Buying Used Lund Question
 

Hi all, I’m close to purchasing a 2014 Lund pro guide 2010. The seller had the kicker taken off and as I had asked about the condition of the transom, he had boat shop check it out and they pronounced it in great shape. After reading a number of threads about the chemical reactions etc, I’m a little cautious. What percentage of transom failures in this year period? Is there a pretty small chance of failure or? Thanks,

Of course without viewing your transom I can't say 100% it's good but the fact is only 6 years old, the marina okayed it and there's no obvious indications of any problems ( swollen wood, black streaks dripping from fasteners, cracks, etc ) I would say it's probably fine. The years from late 90's to early 2000's were the more problematic years. I replaced both my Lunds transoms but they were both 1987 year boats. Wood will eventually rot in the presence of moisture, and i knew there were issues going in and negotiated accordingly. In your case I don't think there's much to worry about, enjoy your new Lund

Did the owner give you anything on paper signed by the marina that their inspection found the transom to be OK? If not and he doesn't have anything in writing, I'd negotiate a sale price contingent on a complete inspection of the boat and importantly, the motor. Also, try to take the boat to a different marina than the owner is using.
Nice boat -- good luck.

One test on a transom that is a very good indication is the use of a C clamp.

Take an 8 or 10 inch C clamp and put it on about a 2x2 piece of wood on each side of the transom and give it a good tighten down. With a good solid transom, there should be literally no deformation in the transom as you tighten the C clamp down very well.

Really, the same thing that a motor is doing to a transom. So, make the clamp nice and tight and then as you loosen the transom observe the transom very carefully to be sure that there has been no change in the transom.

A dry, sound transom will not deform under pressure.

A wet, marginal transom will deform under pressure.

Best wishes.

The percentage is very low for that year. In 2014, the tansom wood had a plastic (HDP) sheet between the wood and aluminum skin.

The 2014 boats ..just as current Lunds have a 10 yr pro-rated warranty which is transferable
Check on that

Another good way to check on the transom while boat is still on the trailer is to tilt motor out at 45°, jack up rear of trailer and place jack stands under trailer so wheels are off the ground. Now apply pressure to lower unit and look for any flex in transom.

T-Mac hit it square. Also be sure there were no bolt holes all the way through from the kicker. If so make sure they are sealed real good and you will be golden.

I have a 2007 Pro Guide. Have had it for 10 years. Early this spring did a bit of snooping around. Pushed up the transom cap on each side of the motor and popped out the scuppers. Both areas felt moist and wood looked dark. Wood still felt solid but wasn’t empressed that the transom had that moisture in it. I put a heat lamp on it for 24 hrs a day for a little over 800 hours. I would start at the bottom of the transom in sections and slowly heat it toward the top gradually moving a heat lamp. The temp of the wood varied from 110 - 130F. The wood gradually felt dry to the touch and the dark colour went away from what I could see. After applying the heat I sealed everything with 3M sealant. Did I need to do this? Probably not if I was getting rid of the boat is 4-5 years but I intend to keep this boat til I’m done fishing which unfortunately is coming quicker than I like. I don’t know if this helps you but I wouldn’t be too concerned about a 7 year newer boat.

Most accurate way to tell if a Lund transom is rotten? Torque the engine mount bolts to 55 Ft Lbs. you’ll know real quick if it’s soft, as it won’t ever get tight.

Ltrain, that method doesn’t tell the whole story, I have the factory gussets on my ‘96 and “bouncing” on it looking for flex, it was non existent. However when I raised my motor and went to retighten the mount bolts, they sucked in before reaching torque.

[QUOTE=Mrxlh;6494286]Most accurate way to tell if a Lund transom is rotten? Torque the engine mount bolts to 55 Ft Lbs. you’ll know real quick if it’s soft, as it won’t ever get tight.

Ltrain, that method doesn’t tell the whole story, I have the factory gussets on my ‘96 and “bouncing” on it looking for flex, it was non existent. However when I raised my motor and went to retighten the mount bolts, they sucked in before reaching torque.[/QUOTE]

Did you jack up the rear of trailer and put it on jackstands first? Most people just bounce on it with out getting the tires off the ground, then the leaf springs of the trailer will absorb most of the force rendering that test as ineffective. I do agree about tightening the bolts too, but that just shows condition at the bolts. I've seen transoms rot from improper transducer installations where the rot hasn't reached the bolts yet but the transom will still flex. Best bet is to put that transom through several tests until it either passes them all or fails.