Transom starting to go. Looking for advice

[madangler]

The transom is starting to go on my 1973 SC 20' CC. Bought the boat last August and repowered it with a 150 etec in October. The transom has been fine sonce we bougt it, but today, while pulling back the caulking aroung the aluminium plate on the transom, I found some fairly substantial cracking.

I do a lot of 20+ mile swordfishing runs often in slopy seas so that has no doubt put some serious wear and tear on the boat. I the plate and transom around definitely flex when I put weight on the moor, and when I apply weight I notice that the crack opens up for a good ways down the motor well.
Basically I am looking fo advice on the best way to go about redoing the transom. Wondering what anyone's thoughts are on repairing /redoing vs closing up the transom and adding a bracket I'm not dying for extr space, but it would be nice to be able to walk around more back in the stern. If end up redoing the transom now would it need to be done yet again should I choose to put in a new floor down the road? I have a 40 gallon bait tank that tends to flood the scuppers a bit, would a bracket/rerouted scuppers make the boat much drier with the tank full? Whatever I end up doing, I will be looking to have the work done rather than do myself. All advice is welcomed. Thanks

[McGillicuddy]

Since you're planning on having it done, go see Hermco in Jensen Beach.
Here's his site:
http://www.hermco.net/

Don is also a moderator on this forum and you'll see he is not lacking in SeaCraft transom experience.

Bushwacker is running an etec 150 on his 20 Seafari and seems very pleased, so I'm sure he'll chime in at some point...

I'm running a 2010 150 ETEC on my 1970 20SC and while the transom is fine, the engine is mounted on a Porta-Bracket - which I love and hate at the same time. The engine is great. The boat sits a little stern heavy so I have plugs in my scupper drains and pull them - if needed - when I run. Otherwise I get some water coming in when 2 of us are at the stern. That Porta-bracket allows me to idle in some really shallow water, and with my trolling motor on the bow, I have an offshore/flats boat combo of sorts!

[madangler]

Thanks for all of the replies. I think that I will look more into the Hermco brackets. Is there any good way to inspect the stringers without taking out the floor?

[Blue_Heron]

Is there any good way to inspect the stringers without taking out the floor?

If you're concerned the stringers are suffering the same fate as the transom, then you can stop worrying. Seacraft used fiberglass box stringers that don't have wood cores. If you want to inspect for some other reason, a good starting point would be to remove the deck over the fuel tank, assuming you have one.
Dave

[Wildman]

Except the keel stringer is wood, and if its like mine there was a filler strip nailed to it, which allowed water in.

[vcs]

Don did both of my boats my 18 and my 23. The 23 he replaced my transom, fabricated me a livewell and installed a twin engine bracket. He does great work and he also uses core cell products not plywood therefore you will never need to replace your transom again. check out his website and you can see the kind of work he does.