Stringer inspection

[nola mike]

Got a buddy looking at a 20' searay. Po said the floor was replaced several years ago. I'd be concerned about the condition of the transom/stringers. Transom I guess could be inspected with a couple of drilled holes. What about the stringers? Is this just paranoia?

 

[Woodonglass]

Several years ago??? How Many? By who? How? Documentation? How was it cared for and maintained since the last restoration? What does the current inspection reveal? What's the asking price?

 

[JoshOnt]

I would question exactly how long ago, and exact what they did. As for testing the best idea I can think of is using a stud finder and finding a stringer and drilling into 1 or 2 or them just like you would for the transom.

 

[nola mike]

Sounds like it was the floor only, and there is very limited info. it was done 2 owners ago. No inspection done, and I haven't seen it in person. Like I said, I'm leery about it, and want to know if there is a way to check the condition of the stringers without pulling up the floor. Seems like a decent price otherwise. http://richmond.craigslist.org/boa/5129209999.html

 

[Woodonglass]

Only way is via the ski locker and engine compartment visually and tapping with screwdriver etc... Bouncing on outdrive for transom flex. $5200 for an almost 24 yr old boat is not my idea of a good price, but maybe in your location it is. I would still want to know the "Care and Maintenance" history on her as much as possible and track down all the PO's as best I could. Looks can and will be Deceiving most of the time!!!

 

[nola mike]

Kinda what I thought. 5200 is asking price. In the summer for a 4.3l that's definitely acceptable if the boats in good shape. I'd love to find the area of the country where everyone here seems to be buying 5 year old sundancers for 1k.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

The price is reasonable as an asking price provided that the boat is not a project boat. Actually, I wouldn't bother asking how many years ago the floor was changed and all the other questions until I form my own opinion by carefully inspecting the boat simply because I never take whatever the seller says for granted. Not to be cynical here but statistics and horror stories in this forum proves that they are - more often than not - lying about the boat history anyway.

If you are being paranoid, good for you. I would. And if you can inspect the boat and know everything you need to know on your own, why asking and taking his word for it.

The boat is input/output so part of the stringers will be visible in the engine compartment. The only sure way to inspect them is to take a core sample but there are some bad signs to watch for as WoG indicated. The problem with tapping the stringers is they are covered with thick fiberglass. A crisp and un-muffled sound can be misleading as you might be hearing the glass not the wood.

The boat owner needs to agree on a core sample; if they don't, that is a bad sign. The transom can be inspected by core sample from inside and/or and flex test from outside. If the transom flexes if you aggressively move it up and down, it is a bad sign. The engine needs to be inspected also. The compression test is an important one but it is not a green light that everything is OK.

 

[BWR1953]

Sounds like it was the floor only, and there is very limited info. it was done 2 owners ago. No inspection done, and I haven't seen it in person. Like I said, I'm leery about it, and want to know if there is a way to check the condition of the stringers without pulling up the floor. Seems like a decent price otherwise. http://richmond.craigslist.org/boa/5129209999.html

In the ad it says the floor was replaced 6 years ago.

From craigslist ad:
"Floor replaced 6 years ago."

 

[nola mike]

@deepblue: you basically just stated everything I'm thinking. What the owner says is pretty irrelevant. As long as the compression is good and it passes a sea test, probably nothing catastrophic is going on. Same with out drive. If someone is dishonest and clever enough, they can always slip something past you. Core sample is a good idea. Would I just drill into a Stringer towards the rear, maybe under the engine? Would it just involve a 1/4" Drill bit, and see if it comes back with dry dust v. Mush?

 

[ondarvr]

A "new floor" can frequently mean just that, nothing was torn out, only a new sheet of plywood placed over the old rotting one, then some carpet glued down.

 

[Woodonglass]

^^^ Thus the reason for my previous statements about asking for documentation about what was done and by whom and then doing your own current thorough inspection. The current owner can SAY anything. It's very doubtful that the current PO is going to allow you to drill holes into their boat!!!! I sure as heck wouldn't!!! And I KNOW my boat is 100%!!!! Bottom line is there IS no true way of knowing what condition a boat is in until AFTER you own it and can do the core sampling. A visual inspection with poking an prodding is the best you can do. Tell tale discolorations and soft spots are for sure Dead Giveaways but if those are not there then it's a Crap Shoot. Like they say you just have to Hope for the Best and Plan for the Worst!!! Oh...I guess you could buy a boat from an iBoats guy then you'd have a fully documented restoration and you could see/know everything that was done to it!!!!​

 

[jasonbailey]

Just look at Friscoboaters purchase of his 95 SeaRay. Boat looked perfect and it turned out to be a floor, transom, and stringer replacement. Plus being from VA, I bet it is spent a fair amount of time in salt water. I live in MD, my boat was bought new in 85 and I've kept it in my garage for the last 10 years, My transom is a rotted mess. Granted it is not a SeaRay, but wood construction is wood construction.... If the floor was soft/rotten enough to be replaced I would venture at the very least the stringers are toast.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Yes, 1/4 inch is all you need. Call the factory with the HIN number and see if they stringers are wood cored or fiberglass with foam core. If it is wood cored, try to get as close to the transom as you can. If the owner is not OK letting you take core samples, tell him to keep his junk and move on. I was helping a friend buying a boat few months ago and I was talking to a the seller (a woman) about inspecting the boat and she said "I know my boat is fine so I will not waste my time and my brother's time with any inspection" I told her "well then, I will not waste my time talking to you" She still did not sell it. We found a much better boat and the owner was absolutely fine with us inspecting his boat with core samples, he did not even attend the inspection.

You got your money in your pocket, you set your own terms. You are the buyer, this is NO sellers market.

The owner's answers for any questions is worth nothing. Absolutely zero value. It is not even worth the breath I will use to ask the question(s)

The boat is right in the front of you, answer your own questions by careful inspection. Double decking is not hard to find. Water in the oils, compression. Water test. Leaks. It is your money, you set the terms.

After you find out everything you need to know, you can start asking him the questions not to know the answers but rather to verify them. Basically find out of he is a laying SOB or an honest person who is telling you what he knows. Then you start negotiating.

 

[nola mike]

Thanks all for all the replies. Informative also since my floor has some soft spots and I plan on pulling it this off-season