250XF transom gap

[jswd32]

Hi Guys,

I was offshore fishing at the weekend and only a light swell was rolling in, however my rear transom was filling up quite easily.
It was getting to the point whereby the water was starting to come beyond the splash board and started to leak up onto the deck.

Have any 250XF owners found a way to overcome this by means of some clever removable fabrication?

I have always thought to seal off the transom would be safer with an outboard bracket, but didn't think it was a real necessity until the weekend.

Any idea's on this appreciated

Regards

Jonathon

[RickK]

Hi Jonathon,
Glads we were finally able to get you onboard - Welcome aboard  
Do you have any pics of the aft of your boat, maybe when you were out fishing so we can see what you're talking about. I didn't think the transom was that close to the waterline on those boats but maybe with twins, it is. Were the rolling waves coming over the transom?

[Circle Hooked]

Rick, Jonathon you guys should do a UK Gathering while your there Rick  

He's has some pics on my site, let me look.

No pics of the transom.

Rick thanks for getting Jonathon on here, he's a good guy  

[jswd32]

Thanks guys for your help getting me on here!

As for transom here's a pic of it and the water line, I would say 5-6 inches to the waterline and yes the waves were no more than 2ft high but enough to rollover the transom if close together.

I would love to close it off and put a bracket on but that will have to wait until funds permit.

I will try and take some closer pics of the Transom waterline but this should give you an idea.

Regards

Jonathon

http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/s465/jswd32/IMG_2438.jpg

[gran398]

Welcome Jon!

What is the black device shown next to the starboard engine? Thanks.

[Capt. Bob]

Have any 250XF owners found a way to overcome this by means of some clever removable fabrication?

Not a 250XF but what one member did with a similar concern.
viewtopic.php?p=27992#p27992

[wingtime]

My 200XF had a similar problem.  I think your transom is a little lower than mine was.  I installed a set of ball scuppers over the drains to help keep the deck dry.  Here's a pic:  



I also had a problem with a set of deck hatches in the splashwell that were not water tight and were allowing a bunch of water to get into the bilge.  This was a bad situation that could make things worse quick.  So I replaced the hatches with offshore types that kept the bilge dry.  Make sure that none of your pie plates or hatches leak into the bilge.  If your bilge stays dry a few inches of water on your deck is not a problem and will drain off.  But your on the right track to build a splashwell wall of sorts to keep the deck dry in the first place.

Once I installed the ball scuppers my decks stayed dry.  The only way water could get in is if it went over the transom which never happened.

[gran398]

Jon, the reason I inquired about the black device....was to lead up to the suggestion that CB has made....external wave gates.

You're running twin V4's, you have around 900 pounds back there....she's sitting right much lower than a single.

[jswd32]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the warm welcome!

The black device is something called a High-jacker I think its put in place as my outboards are 25 inch shaft, which would be ok if it were centre mounted. As these are dual engines side by side, I believe they would be too low under the boat if not jacked.

As for Sea scuppers I did purchase these online before it was set to go on the mooring, however due to a poor online retailer they delayed delivery for a month by which time it had been put on the mooring.

As for my bilge hatches they are very water tight as had to replace them both last year, bizarrely enough I ended up opening them in order to get the water into the bilge so that it would be pumped out by the automatic bilge pump.

The problem I have is waves coming over the transom while offshore, these are no big waves but close enough together to pour over the transom which I do not like.

I had a look at Thrill's boat Capt bob and that looks interesting. I'm trying to think if there is material that is flexible enough to slot into place yet rigid to deflect any wave action and can be removed when outboards are trim up.

I would love to find someone who has turned a 250xf into a closed transom with a walkthough string of pics!
Maybe I'll be the one to do it first. I tell you though you guys in the US are so far ahead on these extension outboard brackets than we are in the UK. There is currently only one guy making them over here but charging $2300 and they are made out of steel and not aluminium.

Yet this is still cheaper than buying one from the states as the lowest delivery charge is almost $2000.

Regards

Jonathon

[fitz73222]

Jon, the reason I inquired about the black device....was to lead up to the suggestion that CB has made....external wave gates.

You're running twin V4's, you have around 900 pounds back there....she's sitting right much lower than a single.

Those are jack plates Scotty, which in some cases is the cause for excessive water over the transom particularly when operating at a fast idle and in a rolling sea. The water is funneled right up through the center section between the engine brackets and into the boat. Hard reversing even worse. There is a lot of weight back there boat but the boat was designed for that kind of weight at the stern. Have someone fabricate some inexpensive stainless sheetmetal plates and attach them in the area at the top of the jack plate between the engine and transom to fill the gap between the transom and engine. This is a common problem on high performance, light, smaller hulls with large outboards on jack plates.

[gran398]

Gotcha my brother.

I just got new glasses, evidently I should have put on my "readers"

[gran398]

I just tried my readers, they are new too. Now, "I see."

[jswd32]

Thanks fitz73222, I hadn't thought about the gap in the jack plates creating a nice funnel, When this happened I wasn't Idling just drifting engines off.

I should be able to fabricate these myself from some stainless sheet I have spare.

I did a search on the net and may of found really nice temp fix until I one day do a full transom closure.

http://www.gelzersportfishing.com/htm%20pages/boat_photo_1.htm

Let me know what you think.

Jonathon