2001 22 Dauntless Transom Cracks

[mustard]

Hi all, a n ewby here. I'm about to buy my first boat, a 2001 Boston Whaler 22 Dauntless. I went to have a look at her yesterday; she's a beauty. I do have some concerns about a number of cracks in the gelcoat, particularly on either end of the transom and would be grateful of some advice. Pics below.

--Are these stress cracks? I assume so, given their location and the 225hp Optimax sat on the back.

--Will these cracks be limited to the gelcoat or into the laminate?

--How common are these cracks in Whaler's and should I be concerned?

The transom otherwise seems sound. I had a really thorough knock all over the it and found no hollow parts, I gave the outboard a really firm shake by its skeg and there was no flex at all in either the transom or the cracks. The outboard mounting bolts weren't recessed or being pulled into the back of the transom, nor was there any dark staining leaking from screws which might indicate rot.

Am I worrying about nothing? I read on these forums that Whaler's don't often suffer transom-rot but I'm keen that my outboard doesn't drop off!!

Finally, there's some minor damage to the underside of the hull and to the sealant & gelcoat on the stern (by the rear hatches) which I have been told by others is fine and easily repairable, what are your thoughts?

The boat/engine have had little use, 680 hours since new, and it's been stored ashore between each use.

Thank you so much in advance for your help.

Transom starboard: (High quality: http://i67.tinypic.com/3356urn.jpg)

Transom port: (High quality: http://i66.tinypic.com/n43dk.jpg)

Stern: (High quality: http://i67.tinypic.com/6jozee.jpg)

Hull: (High quality: http://i64.tinypic.com/20ixmxc.jpg)



Sorry about the angle on that last one!!

[jimh]

I had to look at your high-resolution images to clearly see any cracks.

The first two images appear to me to be just stress cracks. These are often seen in areas where the gel coat layer was applied rather thickly. The gel coat tends to build up on some outside corners, which, in the reverse mold are actually inside corners that can pool up some resin. I have small cracks like that on the transom of my 1990 Boston Whaler.

The third image shows some caulking between laminated sections. I am not familiar with how the 220 DAUNTLESS is constructed, but it looks like there is a caulked joint line between two structures that were laminated separately and then adhered together in some way, mechanically or with resin, in the final bond.

The fourth image looks like the hull keel area has been gouged up a bit due to loading it on the trailer with some sort of misalignment. The weight of the boat was bearing on something made of metal, much harder than gel coat resin, and the hull gel coat resin was gouged.

Off the four, the third image with the opened caulk line is the one I would investigate further. If the two elements are still securely fastened, maybe the caulk has just shrunk over time. But it would be a bit abnormal for the caulk to pull apart like that.

[jimh]

The trailer appears in the fourth image: it is a floppy roller trailer. This type trailer is not recommended for Boston Whaler boat hulls. You Boston Whaler will be much happier on a trailer with keel-rollers and some bunks.

[mustard]

Thanks for your responses. I'm much happier that the cracks to the transom are of less concern. If I get this boat then I'll repair these myself, I'm looking forward to a bit of a project. I need to have another look at the boat and review those areas of caulking, it looks like the sealant has perished over time and needs replacing but I should check.

There is a small amount of other damage that's been repaired previously--perhaps a sign of careless ownership perhaps

I had no idea about the roller v. bunk trailer concern, nor did the current owner. I'll check for any visible signs of damage to the hull caused by the pressure of the boat on the rollers, and, if I do go for this boat, I'll replace the trailer with bunks. Perhaps I'll be able to negotiate a price reduction on the boat as a result.

Roller-coaster trailers are MUCH more common in the UK , and I wonder why this is. Indeed, the vast majority of the other Whaler's for sale in the UK at the moment are on rollers.

Thanks again, Rich.

[vze2gbs4]

From all the pics you posted the one I would be most concerned is the last one. To tell where exactly [the site of the photograph] is located is difficult. It appears [the photograph shows an area] below the water judging by the rollers next to it.

Also [the photograph] appears to show that somebody tried to do some repairs previously. You can clearly see round holes where some screws were added, and they shouldn't be there.

I recommend at this point you get a fiberglass professional to estimate damages, cost of repairs, and sea worthiness of the hull.

I also noticed a cleat added at the transom wall. [I have] never seen cleat on the transom before on a Boston Whaler.

Whaler has particular spots assigned for the cleats that have backing plates under the fiberglass for strength to hold the boat in place due to tension from dock lines.

If marina where boat the boat was docked is very rocky due to marine traffic it could be direct cause for stress cracks in first few images.

The cracks do appear to be cosmetic but also need repair to stop any moisture getting inside the fiberglass through those cracks.

