Installing stringers in a boat withouth them?

[jbatt87t]

Hey guys, I've been lurking on this site for a while and have just started my first rebuild on a 14.5 ft fiberglass boat I got about a year ago. the PO had a deck in the front but it was not at all well built and almost rotted through. He used composite plywood and no resin on the wood. So I tore it down to the hull and started over.

Enough rambling, what I want to do is put a floor in the back and a deck in the front. The boat has 3 seats, one being the livewell in the middle. Should I install stringers in the sections I want to do the floor for support?

Thanks for the help guys I know it's probably a stupid question lol and I'll get some pictures up soon, now off to work on the boat

Jake

 

[Mark42]

Re: Installing stringers in a boat withouth them?

If the boat originally had stringer(s) they should be put back. Some old small boats had one stringer right down the middle, and they tend to rot quickly in that location because that is where the water settles. Being the low point, and poor glass encapsulation guarantees rot.

If it looks like it had stringers, I would suggest looking for shadow marks from the originals and put them there. If the boat had none, then a few cross braces may be all you need.

I'm sure others will chime in with suggestions too.

 

[jbatt87t]

Re: Installing stringers in a boat withouth them?

Thanks for the quick response! I'm fairly certain the boat never had stringers before but could be wrong on that one. I went ahead and cut 2 2x4's to length and test fitted them. It is only a 41" area that I want to put a floor in.