Dinghy Dummy!

[Jtcf78911]

Hi all...another newbie sailor question. I was recently gifted a West Marine 10 ft. inflatable dinghy with a 4 HP Yamaha OB. I really wanted the Yamaha OB, but dinghy came with the show.

Anyway, the dinghy has a hairline crack across it's transom which has been filled with some type of black rubber substance. So yes it leaks a bit, and I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to engage a professional to have the transom replaced (or are there such professionals?)? Or is my money better spent on a new dinghy - I'm a recycler and hate the thought of trashing something that is about 90% functional.

The rest of the dinghy appears to be in prime condition.

Thanks for opinions.

Tom.

 

[Brian S]

Well, I think we need to know the construction details of the transom, and also some pictures.

On a transom, a crack implies some structural failure, so slapping some goop on it isn't going to address that. I'd worry about repairing it structurally.

Back in my stupid days, my buddy had an old AMF Crestliner 16' aluminum runabout. I forget the year, but it had a pointy bow with rounded chines and a lapstrake molding. I guess this puts it late 60's, maybe early 70's, before they started making crappy cathedral hulls. Anyway, the old 70hp 2 stroke was well beat down and on it's last legs. His girlfriend at the time was on good terms with her ex-husband, who owned a marina on the Bohemia River. He told her she could come down and take any used motor he had laying around. Naturallymy buddy selected an in-line 6 cylinder Mercury 2 stroke, which was I think 120hp. It well exceeded the probably 90 hp rating of the boat. Since it was a skinny in-line 6 cylinder, the powerhead stuck up over the back of the boat like some kind of shark fin!

One day we noticed the transom kinda shaking around during acceleration. We went back and had a look while accelerating onto plane. That big old motor pushed the transom in a good half inch. SKETCHY!

My buddy went and got some 1/2" thick plate aluminum, and bolted it over the transom between the motor and the outside of the transom. Quite heavy, but that transom never flexed again. Well, until one of our bozo friends hit some big boat wakes at close to full throttle, launching the boat into the air, and knocking the wind out of all passengers upon landing. That stunt twisted the dang boat!

Later on he had to have the whole motor rebuilt. Apparently the in-line 6 cylinders were prone to bent crank shafts! (I'm not saying, and neither is he, that towing our boat 6 or so miles back to the launch ramp once had anything to do with the bent crank shaft. But we both agree it probably did adversely influence it.)

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Didn't your papa ever tell you "never look a gift horse in the mouth" ? Just kidding. Not knowing the material of the transom, I'd guess that you could easily reinforce it and seal it on your own. It should be simple enough that it doesn't need to be replaced nor do you need a "professional". It's a gift ... the gift to you will be some new DIY skills.

 

[Stu Jackson]

From both this and your identical post on sailnet, it is apparent that you need to provide more details.

Transom material? Wood?

 

[scotmcpherson]

A quick look at all the inflatable dinghies at WestMarine indicates that the transom material is either marine ply or fiberglass over birch ply. In either case you can fix this. The goop doesn't help though, because you really want to fill the crack with epoxy, but now you really can't without cutting out the crack and replacing the hole with new plywood. However it's probably not all that necessary. First, clean the goop off as best you can being careful not to get any solvent on the the rest of the boat. Use a solvent dampened rag that isn't dripping. Next, using the coursest sandpaper you can find 50-60 grit is good enough. Scratch the surface of the transom about 4 inches across with the crack running down the middle. Get some 9 oz fiberglass tape, and epoxy that over the crack on both sides of the transom. If you want to strengthen that the. Sand 8 inches across with the crack in the center. Put one strip of tape down the middle, the. Two that meet over th crack then another centered over the crack again. It'll be a little ugly, but if you sand it smooth and paint over it, only you will notice it.

 

[Gunni]

Folding transom or fixed? Where exactly is the crack? RIB, roll up, or air floor? Pretty much everything on an inflatable is repairable. Just depends on how much effort you want to expend.

 

[rgranger]

Why not use the old transom as a template and cut out a new one from plywood? Cover the ply with some fiberglass cloth and paint it with a good enamel paint. That should out last the rest of the dingy.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

As a former dealer I concur that photos and more information Is needed because we do not exactly know how to properly advise you. That pretty much sums up the consensus so far.

