Low transom, engine well. (?)

[Merrittboy]

I have a 90's Trophy and was quite surprised (not panicing) regaarding how low the transom/well sits in the water. It made me a bit nervous and was wondering about others with the same boat and if there have been issues with too much water, etc. Obviously it was built for the ocean and was built this way. The boat is a 2302 1995' with a 250 Mariner. Any concerns or ideas. Even the barrier between the transom and the main boat deck seems shallow. I can see that I will not be backing up for fish too often, especially in rougher water. Never really thought about this when I bought the boat. I know a lot of you have a similar boat, can u send me some pics of yours so I can compare, back end. Thanks..

 

[trophywife]

same with all the trophy boats of that era, my transom would gulp up water all the time, specially if i had people sitting in the seats while i worked the gear... i have heard of some trophy owners weighting down their bow with ballast up in front of the cuddy. this problem always made back trolling more interesting.. make sure your scuppers are in good condition.

 

[Highliner]

can u send me some pics of yours so I can compare, back end. Thanks..

Just to be clear, you want me to send you a picture of my back end?

 

[Merrittboy]

lol! BOAT dude. lol. Now if you are a hot lady then a pic of both.... Do u own a Trophy?

 

[Highliner]

No sorry, I just couldn't resist.

 

[gon fishin]

The reason the transon is so low is to allow the water from the big wave that comes in over the top and allows the water to flow over the back of the transon and the last little bit is handled by the scuppers I've been in the boat when this happened and still makes me nervous even more so when pulling a stuck anchor My buddies transon was within about 2 inches from the water

 

[Charlie]

i wouldn't be the least concerned, unless someone modified the transom? With that size of outboard, it is going to set stern heavy, with the transom closer to the water. Anytime the boat is not moving forward, you will probably have water coming on the transom, and especially when back trolling.

Transom versus cockpit! I really don't remember the transom of a 2302, but I don't believe it has a transom well? If it does you will find "open" drain outlets in that well, not scuppers. It really doesn't matter how much water is going in or over the transom and/or in the well, it just drains off. Now water over that barrier referred - different story. I don't care if you have a Whaler or Trophy, I would NOT suggest anyone back troll and take on water over the stern into the cockpit. When that starts happening - it is time to stop back trolling, even in my boat! That can equate to a lot of water fast and the possibly swamping any boat!

Trophy actually has a good drainage system, it is called Drainage Response System (DRS), and it channels the water toward the main cockpit scuppers. Those scuppers are designed to draim water from the cockpit - not from the transom.

 

[Merrittboy]

The boat has draining holes in the transom so water drains, properly, but I agree made me a bit nervous as my last boat was a 19' inboard. Was worried that maybe a 250 hp, was too heavy for this boat as originally it came with 175hp. I notice that the newer models have a higher divider between engine well and main floor. Highliner, I know that you were joking. I enjoy the humour. I work with 13,14 year olds all day. Need the humour. lol. Another issue that I NEED to fix is the plastic caps that cover the edges of the transom, engine well. I understand from another site that this is quite a problem. The material cracks and some have just put sealent in to fill, but I would like a more permanent solution, any ideas? Have included a pic of the same set up as mine except I only have the one motor.
Thanks.

 

[Merrittboy]

Charlie, doesn't look like transom has been modified. Has drain holes and scuppers. Like I said just different to me and I am basically a chicken! lol. No I want to be cautious, especially in big water. This boat is a proving to be an interesting investment. Can't wait to actually fish from it. Eventually I want to upgrade to a newer motor, when finances(wife) permit, will then ask around for advice regarding type etc. I am sure that there are a lot of people on the site that will be willing to help out. lol. Would it be possible to increase the height of the deck, engine well divider or is it overkill, might make me and guests feel more comfortable. lol.

 

[trophywife]

brass thru hull fittings and new hose for your scuppers, change all your thru hull fittings to brass as you can. i cracked one and found out the hard way,.

 

[cheech]

If you have the bucks your best alternative is to close up the back and mount a pod. Performance will increase and you will never get swamped. Boat in pic has been modified as such

 

[AlK]

"brass thru hull fittings and new hose for your scuppers, change all your thru hull fittings to brass as you can"

I may be wrong, but I believe bronze may be better than brass.

 

[Duffer]

If you have the bucks your best alternative is to close up the back and mount a pod. Performance will increase and you will never get swamped. Boat in pic has been modified as such

Is that your boat Cheech? How much did the modification cost ya? I have the same boat. Is that yours?

 

[Merrittboy]

Cheech, I like that option and is something that I have thought about, but will not be in near future. Thanks.

 

[Merrittboy]

Charlie and anyone else, these are the caps I was talking about. Would like to take them off and redo properly, but would like to do a quick fix for season. Need to pull the motor so that I can get all the way across to do it right.

 

[Charlie]

I would repair that “SOONER” than later! I don’t know if there is any wood under that, but that - NEEDS FIXED! As, I don’t know if there is actually any wood, which there probably is - If you don’t have time to fix right away – SEAL IT with 3M 4200 or 3M 5200! FYI.. I don’t remove any boat engines and/or outboardsI don’t have to and there is no way I would remove that outboard to repair that, unless?

First try ordering replacement parts? Drill out those rivets, remove old, check for water damage, seal, and install new.

Of course, the parts probably won’t be available – So, you want to know what I would do? Remove that old crap (try not to break it, as you may need as a reference or even a mold), inspect for any water damage! Go out and buy some biaxial woven mat fiberglass cloth, epoxy resin, a little color additive, and make the thing. Then simply sand and paint whatever color wanted. It can be painted to either match the hull or contrast it? Being where it is, I wouldn’t gel-coat, but that can done.

I have worked with fiberglassing quite often, and that repair can be done fairly easily. You can make the fiberglass in flat sections in your garage, which will be the easiest way to do. Pre-cut the sections, exactly how you want and then attach them to the boat. Cover all the sections with one piece of biaxial woven cloth, and fiberglass the separate sections together - right on the boat. Keep adding biaxial cloth, untill you have it the thickness and strength desired. Sand, paint, done! Just do an internet search on fiberglass repair and start reading – it really is easy than most think!

You can use the old parts to make mold, but I wouldn’t bother. Just building the mold would take you longer than above, but if you want… see: Making a Fiberglass Mold

Now, if there is any wood under there and water damaged, I would really suggest reading the following website. The boat being discussed on the first link just happens to be a 1990 2302!
http://www.rotdoctor.com/glass/GLmain.html
http://www.rotdoctor.com/products/product.html

 

[cheech]

If there is wood in there, once you expose it flood it with acetone to dry the wood out. Then you can stabilize the structure with epoxy or rot fix products.
Not my rig but I know the guy. Work was done in Port and it was expensive ($3k+).