Transom Damage

[Latis]

I have a 2005 2400SE and recently noticed water accumulating in the bilge. I had the boat hauled for inspection and the starboard trim tabs was removed and water came out the screws holes. Also, there was a double set of screw holes behind the plate indicating it was originally mounted incorrectly. Based on this the port was removed and water also came out the screw holes. I had a fiberglass compant perform an assessment and they said the entire transom from the waterline down had a high moisture content and needs replacement. Has anyone else experienced a similar workmanship problem?

[Nimh]

First off, welcome to the forum - but sorry to hear about your boat.

Actually, I spotted a tiny bit of water coming from the transom on my 2005 2400SE last summer, but it was one of the screws that holds the top of the trim tab actuator (port side). There was little to no sealant present on this one.

I removed all the screws on both tabs and found that to be the only wet one, and I put 5200 in all holes before re-installing everything. I didn't remove the trim tabs completely as I wouldn't have guessed there could be some mis-drilled under the plate. I'm hoping I just caught it in time after reading your story, but may have to take things apart again to be sure.

Did they give you an estimate on what it will cost? Do you feel comfortable with their assessment of the repair magnitude?

[Latis]

Jim,

Thanks for the reply. No evidence of any sealant on any of the screws. Knocking on the hull you can hear the hollow sound all around both tabs indicating that the wood is all but gone. They're still writing up the estimate but most likely will be in the $6K range.

[seapuppy]

well...as stated..welcome to the zoo.....man..I sure hate to hear that this happened...however it might be covered on the maxum/USmarine warranty on the hull warrranty...I'd call USM and see if they will cover it....ya never know....but also...the boat may have not come with the tabs installed and the original owner installed them then moved them...it's hard to say..or maybe a dealer installed item...just too hard to say...but I haven't heard of anything like this except when someone not knowing what they are doing installs something improperly...

SP

[Nimh]

Ooof! At $6k I think I would contact USmarine as Seapuppy suggests. All they can say is "no" after all.

Let us know how it pans out.

[Jerryvirginia]

Latis;

We have a 2001 2300Sc Maxum that had similar transom problems. After investigation it was determined that the original transom through hull for the out drive unit was cut wrong and it appeared the factory attempted to patch the transom. To correct it was necessary to remove the engine and out drive, cut out the effected transom area and rebuild. This was accomplished by a certified marine repair facility. I reported the findings to Maxum customer service and their response was the"boat was out of warranty and they would have no further involvement in the problem". So much for customer service and manufacturing responsibility and ethics.

[Latis]

Update 6/22/10:

After several phone calls with US Marine they are trying to say that even though it is obvious that the wood in the transom is wet from the improper trim tab installation that it is not a structural problem. Someone needs to tell me how 14 holes drilled all the way through the hull to mount one trim tab is not a workmanship deficiency worthy of a manufacturer to honor its warranty. I have sent them the core sample that shows the ply delaminating and am awaiting a final decision on whether this is covered by the 5 year structural hull warranty.

[ss3964spd]

Bummer.

Can you prove the tabs were factory installed?

If yes, and if the hull is still under warranty, I'd be considering an attorney.

[canada randy]

That is a bummer. Doesn't sound right to me. Sorry to hear dude.

What's 5200 ? How do they check moisture content ? Don't mean to hi-jack thread but i've seen 2-3 inch stress crack in gel coat through bottom paint on stern at transom assy lower left down to bottom edge when i pulled out 1995 2700 SCR. Water droplets leaking out of crack . Pulled drain plug. Couple inches of water in bildge. Crack weeped out water droplets for half hour or so after bildge drained. Sounds solid when i hit it . Wondering how to address it? One of the men at work used to work on the side at boat repair shop. He's autobody tech. He said they changed complete transom once . Said they had to split deck off on that one. Didn't sound like fun. Something i'd like to avoid.Thanks
Randal