Holes forming in Transom (pictures)

So on Wednesday when I was rinsing the boat off after a ride, I noticed some white stains on the transom that didn't come off with the sponge. After looking closely I realized there were two small holes in the aluminum. The stains were caused from water "weeping" through the holes.

Thee boat is a 2008 Lowe 1462, which I bought brand new last feb. I am the only owner, the boat is kept indoors and I never hit anything with the back of the boat. There are no electronics, manual trim, pull start, no battery, so I am thinking its not electrolysis ( but i could be wrong). I wash the boat after every ride in saltwater so this is really a mystery to me. But even if i didn't wash it, i would expect a new boat to last longer that a year.

This could really be a mess, since the inside of the transom is obviously going to wet now. But before I do anything I want to figure out what the problem is so it won't happen again.

I talked to several people and they had no idea what it could be, so i guess the next step is to go to the dealer.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

That doesn't look good. Being that new, I'd also be taking it back for the manufacturer to fix or better yet replace. You shouldn't have to have a repaired boat hull that is only a year old.

I Would Take Back To Dealer, See How They Explain "IT". If They Cannot Clearly Explain It, How Could They ( And You ) Be Sure Any Quick Repair Would Take Care Of It For Good? Be Prepared To Insist For A Replacement Boat So You Do Not Get A Repeat Of The Problem Later. They Will Offer To Repair It Free Of Course, But You Will Always Be Looking Closely And Half-Expecting "IT" To Return. Have You Looked All Around The Boat & Underneath; Is This The Only Bad Spots?

I think they should replace the boat I doubt they will but I'd push for it.
In the third picture it says "built with pride in the USA" they should stand behind that statement something slipped the quality control

Wayne

I was exspecting little holes,those aren't little holes.

Do you trailer your boat all the time or leave it at a marina?
Hows your zinc look on the motor?
Hard to beleive it's electrolysis,especially if your trailering it.Theres also something called crevice corrosion,something to do with dissimilar metals in the boat.
I'd be asking the dealer some questions,thats a brand new boat.

Thanks for the Replies.

I do trailer the boat all the time, it has never spent the night in the water. I bought the motor at the same time as the boat, so I wouldn't think the zincs are bad, they look fine.

What would cause the dissimilar metals on this boat? The only thing on it is the motor.

I am going to take the boat to the dealer tomorrow. Hopefully they have something good to say.

countryboy210 said:

I Would Take Back To Dealer, See How They Explain "IT". If They Cannot Clearly Explain It, How Could They ( And You ) Be Sure Any Quick Repair Would Take Care Of It For Good? Be Prepaired To Insist For A Replacement Boat So You Do Not Get A Repeat Of The Problem Later. They Will Offer To Repair It Free Of Course, But You Will Always Be Looking Closely And Half-Expecting "IT" To Return. Have You Looked All Around The Boat & Underneath; Is This The Only Bad Spots?

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I looked the boat over pretty good and I didn't see any other trouble areas. The transom is different b/c it is aluminum-wood-aluminum, so i believe just the outer layer is forming holes. I think that if this happened anywhere else, like the bottom, the boat would have taken on water. Which is not very comforting.

It could have just been a couple of spots of contamination in the aluminum sheet.

Regardless, I would be demanding a fix with the mother of all extended warranties on that hull or a new boat.

I had a Grumman 1256 one time, that was made in 1997, back when Lowe, Sea Nymph and Grumman were owned by OMC. It was the exact same design as the Lowe Series from both then and today, and it had pressure treated ply on the transom. If yours also has pressure treated wood, it could be the dissimilar metals (most pressure treated ply is copper impregnated, and copper and aluminum are dissimilar) corroding. What yours may be is that being that you boat in saltwater (which will speed up any form of corrosion), the ply is corroding the aluminum from the inside out, and those are the only spots that it has broken through.

bassboy1 said:

I had a Grumman 1256 one time, that was made in 1997, back when Lowe, Sea Nymph and Grumman were owned by OMC. It was the exact same design as the Lowe Series from both then and today, and it had pressure treated ply on the transom. If yours also has pressure treated wood, it could be the dissimilar metals (most pressure treated ply is copper impregnated, and copper and aluminum are dissimilar) corroding. What yours may be is that being that you boat in saltwater (which will speed up any form of corrosion), the ply is corroding the aluminum from the inside out, and those are the only spots that it has broken through.

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Thanks, that would make sense. I am glad to at least have an idea of what might be happening.

I may be what BB said or Qstackr,hes talking about the aluminum itself and impurities in it(maybe).
Regardless they should be fixing it and hopefully in a timely manner.

Looks just like the holes in the transom of my lowe 1652 and I used to live in wilmington nc also. I just replaced my transom and it was being eaten alive by the water loged plywood sandwiched between the transom and splash well. I am not shure but I belive that the factory plywood in the transom is treated. New plywood I put in is coated with two coats of fiberglass resin and all holes are over bored and glassed also. I also sandwiched the aluminum on the transom with .090 aluminum sheet. If I were you I would take it back to the dealer and let them handle it, I did not see the corosion on my boat until well after the warranty was up.

Zum said:

Regardless they should be fixing it and hopefully in a timely manner.

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Thats what I am worried about. I don't want to be with out a boat all summer. That would suck!!

If they did use pressure treated, I would bet that that is the problem or just bad Alum. from the foundry. It took less than 6 months for the pressure treated wood to eat through .125 alum. on the ribs of my new boat. They are having serious trouble around here with bunk boards now. It seems as if the carpet is wicking the cooper when wet and any spot where the paint is rubbed is corroding. I'm hearing more and more of this.

I had holes forming and pitting in my hull directly underneath where the trailer bunk boards set. It all makes sense now because I replaced those bunk boards with pressure treated 2 x 4 's and carpet.

Good News:

I went to the dealer Monday afternoon and they were absolutely shocked to see that kind of corrosion on a boat only one year old with no electronics. They did quickly agree to replace the boat, which is excellent news.

Tuesday morning the dealer called lowe to see what was happening and Lowe didn't have a great answer. Lowe suspected as did the dealer that it was the improperly treated wood in the transom.

The biggest problem now is that lowe no longer makes the 1462. And they have lowered the hp ratings and raised the transoms on the 1467 and 1667. So that means that my 25hp short shaft motor would no longer fit any of the larger boats. And even if it did, it would be over the plated hp rating. Now I have to decide if the dealer can give me another boat that I like, or if a refund would be better. They aren't interested in a trade-in for the trailer and motor, so its kind of a weird predicament.

Thanks to all that replied.

"And they have lowered the hp ratings and raised the transoms on the 1467 and 1667"

That is exactly why I am not getting a Lowe 1667WT, cant believe that a 16' boat with a 20" transom that weighs 400 pounds is only rated for a 20 hp! All other boats in its class are rated for 25 to 40.

Good luck with your search. If you decide to take a refund, check out the MirroCraft 14 Deep Fisherman 3654.

It sounds like Lowe has really skimped on the structure or material on their new boats. I'm not sure that I would want one of them if their 1667 would only handle a 20hp. :shock:

Are they making them out of aluminum foil nowadays or what?

I would go for a refund.

I will say I'm glad they are doing something for you.
I can't believe a boat those sizes listed will only handle a 20hp?
Don't know what to tell you there,thought Lund was a quality boat.