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| 89 Sundowner Transom Issue https://www.smwebhead.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16011 |
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| Author: | PezzDSpenser [ Wed Jun 20, 2018 9:29 am ] |
| Post subject: | 89 Sundowner Transom Issue |
I've owned the bout for 7 years now. It's in fantastic shape. Previous (1st) owner was meticulous. Dry docked it, was never left in water for more than a few days. I've docked it every season on Lake Ontario. The bilge has always been dry unless it rained. Last fall during winterizing the service tech recommended replacing the bellows and gimbal bearing. It was done. This spring I launched the bout. Took the 10 minute ride to the dock. Put up the canvas and hooked up shore power. Upon checking to make sure the battery charger was working I heard a steady light flow of water. Looking further it was coming from the lower area of the transom plate. Pulled the boat and took it back to the service center. A couple days later they tell me they checked the boat in the pond and then filled the bilge on land and the leak is coming from the transom seal and I'll need the transom replaced. Apparently the transom seal during this generation (87-92) of Four Winns OMC & Mercruiser are famous for this issue and the service center has a history with this being a Four Winns dealer. If the bilge has been dry all these years, is it common for it to just dry out over the winter (always in heated storage) and then all of a sudden leak this bad. My other thought is the service center really messed this up because I have this issue and the outdrive now whirs pretty loudly when in gear. Curious on thoughts and feedback. Thanks. |
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| Author: | Oldav8tor [ Wed Jun 20, 2018 2:47 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 89 Sundowner Transom Issue |
I'm a great believer in cause and effect. I guess I'd be suspicious as to whether the work you had performed might have triggered the issue. I haven't had a bellows or gimbal bearing replaced so I can't say exactly what they would have to do but it certainly sounds questionable. My boat has been in fresh water all it's life and stored indoors when not in use. In the short time I've owned it I've never had any water in the bilge. As an owner of a 1987 Four Winns, I'm obviously very interested in what you find out. I would also be very interested in knowing if there are any steps that can be taken to reduce the chance of such a problem - for example, would anyone recommend sealing around the transom plate on the outside with 3m 4200 or another sealant? I wish you luck and hope you'll keep us updated. |
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| Author: | chevymaher [ Sat Jun 23, 2018 4:45 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 89 Sundowner Transom Issue |
Oldav8tor wrote: For example, would anyone recommend sealing around the transom plate on the outside with 3m 4200 or another sealant? No replace the seal. It is just a foam piece. It looses its elasticity and stays flat. If you use 4200 you got a slow leak feeding open wood. Not what you want. Transom seals are advised to be replaced every 5 years. Nobody does they leak boats rot. You know the story. |
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| Author: | PezzDSpenser [ Sat Jun 23, 2018 12:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 89 Sundowner Transom Issue |
Thanks for the support guys. It bothers me that they put water in the bilge, it's leaking out the back of the transom and right away "the transom is rotted it needs to be replaced". They didn't bother to investigate any further. Which I would have happily paid for. I did my research on the internet, talked to other local boaters and had feedback from this forum and others. Everyone has been supportive and helpful (except for one pecker head on another forum who told me to junk the boat because its 30 yrs old. He doesn't know me or my boat). The boat shows no sign of the transom getting weak over time. No stress cracks in the fiberglass and absolutely no flex in the transom when standing on the stern drive. I'm taking it to another mechanic this week for a second opinion. Hopefully it will be just a seal that finally dried out over the winter or something the previous shop blatantly missed (a part time mechanic did the work) or screwed up. |
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| Author: | SteveD [ Tue Oct 30, 2018 6:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 89 Sundowner Transom Issue |
Hey, were you ever able to to get this issue solved? Was it just the seal? I have an 88 with a leak that I'm hoping to dig into this winter. I love my boat and hope its just the seal but will put in the time if its rotted. |
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| Author: | LouC [ Wed Oct 31, 2018 8:56 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 89 Sundowner Transom Issue |
chevymaher wrote: Oldav8tor wrote: For example, would anyone recommend sealing around the transom plate on the outside with 3m 4200 or another sealant? No replace the seal. It is just a foam piece. It looses its elasticity and stays flat. If you use 4200 you got a slow leak feeding open wood. Not what you want. Transom seals are advised to be replaced every 5 years. Nobody does they leak boats rot. You know the story. The real issue here, is that the boat builders were too lazy to simply seal up the outdrive cut out & holes with resin, preferably epoxy resin. No one in there right mind, would be pulling the engine, outdrive and transom mount every 5 years to replace that seal! BTW, here in salt water, one difference between salt and fresh is that we see less of that here because salt water does not rot wood like freshwater does. It corrodes manifolds and elbows and just about anything else but most wood rot here is caused by rain water, not salt water. The bacteria that rots wood has a hard time living in salt water. |
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| Author: | babbot1 [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 1:25 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 89 Sundowner Transom Issue |
LouC, I have heard in the olden days they used to throw salt water into the bilge to prevent the rain water from rotting the wood. Not sure if it's an old sailor tale but there is science behind the theory. Back to the original question, where you able to find out if it's a bad transom or just the seal? You can perform the "tap" test to see if there is any delamination caused by rotted wood. This is performed by surveyors to check for rotted hulls. It's the easiest of the tests. A true test would be to drill holes to check for a wet core but that's more evasive. |
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