Posts: 32939
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Nice work! Hopefully, she will last another twenty years.
9 out of 9 times the rot started from someone moving a seat, putting in another base, or one way or another breaking the fiberglass seal on the floor or side tank without properly sealing the 'break' during installation. Seal (if you haven't already) anything you used a screw or bolt to mount through on your new work with silicone sealant by removing the screw/bolt and gooping up the hole, then coat the /screw/bolt and refasten. Carefully seal endgrain with silicone wherever you install seat bases, etc. I'd do that everywhere in the boat just to be sure, actually. The ants didn't actually cause this, they just took advantage of the soft wood and took up residence.
If the transom had been bad, it isn't all that hard to replace if you are good with woodworking.
Even a small hole from a sonar, trim switch, etc. that were not sealed or were removed without sealing can allow rot to get going over the years.
There's a very good chance I sold that boat when it was new! As an observation, actually the boat IS worth more than when you started, because you can prove to a prospective buyer you just went through the entire core of the boat and it's all as good as new. |
