E27 Transom: cracked along the top aft edge

[idearat]

Hi folks. Still shopping for my next Ericson. Two for sale locally have a near identical cracks along the top aft edge of the transom... you can see a few pictures of one here.

I found a description of a very similar problem here. Some exerpts below.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Any idea what's going on here, any comments on how serious it is, and how easily repaired?

Thanks! Perry.

"There is this nasty little split along the seam of the transom. It appears as if the top portion of fiberglass did not bond properly to the actual transom."
"The crack across the transom goes nearly all the way across–right along the top. But, the crack is not in the fiberglass: it appears to be
some other material that was used along the top of the transom. And, whatever that material was, it appears to have sheared from the stress."
"... there is another Ericson 29 on the hard nearby with the same full-length cracking along the top of the transom. The material that has actually split is a dark gray with some un-catalyzed fiberglass flakes in it. Underneath, there is plenty of glass holding things together on the inside edge, but my guess is that the outer edge was stuffed with filler. This seam across the transom is the only place where the hull-to-deck joint is not bolted together."

 

[rgoff]

I have similar cracking on my 1973 E27 transom, but not nearly to the extent as in your pics. Maybe this was just a weak area in the design.

 

[Dave Hussey]

Wow, that is bizzarre. Thankfully, my 27 does not exhibit that behavior. It looks as if some sort of collision occurred yet you say the glass beneath seems solid.
The central area is a massive piece of wood (probably ply wood, since that would be the preferred choice in manufacturing) laminated with multiple layers of cloth and polyester resin. To port and starboard of that, the hull is hollow and can be inspected from inside, with a little bit of effort. (there is a Luan panel in the starboard side that has to be removed). Fiberglass is easily repaired. Sometimes it looks scary, but taking it step by step, even a first time glasser will be able to get decent results, and there is plenty of info on the web, (and free from retailers as well) on how -to. But dont tell the seller that! (It's a good price negotiator)

Good Luck and I hope you find the right boat.

 

[crznhwy1]

Same here

My '73 E27 has the same crack. I'm figuring it is an area that gets a lot of stress. If I can figure out how to get in there without hurting myself, I'll reinforce it and repair the crack.

Mike

 

[joe-fran]

transon crack

I had a similar but not nbearly as severe on my 71 E-27. Must be a weak spot.
My only thought is that boats of that vintage did not come equiped with transon boading ladders. Could that contribute to the problem?

 

[idearat]

Similar cracks, E28+ bow!!

Thanks for your answers, all... really does seem like a weak point. I'm not convinced there's anything structural, such as would be caused by a boarding ladder, since there's no sign at all that the rest of the transom has flexed / stressed. It's more like a crack in the gelcoat or the layer just below.

(Besides, I've now seen 3 boats with identical boarding ladders, so I'm guessing they were factory.)

Oddly enough, I'm now looking at an 81 E28+ that has similar mysterious cracking along the top outside edge of the toerail at the bow!! I can't see any way it could have happened mechanically (e.g. collision). There were lights removed, one of which was plugged by a wine cork (I think). I'm thinking water might have seeped in, and either frozen / thawed repeatedly over the winter, wedging the gelcoat apart; or saturated wood within that swelled and popped the gel.

I'll post pics tonight. I'm mystified, and a little annoyed. But yes, I suspect it's largely cosmetic and (fairly) easily repaired.

Cheers... Perry.

 

[Emerald]

Are all the cracks on boats with a tiller? Wondering if this really is a flexing issue, does the wheel configuration with the bridge deck and full width aft seat end up being stiffer and not exhibit this.

 

[Loren Beach]

I am no boat builder, but have spent time restoring my own boats and hanging around the boat yards.
My .02 worth: If you look at hundreds of older FRP boats, from a multitude of builders, you will find gel coat cracks. Usual location is somewhere the mold had any 90 degree hard corner, inside or outside (like the transom of the old Ericson).
It was/is easy to err on the side of too thick for the spraying in of the first layer, i.e. color gel coat. Note that the surface goes thru an initial cure, and then slowly hardens further over the years/decades... :nerd:
The whole resin/glass matrix gets harder over time, too.
That's one reason that a new boat can take a rather impressive Thump and spring back without as much (well, visible, anyway) damage.

Anyhow, if the gel coat was sprayed on a bit too thick, it will start to show cracks after a decade or two -- from UV-caused shrinkage and from getting more brittle. When new, a little microscopic flexing in the laminate would never show, but 3 decades later the same micro flex shows a little surface crack.

For an object example of this phenomena, look at the whole deck of a 70's Islander. For whatever reason they would really spray on that first coat thick, and you can see spidery cracks all over the cabin and deck on a lot of those old classic 30's and 36's.
It is usually a cosmetic problem, but it will really catch your eye.

My SWAG: The sharp edge of that transom can be ground down, faired a bit, maybe lay on some "surf board cloth" and re-gel coated or paint it.

So, do not ignore this on any boat, but do not read more into it than there is.......

