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I am repowering my 2005 Ventura 180. Currently, the boat is equipped with its original 2004 Mercury 115 Four Stroke, which is being replaced by a 2019 Suzuki 150. I have a few questions which might be simple for some of you more experienced guys.
Q1: I was able to loosen nuts on the through-transom bolts pretty easily, however the bolts feel pretty tight. I'm not sure if they are typically sealed with 3m 5200, 4200, or marine silicone. Is there a recommended way to "break the seal" that will minimize risk to the transom? My plan is to lift up on the motor (to take weight off the bolts), use a breaker bar to force spin the bolt, and then carefully tap it out with a hammer. Should I just hammer it straight out instead? My concern is that if 5200 was used, twisting the bolt could rip up some of the wood inside the transom.
Q2: I was planning to re-seal with 4200. With the original bolts removed, I was going to gently clean the hole with a small wire brush and/or sandpaper, then re-apply the sealant/adhesive to the exterior surfaces (washers to hull). Any issues with this plan? Also, from what I have read, the sealer should not be applied to the inner walls of the transom hole. Is this correct?
Q3: There appears to be a bead of sealant (or possibly adhesive) around the motor bracket. It's possible that this was also applied under under the bracket, but I wont know until I remove it. When I am mounting the new motor, should I place a bead sealant between the mount and the hull, then clamp it in place with the bolts, or should I mount the motor first, then apply it externally.
A:1 - 52/4200 is an adhesive first, sealant second. You just need to overpower it. Drive the bolts out.
A2: Do not use an adhesive anywhere on the boat, unless you are fabricating something. Use Boat Life's Life Caulk for everything sealant related.
Seal the transom holes walls as a precaution and under the washers.
A3: All that needs sealed are the holes in the transom. The engine bracket does not need to be sealed.
When my new engine was installed by a factory trained tech in 2020 he hung the engine, coated the hole walls, inserted the bolts with the engine an inch off the transom, placed a bead of sealant under the washer on the inside of the transom and on the outside.
When he tightened the nuts the sealant oozed out from the inside washer. It oozed out near the top bolt and the lower hole in the slot.
Phil T wrote:
A:1 - 52/4200 is an adhesive first, sealant second. You just need to overpower it. Drive the bolts out.
A2: Do not use an adhesive anywhere on the boat, unless you are fabricating something. Use Boat Life's Life Caulk for everything sealant related.
Seal the transom holes walls as a precaution and under the washers.
A3: All that needs sealed are the holes in the transom. The engine bracket does not need to be sealed.
When my new engine was installed by a factory trained tech in 2020 he hung the engine, coated the hole walls, inserted the bolts with the engine an inch off the transom, placed a bead of sealant under the washer on the inside of the transom and on the outside.
When he tightened the nuts the sealant oozed out from the inside washer. It oozed out near the top bolt and the lower hole in the slot.
Is this clear?
Perfect response. There is a lot of conflicting information out there regarding this topic. - Thank you for the clarification.
