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Nmbr1GMfan
08-08-2010, 07:55 PM
I have been seeing many doing transom and hull restorations on their Donzis, some older and others not so old. Is there a typical year or hours of use type of number that will determine when a transom will need rebuilding? Is it just how the boat was stored or cared for? I would rather buy a boat I can enjoy rather than work on and seems most Im looking at are in the early to mid 90s vintage. Thanks in advance, TODD.

onesubdrvr
08-08-2010, 08:16 PM
Todd,

It's all about how the boat was cared for / stored.

All boats will wear / tear, but I'd rather have a 30 year old all salt water boat that was taken good care of than a 2 year old fresh water boat that was abused.

Wayne

Nmbr1GMfan
08-08-2010, 09:03 PM
Well Im trying to get educated, if things go well maybe next summer I can get my first boat. Thanks for the info.

tmh
08-09-2010, 07:07 AM
What constitutes abuse as it pertains to replacing the transom? Is it the way the boat is stored or abusing the boat in rough seas, jumping wakes, etc? I've always wondered what causes stringeres and transoms to fail.

gcarter
08-09-2010, 08:45 AM
What constitutes abuse as it pertains to replacing the transom? Is it the way the boat is stored or abusing the boat in rough seas, jumping wakes, etc? I've always wondered what causes stringeres and transoms to fail.

There're different kinds of abuse.
One would be allowing the bilge to have water in it for long peiods of time, and in general, not maintaining the boat........kind of like around where my office is w/Bayliners sitting out in the yard for years at a time.
The other type would be trying to fly the boat at every opportunity. The early '00 boats come to mind and the solution that Donzi came up with to fix it. I think that boats that weren't used so ambitiously didn't have the same issues.
Another example would have been like the TR, and a lot of damage to the inner and outer hull around the engine mounts. The stringers were fine, the failure was in the hull itself. The core issue was the manner in which it was laid up and how the stringers were attached. I think this was covered in the first 12-15 pages of the TR thread.

Nmbr1GMfan
08-09-2010, 11:15 AM
Thanks for your insight George.

HOWARD O
08-09-2010, 01:23 PM
Just to add to George's great comments, older boats often have various owners that have added and/or taken away hardware that''s been attached to the sides of stringers and the inside of the transom. I've come across a lot of old screw holes on old boats that were never sealed properly both when the hardware was installed and/or when they remove it altogether. Water will find it's way in there with nowhere to go but to do the rot thing. Sometimes it's just poor methods by the manufacturer too. But I bet, like George said, it's most often due to just plain neglect.

Nmbr1GMfan
08-09-2010, 03:44 PM
Howard, great bit of info. I can see where holes going unchecked for years could lead to some serious rot.

McGary911
08-09-2010, 06:12 PM
If you plan on getting the boat surveyed, the surveyor will likely have a moisture meter that he can use to find any wet wood behind the 'glass.