crack in transom seam

[gfroch]

Hi- I have a '95 h26 that I've sailed for 12 years. There is a ridge on the transom that begins where the rub rail ends, follows the line of the transom down and back up to the opposite rub rail. It is about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch wide. I have a crack in mine about a foot long that is seeping water. The crack is well above the water line, starboard side, just below the rub rail termination. Does anyone know if this ridge is solid fiberglass or if there is wood in there? Just wondering before I get in there this weekend to repair.

Thanks....

 

[soling42]

It's not an unprecedented issue and i suspect it's the culprit for many mysterious 26/260 leaks(like mine). I think there was more about these over on George Kobernus 260 page.
http://kobernus.com/hunter260/leaks/H260_leaks.html

Specific to transom joint leak w/pix:
http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=6002&Itemid=257

I understand that the hull/deck joint is glued together and you shouldn't find any wood in there.

let us know how it goes(pics help). Mike

 

[John23883]

transom

Here's a picture of what it looks like with the material removed. I was getting water in when the hull was stressed while sailing but not sitting. I chipped it out and used bondo/glass to refill it. I just kept chipping out until it got solid. I thought for awhile I was going to go all around the boat but it eventually got solid and I stopped chipping it out. I'm guessing from memory about 4 to 6 feet was bad. I don't remember what I covered it with but some kind of two part epoxy gel coat.

I used 5200 on a three foot rubrail crack a couple of years ago but I prefer the bondo/glass. It has fiberglass in it that gives it strengh and flex and stays where you put it. I made a sample of plastic and 5200 that I put in the same conditions as the rubrail repair and every morning I would check the sample. It took more that 2 weeks for the 5200 to fully cure in that depth and thickness. Don't put it in there and then go sailing.

 

[gfroch]

Holy cow!!!

After seeing John's post I feel lucky! Mine was only about 12-18 inches. I'm mid-repair. Gutted it out like John and filled with West System. Got hit with rain last night so hope that didn't mess things up. Will try to post a pic when done. Don't think I'll get to gel coat before boat launches, but well above water line so hoping will be ok.

 

[soling42]

John, It looks like you didnt just take out 5200 but also took out a considerable amount of hull and deck material on the port side. Was it some sort of power tool that got too aggressive or was the layup too thin or joint poorly mated and flawed somehow? maybe some SS 1/4" bolts every 12-18" would prevent any further flex induced fractures.

It's no wonder you had a leak back there and did you say you filled all that space with a bondo/glass infused filler or was it filled with resin saturated mat. Could you squeeze it together with clamps while the material setup?

Thanks for detail while I prep my Summer drydock punch list. Mike

 

[John23883]

Transom leak

The original material in the joint is not 5200 uless 5200 gets hard and brittle, which this material was. I took out the material by hand and was careful not to remove any hull or deck material, only the bonding material. All deck and hull joints have space in them to put the bonding material into. First, there is no way to make a perfect fit in something this size and second, there must be space for the glue/bonding material. The side joints, which I had to make a small repair to, have at least an 1/8" to 1/4" gap as well. As far as I know, all of the boats are made the same way.

Trying to squeeze the joints together would distort the shape and put an undue stress on the joint. I filled it with only bondo/glass and it has worked perfectly. Bondo/glass has chopped fiberglass material in it and has both strength and flex. The bondo stays where you put it and sets up relatively quickly. I did not use any clamps. I then covered with either gelcoat or white epoxy, I can't remember. I check the joint periodically and it is working perfectly.

 

[soling42]

I'll be doing mine sometime in the near future. You're definitely right about the 5200 being too runny for the hull joint. I'll probably end up with your Bondo/matt mix with gelcoat to finish it. Thanks for the input. Glad it solved the leak.
Mike

 

[Deucer]

So, did you notice water coming in from the transom joint behind the bunk? I've got a mysterious water issue, too, but can't figure out where it's coming from. I've inspected teh area behind the bunk when I get water in the bilge, but can't see were any water came in from that area.

 

[John23883]

Transom leak

I first noticed water in the space behind the bunk, in where the battery is, then we got water in the bunk area. I couldn't find where it was coming in but it seemed to only come in while sailing, not sitting. My son laid in the bunk with a flashlight while sailing and he found a small hole in the fiberglass (just a void in the material not a deliberate hole someone made) and water was dripping out of the hole at a pretty fast rate. Could we have found it without him laying in there? I doubt it.

When we got home we blew air into the hole and standing outside I saw water flying out of the joint and you could see the crack. It was right at the edge of the lower fiberglass hull half and the joint adhesive. My guess is that it didn't adhere well originally.

Once we knew the crack was there we could see it, but only if you knew where to look. Was starting to chip out the glue a daunting prospect? You bet!

Some years later while cleaning the boat, I was working under the rubrail at the stern and saw what looked like a dirty sawtooth shaped area about 2 to 3 feet long and on closer inspection it was cracked and needed to be repaired. I don't think any water was coming in at that joint.