[Rhodes22-list] Crack in Transom

[Peter Nyberg]

Jim,

Yikes, I feel your pain.

My boat was built two years before yours, but was recycled the same winter.  They probably spent some time in the factory together.  I think it likely that both our motor lifts were added during recycling, so they are probably very similar.  I certainly recognize everything in your picture, including the anti-fouling paint that follows the curve of the bottom of the transom rather than going straight across from port to starboard.  I’m guessing you’re in fresh water, or there would be more marine growth there.

Fortunately for me, I don’t have your problem with cracked fiberglass.  Also, I’ve never actually fixed a problem like yours.  But, I have done some fiberglass work, and I have watched many, many hours of YouTube videos about other people doing fiberglass repairs.  

From what I’ve seen on YouTube, it seems the approach you should take would be to dish out an area around the damage to the point where there’s almost nothing left in the center.  Then cut some roughly circular pieces of fiberglass cloth that vary in diameter.  The largest would be about the size of the outer edges of your ‘dish’, and the rest would get progressively smaller.  Unfortunately, I don’t know how to estimate how many layers you would need.  Epoxy the smallest piece of fiberglass into the bottom of the ‘dish’, and larger pieces on top in succession. 

After this all cures, there will be some sanding and fairing and sanding and painting.  You definitely want to paint with something, because from what I hear, epoxy does not stand up well to UV exposure.  Since our boats were painted at about the same time, and they are both dark blue, it’s likely the same paint was used.  I was told the hull paint was Alexseal T5153 Flag Blue. 

Doing additional reinforcing inside certainly wouldn’t hurt, especially since the area has been damaged and weakened. But 1/4” thick fiberglass is pretty strong.  I think it pretty unlikely the damage was caused by the pressure that comes with motoring the boat.  Something else probably happened, not that it matters.

Peter Nyberg
Coventry, CT
s/v Silverheels (1988/2016)


> On Jun 27, 2019, at 5:27 PM, Jim Schroll <jschroll at msn.com> wrote:
> 
> I am new to this list and would be glad to go to an archived thread if this topic has been covered before.
> 
> We have a 1990 Rhodes 22 which was refurbished by General Boats in the winter of 2015 - 2016.  It has developed a crack completely through the transom, located under (and to the side) of the point where the wheel on the engine lift rests when the engine is lowered.  It appears that the pressure of the engine against that wheel, and then the transom, when motoring in forward gear is the cause of the crack.
> 
> I suspect that the engine lift was added sometime after the boat was originally built, and that no reinforcing was added behind (inside the lazarette) the point where the wheel rests on the guide track.  I’m looking for any suggestions from anyone who has faced a similar repair.  My thinking is to leave the engine lift frame in place (the crack does not extend to the frame) while removing both the guide strip on the outside and the lift motor and board it sits on inside the lazarette.  After cleaning the inside and outside surfaces, I would lay a couple of pieces of glass on the outside and three or four on the side to provide a more substantial structure (the transom appears to be no more than 1/4 inch thick where the wheel rests).  I might also try to glass in a new board to both add to the reinforcing and to hold the lift motor.
> 
> Does this seem like a reasonable plan of attack, or can someone suggest a better way forward?
> 
> Jim Schroll
> 
> [cid:08CAC407-8CD9-42BD-BAB6-B33BF57EAC7F at fios-router.home]
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