Boston Whalers are great boats but because of the nature [of their Unibond hull] you can't really take a peak inside the hull to see any inner damage.

Boston Whaler boats need skilled fiberglass professional that knows how to repair them properly .

[mustard]

Hmmm- from all the pics you posted the one I would be most concerned is the last one - it is difficult to tell where exactly this is located but it appears its below the water judging by the rollers next to it . It also appears that somebody tried to do some repairs previously because you can clearly see round holes where some screws were added and they shouldnt be there.

The damage is either side of the keel, apologies that the angle of that photo makes it hard to view. The screw holes are affixing the keel guard to the centerline. Is this not how the keel-guard is usually attached to the Whaler's hull, should they not be there?

[vze2gbs4]

Boston Whaler boats don't come with keel guards from factory. The keel guard was added by the owner of the boat after the purchase.

I bought few boats with keel guard and peeled them off--only glue was holding them. I am not sure why your boat has holes with that keel guard. Perhaps [someone] thought screw-fasteners were needed.

You are in tough spot, [because of concern for] how well those holes are sealed. If they let water in and wet the foam [the hull will be] waterlogged.

That boat appears to be stored out of water due to lack of bottom paint is good; it suggests non-prolonged periodso f water submersion.

I would like to know what happens once you remove that keel guard and open all those holes. How much water will weep out?

[jimh]

I don't have any concern about the stress cracks in the first two images. They don't appear to be very deep. It will be difficult to make a repair on the cracks in those areas because of the complex shape of the surface. I have cracks like that on some portions of the transom on my boat, and I have never given a moment's thought to repair them. They are just little cosmetic defects on my boat, and likely the same on this c.2001 220 DAUNTLESS boat.

As for the prevalence in the United Kingdom for boat trailers to use floppy-rollers (or roller-coasters as you called them), I can only attribute that to local trailer builders and their preferences, and perhaps also to general use with ramps that are rather low slope and lead into shallow water. The general attraction of the all-floppy-roller trailer is that the trailer can remain mostly out of the water during launching. In contrast, trailers in which the boat loads onto bunks generally require the bunks be immersed in water. For example, to load my Boston Whaler boat, also a 22-foot hull, I generally have to immerse the trailer into the water to the point where the wheel axles are completely submerged in the water and the top of the fenders is just at or just above the water line. That requires a ramp with some good depth on the ramp slope.

With all-roller trailers and Boston Whaler Unibond hulls, you should look at the hull bottom in areas where the hull contacts the rollers for any sign of indentation in the hull; also, tap the hull with a small plastic-head hammer and listen to the sound of the tapping. If there is any delamination between the hull laminate and the interior foam, the report of the tapping will have a different sound.

The application of a keel guard to the keel centerline of a Boston Whaler is probably best done with a very strong adhesive and a pliable keel guard material. On this boat the fasteners look like rivets to me.

There is proper concern for the maintenance of a water tight seal for any fastener that enters the hull in any location that is under water, and particularly the keel. If the fasteners are rivets, I don't think you'd want to remove them all just to see if water weeps out. You can probably assess that by dunking the boat in the water for an hour or so, getting under way, then hauling the boat and carefully watching for any sign of water coming off those fastener holes as the boat dries out on the trailer. Or maybe drill out one rivet as a test. But don't become alarmed if a drop or two of water comes out. You just don't want a steady stream for ten minutes.

[jimh]

The image below will more clearly show the hull bottom, keel, and roller locations.

hullBottom.jpg (18.84 KiB) Viewed 7630 times

Regarding the trailer and its rollers: it looks like there are a lot of rollers; the more the better, as that means less weight bearing on each roller.

Regarding any repair of the hull bottom: I suspect that, if this 220 DAUNTLESS were my boat, I would proceed as follows with repairs to the hull bottom:

--completely remove the metal keel guard and its mechanical fasteners from the hull
--let the hull dry thoroughly so that there was no sign of any water seeping from the old fastener holds
--seal all old fastener holes with an epoxy resin and high-density filler mixture
--if future use warrants adding abrasion protection to the keel, then use epoxy to adhere some fiberglass cloth to the keel area, overlapping at the keel and extending about 2-inches (50-mm) up the hull on each side; cover this with more thickened epoxy resin with low-density filler. Tint the last batch of epoxy with some titanium white acrylic paint to improve the color matching. But I would only do this if the removal of the keel guard revealed some damage to the keel that warranted reinforcement
--or, apply a non-metallic keel guard after preparing the hull bottom and sealing any old fastener holes
--or leave it alone; these days my energy to undertake big projects on a boat is lagging; I'd rather just use the boat that continually repair it in an effort to reach perfection.