SHETLAND OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Hi - In process of buying 8mnth old 4+2 - so still have warranty until April - I had a full inspection carried out & all is fantastic with the exception of high moisture levels in a very small area at the very centre base of the transom. I've engaged Shetland Boats and the suspicion is that it was possibly a leaking transom bolt that caused slight ingress of water. We've removed the 2x base corner bolts to allow air/ drying and some low direct heat applied for a couple of days. Boat is out of water & stored inside and we don't intend to launch her until Feb so we still have a few weeks before she's back on the water to identify/ resolve the issue.

Just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this issue with 4+2s and just to see what the thoughts / feeling is about wet transom/ typical causes on 4+2's/ if it's been identified & caught this early in the boats lifetime will we be ok? Boat was only used for 4x months due to I'll health of the previous owner. Shetland will reseal and reinsert the bolts in the coming weeks ahead of launch (to keep warranty intact) & there should be some extended guarantee/ warranty around this 'repair/ fix' - I'll probably pull the boat out again ahead of this gtee/ warranty expiring to check moisture levels again & re-engage Shetland if the moisture issue persists.

Any thoughts / opinions?

I had a Shetland 27i with a waterlogged transom. It leaked water into the boat where the stern thruster was fitted. The stern thruster was removed and refitted but did not cure the problem. I eventually traced it to rainwater entering at the join between the hull and the cockpit moulding near the centre of the transom. I cured it by running some sealant under the rubber cover strip/rubbing strake.

Thanks for the response....was it a new 27i?

I'm assuming if these issues can be identified & fixed early enough then you can prevent the risk of a slow cancer of a rotting transom over many years. I feel a little more comfortable that Shetland boats are directly involved/ engaged with my craft and they seem happy to work with us to help identify the issue/ repair as it's still in warranty. It does make you wonder if there are numerous newish boats out there perhaps not realising they have a small & slow ingress of freshwater from similar issues such as a leaking transom bolt or, in your case, a small leak in a joint. Are these the small things that can eventually lead to a rotting transom in 10-15yrs time? I expect it will be a case of pulling her out of the water after a few months to see if the work carried out by Shetland has solved the problem.

Should I be asking Shetland to cover the cost of taking her out of the water and running some additional moisture tests a few months down the line?? I don't think this would be an unreasonable ask if there is moisture in the transom of a nearly new, in warranty, craft & they believe the warranty work being carried out should solve the issue.

Thanks

Jon

If they are reluctant to cover that cost they really need to indemnify you against future costs should the leak not be cured.

Transom leak was identified and James at Shetland personally came out to effect the repair and reinsert the transom bolts. Boat was launched and leaks checked...all appears to be OK