Regards,
Loren

 

[idearat]

Intuitively and intellectually, I find Loren's explanation most likely. Viscerally, it's also the most appealing!

I've just added a couple of shots of the E28+ bow... remarkably similar. According to the broker, the owner claims he has no idea how they got there. I sure don't see any way a collision or other impact / stress could have caused it.

Hopefully just cosmetic... a couple hundred bucks for a professional finish (because I'm not capable of doing a repair like that to my own standards) and all's well.

Thanks again for your input!

 

[sleather]

I've just added a couple of shots of the E28+ bow... remarkably similar. According to the broker, the owner claims he has no idea how they got there. I sure don't see any way a collision or other impact / stress could have caused it.

Hopefully just cosmetic... a couple hundred bucks for a professional finish (because I'm not capable of doing a repair like that to my own standards) and all's well.

I see you're from BC, and subject to freezing temperatures. I've had similar cracking on the bow of my E23 for some years and plan on having it addressed next year. In the meantime I've covered the cracks w/ clear vinyl weatherstripping tape to prevent moisture from entering the crack.

My theory is that there is some wood required in forming/reinforcing the raised area of the bow and over the years the sealant on the stem fitting, and or the lights(in my case), has been compromised, allowing some water penetration, resulting in cracking from expansion when the moisture freezes. Won't know for sure till I dig into it, but that's my theory, for what it's worth.

Mine's just on the port side and is exposed to the south at my mooring and on the trailer, during storage, so it sees the greatest temperature changes.

 

[idearat]

Interesting, Sleather. FWIW, we're in Canada's "banana belt" here in the Victoria area; we get only occasional short freezes and 1- or 2-day snows once or twice a winter. By February we generally have blossoms and spring-like weather.

But the short freezes might be enough; or water in wood, which swells whether it freezes or not.

 

[Rocinante33]

Does the boat have a backstay adjuster? If so, has it been over tightened? If so, I might be a bit concerned if the boat has "banana-ed". There would probably be a lot of other signs if that happened. Does the door to the head open & close OK?

OTOH, cracks on the transom may be from lifting a heavy object from a dink (E.g. an outboard) and plopping it onto that transom before lifting it into the boat. If so, only cosmetic, in all likelihood. It doesn't explain the bow, though. That could relate to heavy stress loads from the anchor.

 

[Brisdon]

My 35 has the same crack. I re-did the gel coat on the transom when I bought the boat, before putting my new lettering on, and the crack came back. For a boat that age it has way fewer stress cracks than boats from other makers, but that seam between the deck and the transom just seems to like to blow gel coat. Catalinas and Hunters didn't put that ugly moulding around the edge of their sugar scoops, they would probably look like the San Andreas fault.

 

[EmmaJean]

Transom Cracks

Just had my boat a couple of months and have it on the hard making up for past missed repairs. My boat (a 27) and another moored close by have the same cracks. It appears to me that the hull - deck joint (under the rub strip) could be the cause of these cracks! From the end of the rub strip on each side there is a small crack that runs to the transom then across the top of the transom it has taken a fair bit of abuse and some poor repairs. My question is would adding additional layers of fg inside be effective in adding aditional support! Thanks

 

[bigd14]

Found source of transom cracks!

I spent today cutting out the transom of my e27 for an outboard (I know, I know, heresay!). I think I found the source of the transom cracks that others with this boat have observed. I've posted a photo, hopefully it will show up. In the photo, on the thicker cockpit wall side, all the fiberglass was laminated over the top of the transom. You can see all the laminations curving together. On the aft, thinner side, only the outermost laminate layer curves over the top; the rest of them simply butt up to the top. In my photo you can see a diagonal crack through this weak joint. I am going to fix it by glassing several additional layers of laminate all along the top of the transom. I may also try to add a layer inside as well, since that seems to be where the weakness is. Once I sand this down, I'll try to get a better close up photo.

Doug

 

[Brisdon]

Thanks for the photo. I get now what's happening on my 35. The 35 doesn't have the plywood sandwich, but I suspect it has the same condition where it's tabbed on the backside, but not on the gelcoat side where the hull and deck come together. I hate that crack, maybe I'll take your lead and tab it properly on the outside.

 

[Commotion]

Cracks and voids along the top joint of the transom

After I painted the hull and before I painted the deck, I noticed one of the PO's had glassed a couple of short lengths of 2"X4" (by about 12") to each section of the back of the transom where it connects to the deck. It also had cracks and voids that ran all the way across the top of the transom. You could even see light through it. Sooo... cut the patches out and then I ground all of the joint down from the inside, and 2" across the top of the transom and used two layers of bi-axial glass on the inside and also the same on the outside overlapping the deck to transom. Faired that all in. At the same time, I ground out the chain plate, inspected, and re-epoxied and glassed it back in. Then I took two layers of Hydrotech 1/4" plywood cut to shape, then bent and formed curve to shape and epoxied that in as one long backing plate.

 

[Commotion]

More repair photos