# Transom cracks/delaminating



## blondmonkey777 (Oct 18, 2012)

Happened on my buddies ankona and started to happen on mine, it's just a gelcoat crack but it is a design flaw to have the transom flex enough to crack gelcoat. You can patch it but it will only be for a little bit until next time.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

> Happened on my buddies ankona and started to happen on mine, it's just a gelcoat crack but it is a design flaw to have the transom flex enough to crack gelcoat. You can patch it but it will only be for a little bit until next time.


Humph. Well that sucks. Is there an easy way to correct this problem?


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

A new transom, transom braces


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Sorry Lupus - there is no easy way to fix that. Complete replacement is the only answer.


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## trplsevenz (Oct 29, 2012)

It's obviously from flexing. I would think you could add some knees to stop the flexing, and reglass the top edge in the process. this is all assuming there is no water intrusion around the core. I am sure the manufacturer is aware of the issue and has an idea on what a fix is. It sure isnt smearing new gelcoat into the crack.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

I'm taking it to a fiberglass shop today. I'm hoping it's not going to require the transom be cut out and replaced. If the entire transom has to be replaced I'm not sure I am willing to put that kind of money into this hull. It's only 4 years old with less than 500 hours on the whole rig.


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## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

I would contact Ankona and see what they say before you do anything.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

I sent some pictures, more for an opinion than anything else, but I don't think it's their problem to fix. I dropped it off at a shop, after a quick look they didn't think it was caused by flex. I don't think we will know for sure until they get the motor off and start the repair process.


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## trplsevenz (Oct 29, 2012)

If it's not caused by flexing, then they should be able to grind the back edge back and wrap the top with a couple layers of matt. You will end up with 1-2" of the splatter paint on the back side of the transom, but no more cracking. Be interesting to hear the mnfg perspective, being it's only a 4 y/o boat. It def shouldnt be splitting, maybe bad prep work.


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## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

> I sent some pictures, more for an opinion than anything else, but I don't think it's their problem to fix.  I dropped it off at a shop, after a quick look they didn't think it was caused by flex. I don't think we will know for sure until they get the motor off and start the repair process.


Whats the hull warranty on it?


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

> If it's not caused by flexing, then they should be able to grind the back edge back and wrap the top with a couple layers of matt. You will end up with 1-2" of the splatter paint on the back side of the transom, but no more cracking. Be interesting to hear the mnfg perspective, being it's only a 4 y/o boat. It def shouldnt be splitting, maybe bad prep work.


That's pretty much the exact conversation I just had with the shop. He said it looked like someone got a little over zealous with the grinder and left that part a little too thin. He's going to grind it back and try to get it as pretty as he can. 

As for the manufacturer, I'm curious to see what their thoughts are, but I don't see this as a problem that they should consider warranting. Its not a catastrophic failure or a structural issue. It should never have happened but it's one of those situations where not being the original owner makes it my responsibility. 

Who knows, maybe the previous owner had something done to it that caused the Crack. It sucks but I can't expect warranty work, it just wouldn't be reasonable.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

Never heard back from the manufacturer, so I opted to just go with what the shop suggested. I haven't seen the boat or the bill yet but from what I gathered from talking on the phone they found some issues. At the end of the day it was not a structural issue or anything caused by flexing, so I suppose that's good news.


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## spottail1588 (Feb 17, 2013)

Any update?


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

Yeah I got the boat back. Ended up costing me $600 to have it repaired. From what I understand they had to take the motor off and grind back the part that was pealing away and put new glass in it's place. It went deeper than they anticipated but it wasn't a structural issue or a flexing issue. 

Since I'm not the one who ordered the boat I can't say for sure what caused the cracking. The shop seems to think it was nothing more than just a thin spot that cracked from vibration over time. I guess it's all just part of owning a boat that's hand built to order, little things sometimes happen. I can't really complain but it does reinforce the fact that I need to learn how to do these kinds of repairs myself. 

I would have liked to have known what the manufacturer thought but I never heard anything back. Maybe I will try to contact them again. I trust the guy that did the work for me but maybe the people who made the boat could offer a little more detail into what could have gone wrong and how to prevent it the future.


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## Frank_Sebastian (Oct 15, 2007)

West Marine has a lot of free reading material on boat repair and using epoxy. There is a lot of info at www.bateau.com as well. Epoxy is rated as a very strong adhesive and is likely the best for repairs. We use vinylester and epoxy in aircraft construction and either can be used for repair as well.
Best regards,
Frank_S


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## GTSRGTSR (Nov 10, 2009)

My transom was repaired by Ankona twice(both under warranty). On the second repair, they added knees.

Mine cracked where the transom met the floor on the inside.
My SUV 14 had less than 20 hours on the engine when it had its second repair. I dont believe the prior owner ever ran the boat either, it was ostensibly brand new when I got it.

I believe the knees would be sufficient to prevent the cracks again.


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## RonBari (Jun 30, 2012)

Note to Lupus:
If I may ask, what brand/manufacturer boat is this that you are having the transom problem with? I do not see it mentioned in your posts, and cannot tell from the photos.


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## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

Ankona SUV14


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

> Note to Lupus:
> If I may ask, what brand/manufacturer boat is this that you are having the transom problem with?  I do not see it mentioned in your posts, and cannot tell from the photos.


I didn't want to say but Tomahawk is right.

Don't let this scare you away from Ankona. It's been a great little boat. Thankfully the transom problem I was having was just a cosmetic issue. From what I understand from talking to the guys who worked on it, it wasn't technically the transom. I had to fork over a bunch of cash to have it repaired because I don't know how to work with fiberglass. It was cracking where the gelcoat met up with the textured finish, that's the best way I can think of to explain it. Almost like that edge was ground down little too much before the top was painted.

Had I known how to work with fiberglass It wouldn't have been a big deal.


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## RonBari (Jun 30, 2012)

I agree. We've owned our SUV 17 for over two years with zero issues... except some small cosmetic bumps and scrapes I caused myself. The folks at Ankona even took care of those for me.


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