 

[Jtcf78911]

From both this and your identical post on sailnet, it is apparent that you need to provide more details.

Transom material? Wood?

Is everyone on the same sites?!! Of course they are. Trying both sites to assess tolerance for rookie sailors!

It's a West Marine Foldable RIB-310 with a genuine "Marine Plywood" transom..I don't have a picture handy, but will try to get one. Although evident there is a running split across the transom, really hard to tell where the water is entering, as prior owner seemed to have put the black goop everywhere to stop the leaking (for naught)...as at any point where the transom touched the PVC of dinghy. When in doubt slap in on everywhere you can!!

I'll see if I can take some pictures of the ugly repair job. This site will upload an i-phone photo?

Thanks for checking back....as I believe the fiberglass solution may be a bit overoptimistic, simplistic, etc. and I'm In dreading the thought of trying to extract the black stuff from the PVC...as pretty sure that will be required for a transom replacement.... Yes...a good winter project.

Tom O'Day 28

 

[Jtcf78911]

Why not use the old transom as a template and cut out a new one from plywood? Cover the ply with some fiberglass cloth and paint it with a good enamel paint. That should out last the rest of the dingy.

It's a good thought... I think extraction may be a little challenging with all the black filler crap used by prior owner. For removal, I believe you would need something like heat to soften the filler without burning a hole in or otherwise damaging the PVC surface. Saw a fellow attempting this on YouTube...was a 3 part series!! But maybe an option. I'm getting lots of good ideas and options on this site. Felt stupid about it...but glad I posted.

Tom O'Day 28

 

[Jtcf78911]

A quick look at all the inflatable dinghies at WestMarine indicates that the transom material is either marine ply or fiberglass over birch ply. In either case you can fix this. The goop doesn't help though, because you really want to fill the crack with epoxy, but now you really can't without cutting out the crack and replacing the hole with new plywood. However it's probably not all that necessary. First, clean the goop off as best you can being careful not to get any solvent on the the rest of the boat. Use a solvent dampened rag that isn't dripping. Next, using the coursest sandpaper you can find 50-60 grit is good enough. Scratch the surface of the transom about 4 inches across with the crack running down the middle. Get some 9 oz fiberglass tape, and epoxy that over the crack on both sides of the transom. If you want to strengthen that the. Sand 8 inches across with the crack in the center. Put one strip of tape down the middle, the. Two that meet over th crack then another centered over the crack again. It'll be a little ugly, but if you sand it smooth and paint over it, only you will notice it.

Thanks. Definitely "Marine Plywood"...just not sure yet where the leak really is, i.e. is there more than one? Above definitely sounds like a workable approach. Tom O'Day 28.

 

[Jtcf78911]

As a former dealer I concur that photos and more information Is needed because we do not exactly know how to properly advise you. That pretty much sums up the consensus so far.

Thanks...quickly learning the "kitchen sink" requirement when it comes to asking for help...makes total sense. That said its been really nice to have so many folks try and point me in the right direction. Sailors are generally good folk! Posted model information in response to another need more information inquiry...will try to get a photo up of the ugly repair job...

Best.

Tom O'Day 28

 

[Gunni]

I have that boat, your problem is most certainly either the PVC hinge that allows the boat to fold, or, if the leaking hinge has been leaking long enough your plywood transom has softened / rotted and the leak has moved to the corners where the transom fits to the tube channels. You disassemble the transom, replace it and the hinge material and put it back together with 3M 5200. How old is the boat?

 

[Jtcf78911]

I have that boat, your problem is most certainly either the PVC hinge that allows the boat to fold, or, if the leaking hinge has been leaking long enough your plywood transom has softened / rotted and the leak has moved to the corners where the transom fits to the tube channels. You disassemble the transom, replace it and the hinge material and put it back together with 3M 5200. How old is the boat?

I believe about 6 years old...

 

[Jtcf78911]

And will be interesting to see how readily the transom comes out of the tube channels...if I'm lucky it's really rotted... Tx. again.