# Beavertail b2 transom



## Bmarshall55 (Mar 2, 2021)

New member here, looking for some advice regarding some transom cracking going on a fairly new to me b2. I’m assuming the splash well and the transom are two separate pieces as there are no cracks anywhere on the transom running down the inside corners of the sponsons to the bottom of the hull. All feels solid but I’m curious if anyone has any experience with something similar on their skiff. Any insight would be appreciated, here’s some photos


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

I am not sure how that is built - I can guess but I won't.

You need to go have that checked out. Why not send the pics to Beavertail and see what they have to say.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

Didn't these boats use some kind of insert for this part? Looks cosmetic to me but I'm no expert. If it were mine I'd clean it up with a little filler material and run it.


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## Bmarshall55 (Mar 2, 2021)

DuckNut said:


> I am not sure how that is built - I can guess but I won't.
> 
> You need to go have that checked out. Why not send the pics to Beavertail and see what they have to say.


The current folks at beavertail didn’t build these boats so I doubt they would be much help


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## Bmarshall55 (Mar 2, 2021)

jmrodandgun said:


> Didn't these boats use some kind of insert for this part? Looks cosmetic to me but I'm no expert. If it were mine I'd clean it up with a little filler material and run it.


I’m not 100% positive but I’m thinking it is an insert


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## Jb306 (Feb 26, 2021)

Could this be from not using a transom saver?


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## BadKnotGuy (Jul 8, 2012)

Most transoms on glass boats are built to take the weight of the engine so it's probably not due to the lack of a transom saver (emphasis on probably). It could just be stress cracks in thick gel coat on a flexy transom design but you probably won't be able to tell unless you sand or grind it down to the underlying glass to take a look. If the glass is cracked or even worse the core structure beneath it is there is going to be more work involved and it would probably be best to take it to the pros... unless you have done glass work before and are confident in your abilities. The job itself won't be too terrible and the good news is it should be completely repairable at any level of damage.


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## Pudldux (Mar 3, 2016)

Mark fisher is on facebooks beavertail owners page. Just ask him there.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

That is a separate part from deck and transom. The very next year it changed to a design without such a tight inside corner. Mine did exact same. Motor won’t fall off. It’s not a structural component. Maybe not the best design but can be fixed.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

I’m going with 2007 design or tossing around this design from a previous boat of mine. I like the look of this.


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## Bmarshall55 (Mar 2, 2021)

Capnredfish said:


> That is a separate part from deck and transom. The very next year it changed to a design without such a tight inside corner. Mine did exact same. Motor won’t fall off. It’s not a structural component. Maybe not the best design but can be fixed.
> View attachment 168930


That radius looks like a much better design, probably much easier to lay up glass without any trapped air if I had to guess. Might look into doing something like that


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## RJTaylor (Oct 4, 2017)

Why not just have it ground out, and repaired? Looks like it took the better part of a decade to happen the first time.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

It will not hold. The radius needs to be changed and part bonded to transom again. So if grinding is to be done you might as well fix it for good


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

Where are you located? I’d be willing to look at it and either give a free estimate or professional advise on repairing after seeing in person, James


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## Bmarshall55 (Mar 2, 2021)

JC Designs said:


> Where are you located? I’d be willing to look at it and either give a free estimate or professional advise on repairing after seeing in person, James


I’m in Panama City fl


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

If that were my skiff... here's my first step... Have a friend stop by, lower that motor to it's running position while still on the trailer then have him (or her) step up onto the cavitation plate while you watch one side - then the other of that cracked area for any signs of it flexing or opening (either sign of movement under load would be very bad news... ). If all you have is gelcoat cracking away that's a cosmetic problem. If the area moves under load then the underlying glass is compromised and needs careful repair... 

Most would simply take their rig to a skilled glass shop for evaluation and repair... Good luck and post up what you learn... I've actually fished on open fishermen with compromised transoms (not mine fortunately).. On one of them you could actually see the motor lean back a bit under acceleration - very scary... but that was many years ago and... "I was younger then" and not so smart...


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## Flatoutfly (Jun 11, 2020)

BadKnotGuy said:


> Most transoms on glass boats are built to take the weight of the engine so it's probably not due to the lack of a transom saver (emphasis on probably). It could just be stress cracks in thick gel coat on a flexy transom design but you probably won't be able to tell unless you sand or grind it down to the underlying glass to take a look. If the glass is cracked or even worse the core structure beneath it is there is going to be more work involved and it would probably be best to take it to the pros... unless you have done glass work before and are confident in your abilities. The job itself won't be too terrible and the good news is it should be completely repairable at any level of damage.


