Hello.
I am about to replace the stringers in my Skeeter boat. They are completely rotten so they will need to be replaced from the hull up. I have heard that when doing this you need to install them about a 1/4" above the hull in a bed of epoxy. I was told that if it was not done this way you would have a hard spot that could crack the hull. Is this what needs to be done? If so what is the best way to do this?
Hope I have explained this correctly.
Thanks.
i don't know why you would want the off the bottom of the hull........
make sure you scuff the bottom of the boat good where you tie them in.they are the support for the hull bottom you want to minimize the flex and mounting them off the bottom makes no sense......
i agree. you dont want the 1/4, but you do need to enbed them in thickened epoxy. cove both sides of the stringer. you'll need 2-3 three layers of 8oz +-figerglass cloth on both side.
always use epoxy on lod glass. fiberglass resin does not have enough bond strength. do it once and do it right.
Ok, I am a total dummy here, but what is a stringer?
A "stringer" is the main "beams" under the floor. They start up towards the bow and go to the stern of the boat and then they tie into the transom. Normally, your floor sits on the stringers. They provide most of the strength for the bottom of the boat. There are several stringers in a boat. Mine has two, but I would imagine some of the larger boats may have more.
I hope this helps.
Modified \'92 Procraft 170 Combo/\'97 Johnson 130<U></U>
Thanks for all the replies - They really help.
Just for reference here is a link to where I go tthis information on installing stringers.
http://bateau2.com/content/view/144/28/
Yes. You just need something to temporarily hold them off the hull til your first layer of cloth has cured.
I believe they call it 'Tabbing'
The point is to distribute the load across a wide area. If the stringers are not tabbed in, any impact will be focused directly beneath them.
Use some pieces of the foam that you've no doubt taken out!
Did you grind the stringers down to the bare hull? You could put down a 6oz skin of cloth & epoxy. At least seal the area below the stringers with epoxy.
Here is a well written documentation of what happens when you dont Tab your stringers in:
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/HullFailPart1.htm
I hope you guys that reccomended otherwise arent in the boat repair business!
The boats mentioned in that article were much larger and built much differently than most boats on this site.I have also repaired hulls that the softer materials between stringer and hull was crushed,creating delamination.Most of your smaller boats were foam injected which would provide more rigidity and less movement in these open spaces.You can stagger the width of your glass to further spread the load.I only use filler for fitting(no air space between stringer-hull).I bet if you catalize that epoxy putty,you'll find it is as rigid as wood. And YES ! since 1983 without incident.
Ok. The reason I had looked into all of that was because I had to replace my stringers in my old Ranger. I was curious as to why they "floated" the stringers in, leaving that gap (It was actuall like 3/8") below the stringers. I asked the question at BoatDesign.Net forums, and they explained that it was called "tabbing".
It really makes sense. Suppose you slammed a big scuba tank onto the deck, and it hit right on top of one of the stringers. If the stringer is sitting right on top of the hull, all of the force of that impact gets transmitted right to the hull. If the stringers are tabbed in, it the force of impact is distributed over a wider area, minimizing the chance of damage.
You may be right about it not mattering in a bassboat, I dont know, but (When Ranger was using wood) they did use the "tabbing" method.
It does make sense. My next question is how do I go about doing this ? I am thinking install the stringers with occasional pieces of foam to get the stringer where you want it. Then pour the epoxy and let it harden at this height. Of course glassing everything in like it should be.
Thanks again for everyone's responses.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AMS BOATS »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The boats mentioned in that article were much larger and built much differently than most boats on this site.I have also repaired hulls that the softer materials between stringer and hull was crushed,creating delamination.Most of your smaller boats were foam injected which would provide more rigidity and less movement in these open spaces.You can stagger the width of your glass to further spread the load.I only use filler for fitting(no air space between stringer-hull).I bet if you catalize that epoxy putty,you'll find it is as rigid as wood. And YES ! since 1983 without incident.</TD></TR></TABLE>
You took the words right out of my mouth................Most of the big boats, cruisers or bigger yes no foam filled stringer systems..........most have now started gluing them in....
the guy in the article needs to catch up its IPS or Plexus that they are using it has filtered down to small boats. it sets up like concrete (your not going to break it with a hammer)....... i promise all the new glued stringers are HARD they set the stringers in the boat take a marker and trace around them pull them back out and put the glue where the stringer sets(they want a solid bond that will fiber tear and not move........... technology has changed ,along with constuction materials...The stuff is high dollar about 2500 for a 55 gallon barrel. One must remember what we are redoing on this site.....small foam filled stringers.........i will take mine not tabbed (tabbing is a great way to have delams and rot)......i want mine hard........(mind out of the gutter)
The only problem with bonded boats is that you don't have access to most of the interior structure, if a problem does arise-many repairs have to be made as cosmetic only.It is like having to remove a motor to replace a starter(customers or manufacturers hate the expense).
The stringer need to be fully encopsulated even the edge that will be secured to the hull in fiberglass and resin.
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