Sometime I wonder if being on this site makes me over concerned.
I have been watching my transom where it connects to the tubes. In 99% of the area it seems glued very well, only a small loose spot at the top of the starboard side (the little round piece that is glued over the top of the ranson).
What I notice is that under way, and even sitting still, there is definate torque on the transom, causing the transom to push into the tube on both sides. Under way today in a slight chop, going about 25 mph there seemed to be a lot of bounce right at the joint where the transom meets the tubes.
I have the tubes filled pretty tight with air (original pressure gauge from Zodiac seems stuck at one spot) so not sure if more air is the issue or if the weight of the engine simply puts extra pressure on the two sides of the transom and this is all correct.
So, first, where can I get a reasonably priced pressure gauge that will work on an 02 Zodiac valve?
Second, is the transom, tube area the most vulnerable part of this boats set up?
Lastly, any sites out there that describe how the transom is glued in place?
Zodiacs use (I think) the Halkey Roberts valve; problem is I think you're just about at the point where they changes from a long valve to a short one Not 100% sure, but I think "Long" and "Short" refers to the length of the bayonet extensions that lock the adaptor into the gauge.
Not sure the valve type makes a difference when reading pressure (as the gauge just needs to seal into the valve opening and press the core a bit), but it does when finding an adaptor to plumb up a pump to work with them. (You can measure your current adaptor and call the guys at NRS and they should be able to get you the right adaptor if you need one. I keep a spare on hand, as I don't want to have to wait for a replacement if my current one goes missing.)
Anyway, here's a gauge that is supposed to work with H-R valves (I'm sure there are others out there as well):
I don't know about the transom to tube joint being the most vulnerable part of the boat. There is certainly a lot of strain at those points, but it isn't likely to suffer catastrophic failure. My old futura had failing seams on the bottom and some delamination issues at the tube to transom joints. But the transom didn't fall off, it just started to leak. More of an issue regarding the age and condition of the glue, or so it seemed to me.
What specifically are you asking about regarding the transom assembly? It is pretty straightforward. Repair can be tricky. My transom and tube joint seams did not all come apart (I pulled everything apart that would separate without damaging the PVC fabric coating). So when gluing it together I had to deal with some still glued sections. Getting the wrinkles and such out of the floor material was a pain. I stretched my boat between two cars to get the floor to tube seam section to lay flat for gluing. I laid everything up in manageable stages and let under layers cure before covering over.
If you have a more specific question about the transom assembly I'll try to respond accurately. Here are a couple of pics from my repair. You can see the edges of the white plastic piece that the transom sides fit into. That protects the the tube and helps capture the transom itself. The transom is not glued to the "slotted tube protector". Flexing and some movement is a good thing. A fully rigid joint would be very hard on the tube material. Accurate pressure in the tubes helps the transom assembly strength, don't overlook your tube pressure.