I've done a lot of glass and gelcoat on boats for over thirty years. The job is not hard but you will want to address those cracks, they are not terrible but can be in years down the road. Cause is probable from hitting bottom while running a few times and or trailering it with motor trimmed half way up but it is defiantly from having the motor flexing the transom. Best to take a strong dermal tool and chase down all the fractures 100%, fill in and glass over and sand smooth. Get some gel coat, thin it out with a little Styrene and put it in a spray jar and respray a few times. Or roll it on thin and sand between coats for smooth finish. You will want to remove the motor.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

Like you mention, that whole piece is a separate, molded part, then it is set over the transom during construction. My guess is that after it bonded in place it was finished out with putty as a filler and this is what you see cracking. Slotted transoms like that are inherently stronger than a flat transom, so I doubt if there is anything structural going on. Take it to @JC Designs and let him take a look.


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## Bmarshall55 (Mar 2, 2021)

I’m not sure what caused it but I will say the boat has been used plenty since new and is still fishy! I bought the boat knowing that it needed some work and I plan on refinishing multiple areas in the future but until then I’m thinking bevel out these cracks and fill with some structural filler then gel coat over that, sand down and see what happens. I’m aware this isn’t a permanent fix more than likely but it should do until I have the time to pull the motor and do it right


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

I looked at the photos and with that tub being a separate part can almost guarantee the cracking is cosmetic. You can see the outline of the actual transom in the cracks. The crack you are seeing on the front side is because that entire part is cosmetic and is flexing at a different rate than the actual transom. Piss poor production in other words! I can’t say with 100% certainty without laying eyes on it in person but I believe it to be a simple cosmetic repair. It will crack again going this rt however.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

There will be some flex if you stand on the motor with plate up. Once the putty lost bond between transom and insert is when the glass of the part cracked. The bottom of insert is glassed to hull and top was puttied to the transom. Over time something has to give. The bonding putty gave and it cracked because the part used to act as part of the transom when all bonded. It still needs to be a part of it. Just made better. The radius must be changed.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Correct, it will flex. Personally, I wouldn't stand on it. An engine is already 250 lbs, so adding another person is a lot of weight.

I had a B2 for many years - I had small cracking, but nothing major.

One thing to watch out for is using a transom saver. The tilt and trim of the engine is pretty powerful, and I've seen a lot of flex happen when overdoing the transom saver. More flex than when running for sure, so watch out for over doing it.

But back to the issue, you should be able to see if the transom is soft, or moving around a substantial amount by simply pressing on the engine, or using the T&T like I said to see how sturdy it is. If it is soft, you'll see flex down the back of the transom.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

A sudden thought (yeah, I know...). What is the possibility that the newer designed part would fit and replace the existing one? Better yet if you contacted the manufacturer would they sell you one ?


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## Bmarshall55 (Mar 2, 2021)

lemaymiami said:


> A sudden thought (yeah, I know...). What is the possibility that the newer designed part would fit and replace the existing one? Better yet if you contacted the manufacturer would they sell you one ?


The newer part would probably fit if the boats were still in production, unfortunately they stopped building the b2/osprey years ago. Not to mention it would take some serious effort getting the old splash well insert out and new piece in


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## Bmarshall55 (Mar 2, 2021)

coconutgroves said:


> Correct, it will flex. Personally, I wouldn't stand on it. An engine is already 250 lbs, so adding another person is a lot of weight.
> 
> I had a B2 for many years - I had small cracking, but nothing major.
> 
> ...


The transom is solid as a rock, no flexing to be noted when picking up or pressing down on the motor, also I was glad to see that when grinding out the cracks pictured there was hardly any gap between the transom and the well insert. Just a tiny fracture where the two pieces separated over time. Filled them with some thickened epoxy w/ milled fibers so we’ll see how she holds up


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Good to hear.

My B2 had some flex in it, but it was expected and very minor. I think that insert they made just didn't have much tolerance for when flex does happen.

Another suggestion - replace the caulk around that insert. It is known to crack and water will run down that splash well insert and into the compartments. People complain about getting water in the back hatches on their B2 - that is the primary reason. @Capnredfish helped me with that one a ways back.


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## mcf9541 (3 mo ago)

I just posted the same thing an hour ago. Glad I found this thread haha. Any update on how the repair went. Just picked up a 06 b2.


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