Broken transom knee brace

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Sho

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Hey all

I'm looking for some advice on how and weather I should repair the transom brace on my boat. I bought it last year but I only noticed the damage this spring. I was thinking about cutting out the broken part that bolts to the transom and adding a piece of aluminum angle riveted to the brace.

The boat is a 2012 Lund wc14 with a 20 HP Yamaha 4 stroke. The transom is solid other than the brace.

Let me know if you think it will work or have a better idea.

Thanks
 

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Yes, it needs to be repaired or replaced, if not you will see stress cracks start showing up in the corners. Two pieces of angle aluminum through bolted with a spacer in your brace with lock nuts should work well then use the existing hole through the transom. That is if you don't want to get someone to weld a repair.
 
nccatfisher said:
Yes, it needs to be repaired or replaced, if not you will see stress cracks start showing up in the corners. Two pieces of angle aluminum through bolted with a spacer in your brace with lock nuts should work well then use the existing hole through the transom.


Thanks for the response.

Do you think my plan to rivet in a piece of angle will work?
 
If I went with rivets I would use SS rivets because that bracket has quite a bit of stress on it. I would be afraid it would cut aluminum ones.
 
Weldorthemagnificent said:
Get a transom saver for trailering.


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I did pick one up but I'm unsure how to use it correctly since the motor is a manual tilt. I just bought the boat at the end of last year and have only taken it out once.
 
If that crack is as minor as it looks then I'd just throw washers under those nuts to suport the metal. Transom savers with manual tilt are OK until motor bounces off the saver and hits the street. Double up on bungie cords or rope on each end if you use it one. Make sure the motor, transom saver and trailer stay together as one during a hard bounce.
 
Seeing that reminds me of my old Mirrocraft transom.....This transom felt pretty solid when I tried flexing it by hand... Are you sure the wood under that aluminum skin isn't rotted out ? Carpenter ants can make short work of wood....
IMG_2529.JPG

You would not get cracks and deformation like that unless the whole transom is flexing way beyond "normal"... A boat is engineered to withstand a motor bouncing around with an ample safety margin...... IMO you need to take that apart and look at the wood.... What's happened there looks more like the wood is gone underneath the motor clamp area... when the motor clamps get tightened they're pulling the skin away from the bracket.

apparently it's not an uncommon complaint about Lunds

https://www.walleyecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=635426
 
Stumpalump said:
If that crack is as minor as it looks then I'd just throw washers under those nuts to suport the metal. Transom savers with manual tilt are OK until motor bounces off the saver and hits the street. Double up on bungie cords or rope on each end if you use it one. Make sure the motor, transom saver and trailer stay together as one during a hard bounce.
I use the ratchet straps on the ones that don't have power trim, or they will do exactly what you said.
 
New River Rat said:
Stumpalump said:
Transom savers with manual tilt are OK until motor bounces off the saver and hits the street.

Just being curious, how could this happen? I've used that exact set up for 20 years and just can't see what you mean.
The transom saver is bungee corded around the LU you hit a pot hole and the motor jumps up and the transom saver comes with the motor when it flies up and it comes off the frame of the trailer and motor slams down all the way to the bottom of the tilt setting as the transom saver is no longer attached at the bottom.
 
You can get a transom saver that is pinned to the trailer frame and not just resting in the roller. This will eliminate the jumping off issue.


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muskiemike12 said:
You can get a transom saver that is pinned to the trailer frame and not just resting in the roller. This will eliminate the jumping off issue.


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Yep, but they are a PITA if your frame is a pretty good ways under the boat. Just about all of the ones that fit on the roller come with a cable and pin to attach them, just few people use them. I make my transom savers but I don't have anything without PT/T so it is a non issue to me now.
 
Thanks to all that have chimed in.

This is the transom saver I bought. It screws in to the trailer frame so I would think I'd only have to make sure the other end was secure.
 

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Shaugh said:
Seeing that reminds me of my old Mirrocraft transom.....This transom felt pretty solid when I tried flexing it by hand... Are you sure the wood under that aluminum skin isn't rotted out ? Carpenter ants can make short work of wood....


You would not get cracks and deformation like that unless the whole transom is flexing way beyond "normal"... A boat is engineered to withstand a motor bouncing around with an ample safety margin...... IMO you need to take that apart and look at the wood.... What's happened there looks more like the wood is gone underneath the motor clamp area... when the motor clamps get tightened they're pulling the skin away from the bracket.

apparently it's not an uncommon complaint about Lunds

https://www.walleyecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=635426

Wow. I never even considered the transom could be bad. Maybe I didn't get a very good deal after all.

Is there any way to test if the wood is rotten or not?
 
Yes, if water gets in and especially is trapped in it will rot. Has to be replaced. If you can get to the exposed edges anywhere take a thin piece of metal and poke and prod and check for soft spots.
 
nccatfisher said:
Yes, if water gets in and especially is trapped in it will rot. Has to be replaced. If you can get to the exposed edges anywhere take a thin piece of metal and poke and prod and check for soft spots.

There is a cap on the top of the transom. If I take it off to check the wood what is the best way to reseal it? 3m 5200? Below is a better look at the full transom.
 

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It's hard to tell exactly how that's put together.. I've never taken apart a boat that new.... but it does appear like you can just unscrew that top cap ? It's probably just a matter of screws, bolts and drilling out a few rivets if you decide to replace it.

I don't think you need to get too depressed just yet.... we're all just guessing at this point... once you get a better idea what's going on there are several options besides tearing that thing apart.... see if you can find something definite and let us know...


this might give you some ideas what to look for:

https://chitown-angler.com/1fish/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=73802
 
Sho said:
Thanks to all that have chimed in.

This is the transom saver I bought. It screws in to the trailer frame so I would think I'd only have to make sure the other end was secure.


Same concept as the one I got from Cabelas. This design reduces the concern that it will come loose whilst underway.

BTW, are we not looking at the transom wood inside, or is that an aluminum we are looking at (where the knee brace flange is bent).
 
Sho,
I've looked at several photos of those boats and it does appear to be a very simple replacement if it comes to that. First step is to get that top cap off and see if the wood is the cause. All you need to do is remove those top wood screws...

lund-wc12wc14.jpg

If the wood is rotten it appears all you'll need to do is remove the corner caps by drilling out the rivets and the bolts holding the seats and handles from inside... once you release everything holding the wood it should just pull straight up and out...


Here's a video with another way to test the transom:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KerFxYSkfWE
 

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