# Pathfinder 17t with some issues need help



## redrum27 (Oct 5, 2016)

I just bought a pathfinder 17t which after running it once seems to have some issues. First I noticed that it seems to be taking on some water. Aside from the usual suspects(Keel Guard, mounting holes etc) I noticed the guy put silicone under the rub rail trying to keep spray out. After the first run the silicone seems to be breaking loose and can now see exposed gaps between the cap and hull. Does anyone have a cheap fix for sealing the cap? Also it appears that the guy tried to cover up some stress cracks on the transom where the motor mounts, Are these cracks normal or are they going to need to be repaired. I also noted some delamination under both hatches where the floor meet the sides. The drainage does not seem to be adequate in either one, any solutions would be greatly appreciated! 

Thanx


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## JMZ400 (Aug 30, 2015)

Welcome to the forum. I've had two 17T's and they both had a few stress cracks around transom area... I'm guessing common. There are a handful of 17T owners here that are fairly active and will be able to chime in. My post, about 10 down from yours, has a few posts regarding the rubrail etc. Don't get discouraged if you don't see any replies this weekend with the storm and all. Good Luck


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## redrum27 (Oct 5, 2016)

Thanks brother, I appreciate it! Upon further inspection I see that its just the rubrail screws that were coming loose in one spot. I'm just gonna take the rub rail off and screw em in! shld be easy fix. Does your boat take forever to drain? When I take the drain plugs out the back it drips for days. The foam is saturated for sure but not sure why any water shld be getting in? any thoughts


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## JMZ400 (Aug 30, 2015)

Well mines not taking any in so I'm not having a drain problem.... at least not yet. I'd just be sure you're leaving them out while it's not in the water for better venting etc.


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## redrum27 (Oct 5, 2016)

I'll do that, thanx. Also the transom looks somewhat custom and rebuilt( It does'nt have the same shape as the rest) and The motor is mounted second hole from top which leaves cavitation plate a couple inches abouve tunnel when level. It cavitate pretty bad, but I only have a three blade stock aluminum prop on it. The way the new transom is I can't drop the motor any, I'm hoping a four blade with alot of bite will help. Where does your cavitation plate hang in relation to tunnel?
Thanx


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## JMZ400 (Aug 30, 2015)

View attachment 2442
View attachment 2443
Not the best photos of mine but you get an idea


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## redrum27 (Oct 5, 2016)

Thanx for the pics, Ill post some of mine so you can see what I'm talking about. My transom is totally different. It looks as if it was modified at some point. Ill shoot the stress cracks as well so you can see them too. Have you figured out what the best prop for it is yet?


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## zthomas (Jan 14, 2014)

I'm in the middle of re-doing my whole hull-deck joint. There are some pics in the thread referenced above. When I pulled my rubrail, I found large gaps in several places that were obviously allowing water in.

One of the peculiarities of the hull is that water is constantly driven up into the bottom of the joint along the last couple feet of the sides, and around the transom corners. Take a look sometime when you're running on plane -- it's like holding a high-pressure hose on the bottom of the rub rail.

Based on what I've seen on my boat, I'd say there's a good chance some or all of your water intrusion is coming through there. I'd recommend pulling just a little bit of your rubrail to see what's going on. It's fairly easy to just remove the end caps near the motor and peel back a few feet on each side. Easy to put back too, as long as you don't take it past where the joints are on each side.

At least the way mine is put together, just running a bead of sealant between the rubrail and the hull doesn't do much good. You need to actually seal the joint between the two pieces of the boat, not between the rub rail and the hull.

I also have some minor stress cracking in a few spots around the transom area. The transom feels plenty solid though.

About the motor height, my 50hp is mounted in the second-from-highest position. (In other words, the bolt is through the second hole from the bottom.) I moved it up there from the lowest position myself, and I have no ventilation issues with a 4-blade stainless prop. If your transom has been altered, it's hard to say if the engine is exactly the same height. I'd say my cav plate is maybe 1" to 2" above the top of the tunnel, but it's one of those things that's hard to measure accurately. 

What motor are you running?


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## redrum27 (Oct 5, 2016)

zthomashome said:


> I'm in the middle of re-doing my whole hull-deck joint. There are some pics in the thread referenced above. When I pulled my rubrail, I found large gaps in several places that were obviously allowing water in.
> 
> One of the peculiarities of the hull is that water is constantly driven up into the bottom of the joint along the last couple feet of the sides, and around the transom corners. Take a look sometime when you're running on plane -- it's like holding a high-pressure hose on the bottom of the rub rail.
> 
> ...


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## redrum27 (Oct 5, 2016)

Thanks, Ill check on that rub rail. I'm currently running a 60hp yamaha. How are you going to redo the whole hull deck joint like you mentioned?


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## zthomas (Jan 14, 2014)

I removed the rubrail, removed all 160-some screws from the joint, and cleaned out all old sealant with an oscillating multi-tool.

Many of the screw holes in the hull part were cracked/stripped so that the screws weren't biting at all. I'm filling all of those (and the corresponding holes in the deck part) with thickened epoxy, hoping it will provide at least some structural support, since it already kind of looks like swiss cheese.

Next I'll drill new screw holes between the bad ones that I've epoxied. Then scuff both sides of the inside of the joint where it's accessible and clean again with acetone.

Then I'm going to push some foam backing rod up into the joint and fill the joint with 5200. The backing rod will "close off" the top of the joint and keep the 5200 from being pushed all the way into the inside of the hull.

Then reinstall all fasteners (going with new 316 stainless screws), let it cure, replace rubrail, and go boating.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

If the previous owner used silicon, then you're going to have to sand those areas to get rid of the silicon. If you could have bonding problems. Boats should be a silicon free zone.


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## zthomas (Jan 14, 2014)

No silicon on mine, thankfully. Pretty sure it was 4200 in there. But point taken -- new sealant won't stick to silicon. And if you don't already have silicon in there, don't use it.


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## Floodtide bandit (Jul 3, 2016)

Sell it to me


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## redrum27 (Oct 5, 2016)

Sounds like a great plan.Can you take pics of that foam backing rod. I'm having a tough time picturing it. I'm sure Ill probably have to do something similar. I'm gonna use it for the time being seing as I just got it and want to fish for awhile. Tailing seasons here, and want to get my fill before tackling this.


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