya no carpet in the boat or the kitchen for this guy either.

gim wrote:

My god why wood was ever used in boat components is beyond me.

Composite didn’t come into play on boats until 1997, Triton bass boats were the first to use a composite stringer system and composite decks, I remember most of the industry thought it will never work at that time.

I did my 2000 Crestliner a few years ago if you have a way to remove the engine it is not a bad job.

Don’t replace it with wood

Consider doing it yourself (rewarding and saves bookooo cash).
But I’d certainly get multiple quotes.

I had a marine/ small engine mechanic in owatonna change mine 6-7 years ago. $600
17′ windshield boat.
I’d pass on the number but unfortunately he passed shortly thereafter.

Wood may not last a life time, but it sure is affordable. I replaced a transom in a ’86 Lund about 20 years ago. Pretty easy. Pulled motor using a cherry picker. Cost of Marine grade plywood back then around 80 dollars a sheet for 3/4″. I cut it in half and glued the two halves together to get thickness I needed. I replaced pumps, paid dealer to redrill motor mount holes. With all the stainless steel hardware I used, probably cost around 200 dollars to do the entire job back then.

Beast wrote:

Composite didn’t come into play on boats until 1997, Triton bass boats were the first to use a composite stringer system and composite decks, I remember most of the industry thought it will never work at that time.

Didn’t know that. Non carpeted boat interiors definitely are becoming more popular. Carpet in a boat just flat out sucks now given the alternatives.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Consider doing it yourself (rewarding and saves bookooo cash).
But I’d certainly get multiple quotes.

I had a marine/ small engine mechanic in owatonna change mine 6-7 years ago. $600
17′ windshield boat.
I’d pass on the number but unfortunately he passed shortly thereafter.

I will say you got yourself one heck of a deal obviously not a composite transom. I have done several myself and it depends on the boat on how much time it takes to remove and replace. The last transom I did the composite transom cost was $550 just for the board. But yes the transom is CNC cut and ready to go in. My 04 lund transom the lund boat company quoted $3150 to replace and I had to remove the motors and they were not going to charge for the transom. I will say this I have seen some replaced transoms that the repair was not done correctly and they will probably have the same problem in the future. If you are planning on doing it yourself you will need some type of mechanism to lift the old transom out unless it is completely rotted. Threaded rods work great as anchor points. And yes when they are rotted they will stick to that aluminum like glue.

Yup, I was planning on doing it myself until I got that quote. The boat made it almost 30 years on that wood. Im a pretty intelligent guy, and replacing with something that would last longer ranked high on the list of waste of money.

I really need to start doing transom on the side. Wood will be fine. If you get 20 years of untreated wood well I bet you will get more out of wood and epoxy.

Recent thought , what is happening to the metal , is it not dissolving from the chemical reaction ? At what point will it not be unuseable ?

Thank you for all the responses. I have had quotes of $2,500 using composite, $3,500, and $5,000 using marine plywood that is resin bonded and sealed. Pretty sure I could do it myself as I am a retired journeyman machinist, so I have the skills. Don’t think I want to tackle it though. Don’t have access to a welder for the aluminum cap. I would guess a body shop could do that and the repainting. Now I am torn on the wood or composite. Original one lasted 19 years, if the new one lasts that long it would put me through the rest of my fishing years.

Dropped the boat off at George’s boat repair in East Bethel. I’ve heard they do pretty good work. they said it will be done in 3 weeks. We’ll see then

Guessing they quoted you less then the $2500 from Shipwreck? And are they using wood?

hookem wrote:

Dropped the boat off at George’s boat repair in East Bethel. I’ve heard they do pretty good work. they said it will be done in 3 weeks. We’ll see then

So I got my boat back Friday from George’s boat repair. They did a transom replacement. They did a really nice job. Where they cut the aluminum cap off and rewelded it and painted it looks perfect. Matched the paint perfectly. I was worried it would not the greatest but I was wrong. I would recommend them to anybody. It wasn’t cheap, $3,600. Only problem was partly my fault. I checked with my insurance to see if there was coverage for it and they pulled it out of their 3 week turnaround cycle and didn’t tell me this. When I called them to see if it was done they said when you got the ins. Involved it pulls you out of the rotation until we hear back from you. Then they promised it would be done in a week. Called a week later, we will start it next week. Got a call from them a few days later and the guy tried to convince me to let them do it as a winter project, I said no I was promised it would be done in a week. Other than that I am very satisfied.

I can’t believe your insurance covered it. I’m happy for you and glad it saved you some money, but I’m pretty surprised it was covered.

The nature of insurance is to cover perils that are sudden and accidental. Losses (damages resulting in depreciated value causing a financial loss)) caused by maintenance issues aren’t supposed to be covered.

That’s why the damages resulting from getting in an accident (with collision coverage if at-fault) is covered but damages from rust is not. Having a leaking roof is covered if caused by a hailstorm but not if your roof is forty years old and deteriorated to where it leaks. Things like rust and old shingles are maintenance issues that happen over time and thus are not covered by insurance.

I fail to see how a transom rotting out is any different than rust on a car in being a maintenance issue. A transom rotting out can’t be argued as something that occurred as being sudden and accidental.

Just thought I’d point that out because I’m guessing your insurance agent pulled some strings to get that claim approved for you. People tend to complain a lot about insurance screwing them over…it’s nice to hear a very positive story about how insurance hooked you up and really helped you out.

I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear in my post. My insurance didn’t cover any of the cost. No coverage for rot, only if an accident caused it to happen. Paid all the bill out of my pocket.