1. Use the full 4 digit year for everything you are asking your question about. Example: 1962, 1988, 2000, 2011
2. Include the correct name of your Whaler model. Example: Montauk 17, Montauk 170, Outrage 26, Outrage 260
3. Include the length when necessary. Example: 16, 17, 18, 20, 22
4. Do not post your email address anywhere on this site as it is already in your user profile.

Weeping Transom?
RobG	#1  Posted on 05/12/09 - 11:50 AM
Member Project Albums Posts: 39 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/09/09	Well..every time I think I'm making progress, something else creeps up. I noticed after I sanded and started filling nicks and chips in the transom, there's an area that seems to have a slow drip. It's located about 3 inches to the right of the keel where the transom meets the bottom of the hull. When I wipe it away, another drip will emerge about 5-10 minutes later. I never noticed this before and am wondering if after sanding this area it caused this to happen. I think I saw a similar problem somewhere on this site. Any possible causes and solutions will be appreciated. Thanks. Rob RobG attached the following image: [83.46Kb] Edited by RobG on 05/12/09 - 11:51 AM
bruser	#2  Posted on 05/12/09 - 12:00 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 82 Comments: 2 Joined: 09/22/08	RobG: I had the same type of issue, look at my personal page and see the type of damage I had to the hull under the transom. The hull was weeping from farther forward on the hull. When I drilled a hole the foam was dry and nothing leaked out. It was only happening when the hull was in the sun, it could be condensation?
Ambush	#3  Posted on 05/12/09 - 1:06 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 32 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/05/09	Same for me on my 17 Rob. There are a few spots here and there that would weep salt water for a day or so after an outing. The usual suspects; bottom strikes, smacking the trailer on launch and haul etc., etc. I would grind away the glass and surrounding foam and repair with West Systems. Sometimes the repair would hold, sometimes it would reoccur. I gave up worrying about it. My boat is on a trailer. If it weren't? I doubt I would ever know the situation. When I do a hull redo I let the boat 'drain' until no water is weeping, takes about five days to a week, then sand and fill the keel/bottom strikes with Marine Tex, and then a coat of Epoxy Anti-fouling bottom paint from Westmarine. I just 'paint' the trouble spots with a thin layer of Marine Tex applied with my finger and paint over it. It'll be water tight all summer, then quess what? Drip, drip, drip by Labor Day. The water is retained in the fiberglass, the foam itself is 'closed cell'. It (the foam) may retain some water, but won't soak it up like a sponge. If it's just drip, drip, drip, how much liquid is really retained? An ounce? I would just keep an eye on the damaged area. If it seems like the area is opening up or delaminating I would address it. Edited by Ambush on 05/12/09 - 1:38 PM Doug Only in a Whaler!
RobG	#4  Posted on 05/12/09 - 7:11 PM
Member Project Albums Posts: 39 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/09/09	Ambush...How many holes and what size would you recommend if I wanted to let the boat drain if there really is anything to drain? By the way I'm originally from NJ. My family had a beach house on Long Beach Island. Enjoyed many summers on the bay. Rob
SToomey006	#5  Posted on 05/12/09 - 8:22 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 85 Comments: 0 Joined: 04/22/09	yea I've been chipping away (no pun intended) at scraping the old bottom paint off the montauk I just bought and I found a spot on the keep about 10" from the transom that was wet, and it hasnt rained in days. Should I get that marine tex stuff and then paint over it? THe boats got a few puck marks here and there as well. Is that marine tex stuff the way to go for filling these pucks? -Sean
Ambush	#6  Posted on 05/13/09 - 5:25 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 32 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/05/09	@ Rob & SToomey I wouldn't 'drill' any relief holes to drain the problem areas. As been the testimonies here, a lot of guys 'core' the foam to see how deep the cancer goes with these problem areas (I did too), but with Boston Whaler's 'closed cell' foam construction (what makes them 'unsinkable' they find that the foam and structural integrity intact. Usually NO more water drains from the problem area having drilled than it does through the small splits and dings gathered from normal operation. As above, I believe the water is retained only in the porous fiberglass 'skin'. That is why owners see more dripping when boats are sitting on their trailers is the full sun. The heat expands the water and hull forcing the water out. I will see water dripping too from certain areas after a long trailer to the Keys. All my trouble spots will stop dripping about a week on the trailer. Certainly you don't want any more water to be retained, and an open wound on the bottom may lead to delaminating of the skin from the core by the action of water forced in 'on plane' and at speed. Above the waterline this delaminating are the 'soft spots', usually in decks, people refer to. Water entry between the skin and foam can occur anywhere the skin is broken even purposely for railings, fittings attach points etc. That is why if you stray from the inlaid wood reinforced areas to install hardware you should go to great lengths to seal the fasteners with silicone, 5200, or similar. Pair that with the famous "Whaler Pound' in a chop and things happen. Professional attention is the best course, of course, and I have just done