another stringer story

[whisker]

hi guys,
need some advice. i have a 91 wellcraft fish. the boat is solid . the transom doesnt have any stress cracks at all.. i thought all my stringers was in good shape but i found one of my stringers is wet inside and rotted. the fiberglass that covers the stringer is very strong. looks like they used heavy material not just cloth.the stringer is still strong i can stand on it and get no flex. the fiberglass itself is very thick..my question is what should i do..i was told by my local boat shop that the fiberglass is more than enough even without the wood . what your take on this??

 

[Kevin70]

Re: another stringer story

If I could find a way to remove the wood from my stringers, I would do it. Just so I wouldn't have to worry about rotten stringers ever again, not to mention the weight I could be removing. I would go with glass only. It's plenty strong enough.

 

[dmarkvid2]

Re: another stringer story

Thats probably true about being strong, But,If your stringer goes all the way back to the transom, chances are that the water and rot from the stringer will eventually affect the transom (rot) I would replace the stringer, and re-glass to prevent the spread of dry rot.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: another stringer story

Does anyone know of a way to make your own fiberglass stringers? I would love to know how to make them...

 

[klos]

Re: another stringer story

If I were to make solid fiberglass stringers (although I would'nt). I would make it similar in shape to an I beam (very strong).
However with all the composite core materials out there there is IMO no reason to add all the extra glass and weight.
That wood core in your stringers does add stiffness and strength, I would replace it.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: another stringer story

I was hoping to get rid of the wood, so that it would never get rotten and have to be replaced...I have heard of using fiberglass stringers, but was looking for information on how to make them...