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SUBJECT: # 22406: Stringers
Submitted by Mike (208.27.31.4) from NORTH CAROLINA on 1/13/2002 9:14:00 PM
I am getting ready to take the deck up in my boat and rebuild the stringers which have gotten soft. Can they be built up the same way as a transom? I was thinking of 2 pieces of luan plywood with a section of 1708 on each side and sandwiched in the middle. What do you guys think?
- 1/13/2002 9:59:00 PM
Submitted by
Hawkeye (24.15.188.191) from VIRGINIA says Dont see why not....
Make sure you use pleanty of epoxy, luan is pretty thristy suff and you dont want a dry bond.
- 1/14/2002 12:11:00 AM
Submitted by
Dunk from NEW JERSEY says Luan...
If your talking 1/4" you might want to go 3-4 layers thick. Another idea is composite foam stringers. Ship Shape TV irritates me more than anything else, but when John boy put the foam stringers in that Seabird they were rebuilding I was impressed. Whatever it is, my next stringer deal will be done with foam stringers. Here's the link to the outfit that makes them. They come in all different sizes and shapes so you can stack them to get the height you need.http://www.preforms.com/index.htm
- 1/14/2002 1:32:00 AM
Submitted by
Hawkeye (129.86.240.203) from VIRGINIA says This bring us back to...
The foam is just the form use to carry the glass. Dunk, have you got some pricing on those prefab stringers? I guess the glass is thick enough on those prefabs to give it pleanty of ass but I cant tell from the pictures. It just seems like a waste cutting out the exsisting glass from my stringers. Seems like hollowing out the channel of wood and replacing it with epoxy and foam would do the trick. Luan would do the trick also and you could fill the void with epoxy and let the luan displace it to end up with a solid stringer. I would add some 1/4" chopped strand fg to the epoxy to bind it all together. I would still add some glass to the outside of the existing stringers just for good measure and to seal up the old glass. Mike,if you go with making your own foam or luan stringers I would go with more than one layer of 1708 on the outside like 2 or 3. 1708 cures to about 1/16" per layer when done and seeing the foam has not real strengh to it I would go with more glass. This foam thing worries me a little. A 20' long piece of 3/4 plywood a foot or more thick does have a increadable ammount of vertical strengh in itself. Then you add the glass and you really have something. Now this foam thing has to get all its strengh from just the glass and as long as there is pleanty of it I guess it would work.
- 1/14/2002 9:00:00 AM
Submitted by
Billybob (64.252.14.173) from CONNECTICUT says Excuse this dumb question, but.....
All this talk of stringer replacement lately has me wondering.How do you guys know its time ? Does the deck get spongy,do you get cracks, or do you drill and check? I've also heard guys say that the stringer core really just provides a form to glass around, and that the glass itself provides the strength.If this were the case, would it matter if the core rotted.The reason I ask is that my boat is 30 yrs. old, and I have no signs to suspect a stringer problem - nor do I really want to drill core samples - should I ?
- 1/14/2002 10:28:00 AM
Submitted by
esnoll (67.201.31.24) from PENNSYLVANIA says Dunk, Ship Shape TV
Hey Dunk, Refresh my memory as to why you can't stand Ship Shape TV and its lovely host. Being one of only a couple of marine shows on TV, I actually look forward to seeing the G-man on Speedvision! I'm not the handiest guy around, but I've learned a thing or two. Just curious. Regards - Eric
- 1/14/2002 2:20:00 PM
Submitted by
Mike (198.26.132.101) from NORTH CAROLINA says Stringers
Dunk, Hawkeye, Thanks for the ideas. I intend on going with the luan, will be prebuilding the stringers in the garage then glassing into the boat. I may have to go with three layers of luan and 1708 then use two/three outside layers of glass to hold the stringers in place. Dunk, I'll check the website you listed. I'm not much on foam but it does lower the weight a bit. The boat is a 82' Albemarle so the weight is already there! I wouldn't even have to do this if it wasn't for the idiot who installed the gas tank prior to me owning the boat. They did some s&*((*& work that let water seep into the stringers and created a lot of rot. Thanks, Mike
- 1/15/2002 5:07:00 PM
Submitted by
Miles Offshore (205.188.195.51) from VIRGINIA says srtingers
Hey mike, not positive but sound s like your hull is the same as the one I just helped my bud do(78 Formula). The stringers were just about totally rotted so after getting the foam all out, then removed the gastank. Took a sawzall and made a fairly straight cut approx 1" up on both sides running fwd to aft from where the cuddy starts aft to the motor box. Then took 1 x 2 's notched and marine grade plywood and built a frame for the glass. Screwed the 1 x's into the holes that deck/tank cover originally went into to start(this added stability also but wont be needed later. Predrilled everything including pc's for fwd and aft. Used west system epoxy and 2 coated all the holes and the OUTboard edges of the plywood as well as top and bottom. Then reinstalled after it dried good. (a week later). Next came back with woven roven and west system two part epoxy and went/wraped everything top to bottom overlapping the bottom 4 to 6". Like was said before the wood doesnt do anything except provide a form for the glass and supports. I will try to take a few pix this weekend before the new gas tank is installed. Hope this helps, Craig
- 1/15/2002 5:21:00 PM
Submitted by
Hawkeye (24.15.188.191) from VIRGINIA says Hey Miles, will you email me your phone#
I sort of get the picture but have ??? A phone call would be easier then trying to type. My email is formula233@home.com. Thanks