that in the past. At anchor, while fighting a fish at the jetty I became distracted, didn't realize a tide switch and my boat was genlty laid on the rocks by a swell. The next swell releaed us and I thought all were OK. After hauling the boat on the trailer I found a nice dollar pancake sized hole along the chine. I had the Daytona Boat Works (then a Whaler Dealer) reapair it professionally. They did an amazing job and it wasn't cheap. Three years later the repair started weeping water where the repair was seamed to the hull. The Whaler is more rigid than other boats, they don't wobble in a chop like say a Carolina Skiff, but they do flex more than you would expect. Like an airplane wing flexing it's called a 'monocoque design'. The skin takes a lot of the stress by engineered design by flexing and twisting. Any repair area is under enormous stress as it is a break in the total stress of the hull. So as I say, I address these trouble spots as a matter of routine maintenance. 'Marine Tex' is a two part putty that mixes like two part epoxy. It is a the 'repair kit in a can'. Stripped screw holes, cracks, skin punctures, and the box even boasts "repairs broken engine blocks" (hmmmmm OK whatever) but it is my best friend. You can file, drill and even tap it when cured. It sands beautifully to a glass smooth seamless feather. Every boater should have some. On my trouble spots I will use a box cutter or Dremel tool to open the area only slightly to give it a SLIGHT concave shape along the opening. That will hold the repair more securely. Let the weeping stop, sand the bottom paint through to the gelcoat about a half inch around the repair, treat the immediate area with acetone to clean it up, lay in the Marine Tex with finger, or knife well ABOVE the grade of the hull, sand down when cured and repaint the hull. As I noted above, this is about a three month fix. That also depends on the utility of your boat trips. Lazily cruising down a lake is obviously less stress than running 25nm in 2-3 on the open ocean. I also routinely treat my forward keel in this manner. The first two feet of my keel takes a lot of abuse from oyster shoals and beaching. Anyway, that's just what I do. So far no 'pro' has chimed in. Hopefully you will get a good and varried response here. Good luck and remember; No matter what is going on with your hull, one thing is for sure, you 'aint gonna sink brotha' ! Doug Doug Only in a Whaler!
Turpin	#7  Posted on 05/13/09 - 5:49 AM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 434 Comments: 20 Joined: 07/04/08	I would like to interject a comment on closed cell foam. If you can imagine bubble wrap (addicting stuff to pop) well this is a very rough example of closed cell foam. Over time some of the cells will break down (apparently) allowing water to enter the open cell therefore trapping water. I found this out while doing restoration to the bottom of my boat. I too had drilled holes in the bottom to allow water to drain the holes where open for 6 months until I finally got to the bottom of the boat. I cut a 5 X 8 piece out where I had seepage only to find that the foam was very saturated completed through. You could push or squeeze and water would come out of the foam. You will see this occasionally in some project pages or other post on the boat with sub floor fuel tanks. So my point is that yes water will sometimes get trapped between the foam and fiberglass and sometimes it's much worse, the foam will get completely saturated. On either count it is not a lot you can do unless you are willing to remove a lot of foam. I would let it drain long enough find something that would seal. Unless your ready for a big project. 1963 13' Sport 50hp Evinrude Maintaining a level of sanity that is socially acceptable
RobG	#8  Posted on 05/13/09 - 3:51 PM
Member Project Albums Posts: 39 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/09/09	Thanks to everyone for their valuable input. You've managed to put my mind at ease once again. Oh, and by the way...no weeping today. Rob Edited by RobG on 05/13/09 - 5:31 PM
SToomey006	#9  Posted on 05/13/09 - 11:16 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 85 Comments: 0 Joined: 04/22/09	Yes thanks guys! I wanted to add one tidbit of info on my situation. My boat hasn't seen water in at least 6 months if not more. Not even sure these people had it in the water last season, and if they did, it was always trailored. Therefore i am confused as to why i would still be getting water now? Havent checked it in a day or 2, but could there have been water between the paint and the glass? or could it still be weeping after six+ months dry docked? -Sean
RobG	#10  Posted on 05/14/09 - 6:13 AM
Member Project Albums Posts: 39 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/09/09	Sean I'm certainly not the one to provide an answer but, my boat hasn't seen water in 4 years! As far as what other members have told me, most older Whaler's have some water in them somewhere. Rob
Tom W Clark	#11  Posted on 05/14/09 - 6:54 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	Sean If the foam core becomes saturated with water, it will fold water for years and years. The slow drip will continue and may increase as the temperature increases with the season.
SToomey006	#12  Posted on 05/14/09 - 8:48 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 85 Comments: 0 Joined: 04/22/09	just looked at it now, bone dry, but its colder today. I almost wonder if it was just some water pouring out of the drain hole and wrapping around the bend at the keel. I have it up on blocks so maneuvering it might have shifted some water. We'll see how she does when its 70deg tomorrow. thanks guys! -Sean Edited by SToomey006 on 05/14/09 - 12:37 PM