Need to glass in new stringers

MEM	Hi guys.Just bought my first boat!It is an 88 16ft four winns bow rider with a recently rebuilt 85hp Suzuki.the selling price was good but the floor is bad.the transom is solid but a poor previous repair on the decking and bulkhead created a leak with no way to drian.most of the stringers and both bulkheads are rotted.how do I properly replace these?the factory did not fully encapsulate the stringers so I was thinking of cutting the glass down to about 2 inches above the hull,removing the rotted wood and glassin new wood in the original location.ANY help would be greatly appreciated.	2002-02-11
djohns19	MEM, You've pretty much got it. Not very hard, but not much fun either. Just make sure you completely encapsulate any wood you put in there or you'll be doing it again. If you do not want to use wood. You can purchase synthetic stringers from West Marine. www. westmarine.com.	2002-02-12
MIKE F	Mem Why not take all of the old stringer out and start over? That would eliminate trying to bond the old to new stringer and probably give you a stronger stringer.	2002-02-12
MEM	Thanks guys.my idea was to leave 1 or 2 inches of the old glass that ran up the side of the stringers to use as a pattern and to keep my new stringers from shifting while I glass it in.the wood is so soft I can easily scrape it out of the groove and get it clean.also how do I replace the foam flotation? is the foam bonding to the stringer important to the structure or can I cut it out and lay it back in?it is somehow perfectly dry.	2002-02-12
djohns19	Foam, just cut it away and lay it back in.	2002-02-12
MIKE F	It sounds like you are putting in a whole new stringer system with frames/bulkheads and all.You can just build that right in the boat and screw or staple it together (assuming you're going with wood)After building it just tab it in place in the hull.After that's done go back in and glass it in place.Pre cut any drain/limber holes before glassing making sure you resin coat all the wood.As far as the foam I'd go with a 4.0 density two part foam that you mix to totally fill the cavities. Going back to those stringers and frames you want to make sure you router the tops of them so the glass will cover it nicely with no sharp corners.	2002-02-12
MEM	Thanks again.i will be starting on this asap.i am planning on using treated plywood, as I saw suggested in another post.this will replace the original combination of plywood and what I believe to be pine,since several of the knots in the wood had turned to lighter.	2002-02-12
MIKE F	Good luck to you MEM. Don't know what shape your stringer system is in now but you definitely don't want to go too long without some kind of system in there as the backbone holding everything together.	2002-02-12
djohns19	MEM, One other thing. MAKE SURE YOUR BOAT IS SITTING STRAIGHT ON THE TRAILER!!! If not, you will glass in a perfect right or left turn into your hull. Adjust up the trailer to make sure it is perfect before you get the glass out!!	2002-02-12
f_inscreenname	From some one who has been there. Good Luck	2002-02-12
ebbtide176	Maybe you can take this time to find out what options, other than wood, you can use, also..	2002-02-13
djohns19	MEM, You can use any kind of wood you want to. You may have trouble getting resin to stick to treated wood. I've found it best to just use regualr plywood and use fiberglass resin (no mat) to seal the wood on both sides. When screwing it down, just make sure you seal the screw threads with something like 3M 5200 sealant. Your job will probably be better than the original factory work.	2002-02-13
ajp	Are the stringers rotted or just very wet and soft on top from being wet for a while. I have seen several floors removed and the a lot of water problems that have filled the foam with water and soaked the stringers for years and after removing the foam and letting sit for a while the wood will dry out. Even if the top has some crumbling spots, support splints will take care of that. Removing the stringers and starting over is a major undertaking that may not be necessary. I would opt for a dry out and support the stringers without removing. You can then seal the stringers with resin to prevent further damage. Put in some closed cell foam and a new plywood floor, new carpet and your done. Even that will seem to take forever. It will provide you with many years of service. Probably a lot longer than you will own the boat. For what its worth. Arlan	2002-02-13
MEM	I had a guy tell me his uncle patched up the stringer system on a 20ft. center console.not long after he got in some rough water and buckled the hull, he had to be towed in.he said he didn't glass it in good after the patch.guess that is why I want to make sure my repair is strong.i dug in a little deeper last night.i have had the floor removed since sat.so things are starting to dry out good.the center stringer in the bottom of the hull can be saved.the ones on the starboard side are gone,just mush.the ones on the port side I think I can save.i may just replace the bad and splice in supports as you suggested.i hope this process will keep things from getting out of alignment.thanks all.	2002-02-13

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