Water in transom motor mount and fiberglass fatigue

[jamesbeck1]

Someone help me out with this. 
I bought a 1986 17' Sea Chaser last year.  Today I was replacing an externally mounted bait pump on the transom and unscrewed the mounting screws from the previous one.  Water was slowly leaking out of the holes.  The water was not from the bilge itself.  I drilled a slightly larger hole to see if I could get more water out and then blew compressed air from a distance to get it a little incentive.  Then water started flowing out of the lower hole as well as from the right side engine mount.  In all I probably got about a cup of water.  How much of a concern is it that I have water in my transom mount and shouldn't the water have drained to the bilge beforehand?

Another issue that I have been trying to remain in denial about is possible fiberglass fatigue of the hull.  I purchased the boat last year and it looked in pristine condition, especially given the age of the boat.  The previous owner did an outstanding job re-wiring the electrical putting the batteries in the cuddy and replaced all the plywood with starboard.  The interior and exterior of the hull looked extremely clean, not a single crack or fracture.  After the purchase and taking it out a few times I started noticing stress fractures appearing.  Then a soft spot in the deck.  I did some repairs and soon realized the previous owner as used bondo to clean up the cracks and had the entire interior repainted making it look in great condition.  I also noticed the cuddy door not closing when on the trailer but closing fine while in the water.  I attributed this to the amount of weight in the front of the boat unsupported by the trailer causing flex to the hull (It was definitely flexing even visibly when looking down the chines from the bottom of the hull.  To solve this I put a "C" channel with roller under the hull in the front of the trailer.  That solved the flex on the trailer however while operating the boat it feels like the boat is flexing going across swells (I tend to baby the boat so its not my driving).  My last two boats were aluminum and I was in denial about the flexing but together with the leaking transom I am fearing I am on a ticking time bomb.

A final third concern is that I saw posts about the rub rail seal silicone going bad.  Sure enough mine was garbage and I was definitely taking significant water through the rub rail.  Is that an issue?  I would think it would simply drain straight to the bilge and out.  Along the same issue, I installed a new bait pump that was dumping a lot of water into the stern engine mount area?, enough that the small drain hole couldn't keep up and the extra water continually overflowed the transom.  That day my bilge was filling up with water constantly making me assume that the silicone seal on the transom motor rail was bad and I was taking water in through there (probably the reason for the leaking water from the transom, genius I know).  I replaced that silicone a little more than a week ago and took the boat out last four days ago.  I can only assume that I am getting water in through the motor mount that is now leaking water out.

Damn, sorry about all that.  I hope I got one knowledgeable Arima owner through it all.
So questions I have:
Has anyone else had a possible fiberglass fatigue issue?
Can I have significant enough fiberglass fatigue that the boat is becoming a safety issue?
Should I be looking at dumping this boat?
Is the water leaking from the transom an issue and why didn't it drain straight to the bilge?
Should I not take the boat out until I repair the leak at the motor mount?

Whew, thank you
James

[croaker stroker]

I have had water in the transom of both of my Arimas. It is not a big problem as with other boats because of the way the transom is sandwiched with plywood and fiberglass. Also "wood rot" doesn't exist in salt water. Ancient tall ship crews used to throw rocksalt into the bilge to prevent it.

Cracks in the Gelcoat are common and usually superficial. The Arima boats have double hulls, so the cracks you see in the floor have nothing to do with the hull.

The softspot in the floor may be a more serious problem. Dryrot does exist in freshwater (rainwater) which is why we are so careful in sealing any seats or accessories mounted to the floor.  Open screw holes are usually the culprit.

The rubrail silicone is easily replaced. Scrape off the old...install the new....you're good to go.

I would run your bait tank overflow over the transom instead of in the motor well.

[First Cabin]

Copied from a Danno Post.

[LvrWurst 21 SR Skip]

JB1.....Agree with Croaker. Your at Dana Point......Invite Croaker over for a beer.....he knows about the Arima Guts and will ease your worries...LVR

[croaker stroker]

Beer?  Did someone say beer?   :party:

[Packman]

Water in the transom is not a big deal.  I found it on the 89 Ranger I bought from the second owner.  Both owners had mounted various things on the transom, removed them and inadequately sealed the holes.  I just opened up all the holes a little and let the water run out, also using compressed air to help it escape and a heater to help evaporate the water.  After 2 weeks of this I sealed up all the holes.  Even with the water there you will not have any problems because the fiberglass is so abundant in the transom. The transom is sealed from the bilge, so the water will not drain into the bilge. You might want to hire a boat surveyor to look at the hull to be sure.  I know my Ranger flexes a little in rough seas, more like a shudder actually, but yours sounds like a little more than that.  Same for the "soft spot" which should be investigated.  Arimas are known a solid boats that last a very long time, so most of us don't hesitate to buy an older boat, but any boat can be abused.     

[jamesbeck1]

Thanks for the advice from all.  This is my 4th boat and I am not one who likes to push my luck on anything.
As for the suggestions:
-As soon as I saw the deteriorated silicone on the rub rail I took it all off and replaced it a few weeks ago.
-After the first trip with the new bait tank setup I replumbed it to drain outside the motor well.
-I have already chased down and epoxied one of the deck soft spots and will have to get going on doing the other.
-I chased down and epoxied one of the larger deck fractures and will have to work on a few more.
-It seems no one is overly concerned about the water in the transom and the fishing season is in full swing so I drained out what I could in 24 hours and sealed around the engine mount and the previous holes.  I will look into having the motor taken off and remounted in the off season.

The boat shuddering was one of my bigger concerns.  If I had the wood stringers I would probably be in the market to replace but I will keep an eye on the movement and go from there.
Thanks again.
James