Stringer problems

[Jeff_40]

I’m not too sure what I have going on here but basically I cut my strings both 4” one lines up nice but the other side I have a a massive 1 1/4” gap between the hull and the bottom of the stringer I want a small gap but this seems excessive. Any suggestions what to do? Do I go ahead and fill the gap with epoxy or do I cut a bigger stringer? Is there a cheaper solution instead of epoxy? I can’t seem to wrap my head around why one side has a huge gap when the stringers are cut exactly the same with the same spacing?

 

[Dennischaves]

Is the boat properly supported and straight and level?
that would be my best guess
That the hull is out of shape

 

[Jeff_40]

It’s sitting on the ez loader trailer. How would you recommend setting it up to get it as close to as straight as possible?

 

[zool]

Just looks like a mis-cut, or measurement. Just set the deck level, and rip a piece of wood to fill the gap, then pb that all coved in, and glass it all. You could ad a layer of cloth in that section to beef it up for good measure

 

[Jeff_40]

It’s odd though the two 4 inch strings almost match up perfectly when I put them against each other maybe a quarter inch difference in one or two spots. Sorry I’m a rookie at this stuff but when you say set the deck level do you mean lay the stringers flat side down on a flat level surface and glue them together?

 

[tpenfield]

It does not look like you have things set up properly to be straight and symmetrical, although it is a bit had to tell from the pictures.

 

[sphelps]

Double check your measurement from the top of the gunnel down to the stringers .Also the spacing from your center stringer out to make sure it’s the same . An inch one way or the other makes a big difference with the deep V that you have ..

 

[Scott Danforth]

roller trailers do not support the hull enough for a restoration.

you should have either built a cradle and took the boat off the trailer or built a cradle on the trailer to support the hull

are you trying to go off the level in the pic or are you trying to go off the hull for your measurements?

with the hull properly supported, run a string line from the port side to the starboard side in a few areas along the hull to mimic your deck. measure from that.

 

[kcassells]

So what did you use to make a template? Or how did you determine the cut to make the fit?

 

[Jeff_40]

Scott I’m trying to go level on top of the stringers so when I lay down my floor it contacts all the wood as evenly as possible
kcassells I was able to salvage a small piece of the old stringer that wasn’t worm food yet and traced it onto my new piece of plywood
eveything is level except at the back where the level is (sorry I’m not sure what all the terms are yet I’m still really green)

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[zool]

A level like that has no place in a boat. You need to do what Scott suggested, use strings across the beam to measure off. It looks like you still have the edge of the old deck glass on the sides, you can run strings across from them, and minus off the new deck thickness including glass, and that would be the top of ur stringers to get a level deck relative to ur boat.

 

[tpenfield]

Usually, you measure from the chines and then run a stringer across to get the reference. If that happens to be level with the ground, so be it. However, the boat's geometry is what rules.

 

[GT1000000]

Definitely double check that the hull is properly supported!
If one of the rollers is carrying more weight than the others, it can cause a sag.
An unsupported hull is very flexible.
One possible solution to properly supporting the hull on rollers is to raise the hull off the rollers and slip in straight(good luck finding straight wood) boards between the hull and rollers.
Levels can only be used if the entire hull is level to the ground, front to back and side to side.
That can be quite difficult to determine since boats are compound shapes.
One way to get really close is by using the transom as a side to side level reference and if your boat has a waterline, using that for the front to rear level...
Strings run across the gunnels and bow to stern are the most reliable way to take and make measurements, but the hull NEEDS to be properly supported.
Best of luck!

 

[Grub54891]

I removed mine from the trailer, set the keel on a 12 ft 2x6. Then measured from the chines, to the floor, straightend it all up. Then added supports every foot, and checked my measurements every day before adding the stringers, and glassing. Worked pretty well.
Edit: Also I used the string method throughout the entire process. A level tells you lies when working on a boat. Most I can say is measure everything, then measure again, document it, then measure again and so on.....