Stringer Concern.... Sea Sprite

[mickyryan]

What do you guys think of this idea....?

I've been reading about how some boats have the stringers designed so that the core does not matter. the boat needs to be designed for this not the best idea to change from original design that was tested and worked since they are buried under rest of boat if it didn't work out that's a ton of wasted time and money.

What if I laid fiberglass over top of the existing stringer and some additional side supports? The end result would look like a trapezoid of sorts tabbed to the hull.

Seems this would save a lot of time and eliminate the worry of stringers rotting. bad idea if its rotting looks like its rotting slightly smells like gym socks orex girlfriends wet boat shoes ex guy friends "cause he smelt too bad to be caught in a truck with" cut it out

Another question too, does the floor need to be tabbed to the sides of the hull as well?

yes I would

 

[mickyryan]

What do you guys think of this idea....?

I've been reading about how some boats have the stringers designed so that the core does not matter.

What if I laid fiberglass over top of the existing stringer and some additional side supports? The end result would look like a trapezoid of sorts tabbed to the hull.~~~if your boat didn't come with that I wouldn't try to do it different, if it don't work out you can lose a life or at best the boat, and to repair it would have to be torn all apart again.
wood works if sealed properly.

Seems this would save a lot of time and eliminate the worry of stringers rotting. ~~~~~~bad idea if it looks rotted , smells rotted smells like gymsocks ex girlfriends or guy friends "dude smells so bad cant ride in a truck with him" cut it out

Another question too, does the floor need to be tabbed to the sides of the hull as well?~~~~~ I would yes

 

[DeepBlue2010]

As micky said, the core-less stringers are designed with the boat. They have different dimensions decided by the navel architect to guarantee they will be structurally sound and capable of doing their function. I would recommend changing your design.

 

[smiles16]

Ok guys looks like that one was a bad idea. Won't lie, terrified of what I'll find.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

We have been there......trust me. Lol.

 

[mickyryan]

WE ARE RT BESIDE YOU HOLDING YOUR VIRTUAL HAND don't be scared:0

 

[smiles16]

thanks fellas, well I'm going to let this post go idle for a while as it may be a couple months before I start digging in. Ill keep my eye on this post and update after I have done some REAL inspection.

 

[smiles16]

One quick update: I found a video on YouTube where a guy went through the tap test on a known to be bad boat. Put on my good headphones and really heard what everyone meant by "dead" sound vs "sharp."

So, I don't have any filler material at the moment so still no core sample. BUT tried the tap test again with a socket and learned a few things....

Banging on the engine mount stringers and transom sounded like smacking concrete with a nail hammer.

Banging on the inner stringers was a bit different. In He uppermost part it almost sounded kind of hollow. It was a sharp sound but hollow. Now banging on lowest part of the stringer by the tabbing sounded like the hammer on concrete again. Not so sure on this as every post says stringers rot from the bottom up.

I did learn what true rotted sounds like as there was a questionable section I didn't spot before where a perpendicular piece was ran in between the gas tank and the ski well. Where it cornered on the main stringer it was obviously rotted. About a 3" section.

One other interesting fact I noted while poking around, is should these need to be replaced it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. The stringers only run a few inches under the bow seats. Basically they end at the front of the console. So I guess I am lucky enough I don't have to pop the cap. I really wish I could get pics to upload so you guys could see this.

So if I replace both I only have about a 7-10' section on each side that would need to be replaced (don't know what the condition is like around the gas tank). You guys know what wood n' glass materials cost (I don't), and SeaCast is $200 for 5 gallons (1000 sqft ). Sea cast seems to be a time saving option as my skins are in decent shape. BUT how much less money is the traditional method?

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Honestly I'm very leery of the tap test. My motor mounts sounded like concrete as you stated. If you look at my restoration you'll see I was even contemplating leaving them in and just removing the rotten stringer behind the mount. Once I carefully removed the stringer, the entire structure of the motor mount was soaking wet and rotten. The tap test proved nothing other than my fiberglass was extremely thick. The lag bolts and holes in the motor mounts were even dry. I let my hoping for the best, cloud the reality of expecting the worst. The only way to truly know is to drill, or dig in. At least that has been my experience.....

 

[Woodonglass]

Regardless of what you saw on YouTube the ONLY way to know for sure that the inner core material of your Stringers, Bulkheads and Transom are sound...is to drill core samples so you can verify that the core material is dry and still viable.

 

[mickyryan]

you can tap dance around it all ya like but in the end you gonna hafta decide what a piece of mind is worth to ya

 

[smiles16]

LOL well square one it is boys. How about that seacast vs wood cost? If they wind up costing the same, wouldn't it be better to go with composite?

 

[mickyryan]

sea cast works good for some things but it is very expensive compared to doing it the old fashioned way and heavy if I recall for the same amount of strength as wood plus you would need good forms to pour into , I heard its great on transoms though since you usually have 2 skins left

 

[proshadetree]

Another thing about seacast you need to remove all the rotten wood. Some areas are easy some are imposible. When you pour you also have to ensure you get all the air out of the pour or you have weak spots.

 

[smiles16]

What about reusing the side skins o. The stringers and replacing the wood core? I know I have to dig the wood out, but seems I could ensure I get the location and orientation.

 

[proshadetree]

If you take pics before hand you can get them close. Reusing the sideskins in my opinion is iffy they leaked enough to rot out the first ones the probability of rotting out the new ones is high. But for a seacast pour it would be acceptable.

 

[JASinIL2006]

This post needs some pictures! Hard to give you good advice if we can't see what you're seeing.

I think your idea about digging out the bad stringers and using the fiberglass shell sounds interesting, but it would probably end up being more work and less strong than if you just removed all the old structure and replaced it with wood and glass. I cannot imagine that using Seacast would be cost effective if you have to replace stringers, but maybe that stuff has dropped in price.

 

[smiles16]

I promise I will work on getting pics up. Should be able to do this over the weekend.

 

[Woodonglass]

It's NOT a good idea to attempt to reuse the stringer channels. Best to cut and grind them out and start fresh. This will ensure proper bonding and sealing.

 

[smiles16]

What about using the outermost side halves as a guide? Then cut them out after the new stringer is attached before re glassing and tabbing