Reseal Trim Tabs Opinions

I just purchased a 2001 280 DA.
I am performing general maintenance.
Should I remove the trim tabs and re-seal where the tab screws to the transom? The tabs are tight and there is no indication of a problem.
Does the sealant typically breakdown in that connection?
This would not be a particularly tough or expensive task.
Since the boat is 19 years old, I don’t want to assume the sealant is fine. However, sometimes things are better left alone.

I'd suggest you don't create problems where none exist. Take it from experience, on a 20 year old boat, plenty of problems will become apparent that will need your time, money and effort.

I get that... I also have a 1989 cuddy cabin. Always plenty to do on that one.

my concern is where the screws go into the lower transom. I don’t like screws into fiberglass, as the glass tends to crack. I always try to use through bolts and washers. If I remove the screws and put them back in, I may be doing more damage to the fiberglass than good for the sealant. I will then end up with loose screws and a poor seal.
I just wanted someone else’s thoughts. We are on the same page here. If it ain’t broke....

I would do it. As long as you do it properly, you will make it as good as, or better, than it is now. Sealant on the threads will be more than adequate to keep the screws from loosening - besides, this would (in theory) be the first time they are removed (very minimal chance of the holes loosening up).

Screws won't crack the glass. However, they could cause some spider cracking in the gelcoat if the screw threads contact the gelcoat. This is 100% avoidable, though, by chamfering the hole.

DWABoat said:

I get that... I also have a 1989 cuddy cabin. Always plenty to do on that one.

my concern is where the screws go into the lower transom. I don’t like screws into fiberglass, as the glass tends to crack. I always try to use through bolts and washers. If I remove the screws and put them back in, I may be doing more damage to the fiberglass than good for the sealant. I will then end up with loose screws and a poor seal.
I just wanted someone else’s thoughts. We are on the same page here. If it ain’t broke....

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I briefly considered doing mine this winter also. Currently my rudders, mufflers and holding tank are all removed from the boat, so I have plenty of working room. I was particularly interesting in making sure the trim tabs were still properly electrically bonded. Color me shocked to find no thru bolts at all for the trim tabs. Re-examining them from the outside, they appear to be mounted so low on the transom that they cannot be thru bolted into the engine room. Since the screws showed no signs of corrosion and were still thoroughly coated with bottom paint, I thought it best to leave them alone.

That said, I always consider Dennis' advice.

Just did mine on a 20 year old boat, and yes they were leaking. Water was working through the transom, along a stringer and then down into the hull and exiting through a pin hole about 2' away from the transom. Thought at first I had a crack in my hull.

I do somewhat agree with the line of thinking of "if it ain't broke". And generally, trim tabs seem to very well sealed to begin with and are on the "rarer" side of leaking. But, yes, those screws won't protrude due to the thickness of the transom. However, if they do start to leak, it can compromise the wood core of the transom and even a stringer since they are connected.

Something else to be aware of is that bottom paint is not waterproof - meaning water can bleed through it - although, granted, it's certainly not like having the screw heads 100% exposed to the water.

In the end, we all do what seems best for us and I understand/respect that. I'll just offer this as something to think about - I'm not trying to "convince" anyone, just what I have found over the years...

...What you see from the outside isn't always indicative of what's going on underneath. It could very well be just fine (but for how much longer?), but I've pulled tabs off to reseal that looked perfectly good where it turned out there was obvious evidence of leakage (and I've pulled some off where everything WAS just fine, too). As preventative maintenance, though, spending an hour to reseal the tabs is MUCH better than dealing with a rotten transom core.

On the same lines of PM for the tabs... don't forget to pull that forward deck hatch and reseal it! Some of them were only installed with double sided foam tape!

R-and-R said:

That said, I always consider Dennis' advice.

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Careful - that might get you in trouble

Dang it, Dennis! Now I'm re-evaluating...and I already have too long a "to-do" list.

R-and-R said:

I already have too long a "to-do" list.

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If you figure out how to completely finish it... teach me!

Doing that now on a 12yr old boat I bought over the summer. Pulled them (broke two screw heads) and will reinstall with LifeCalk when it warms up. They were dry and I'd like them to stay that way.

On a 10+ year old boat, I feel it's good preventative maintenance to rebed screws and fittings, especially those below the water line.

Thank you all for some good advice. After recently rebuilding a transom on a 30-yr old boat due to leaking speedometer pitot tube screws, I have decided to remove and reseal the tabs. I do not ever want to rebuild another transom. Great experience- once!