smiles16
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2016
- Messages
- 186
I know there are hundreds if not thousands of stringer posts, but after hours of searching and reading, I still have some questions.
Mainly, I am looking for anyone with experience or knowledge of 1980's Sea Sprite boats for this.
Sorry cant get pics to post, but if you care to google "1985 Sea Sprite Continental" a brown and white one pops up that is identical to mine.
Known History:
Mine is a 1985 17' Sea Sprite Continental Mark 1 I/O bowrider with alpha one and Merc 120 (originally equipped with 140). Its been a freshwater boat its whole life and will continue to be. I purchased the boat towards the end of this summer. I dropped a new-to-me engine in and had the outdrive rebuilt. I planned to redo the interior over the spring, including the floor. The PO tried to put some love in this boat by the looks of it. He had replaced the floor (not just plywood over rot), but he did not coat it and it has a few soft spots under its nice patio carpet. Luckily I have a ski well and have a good look at the inner stringers. My half-arsed tap test did not reveal any hollow or dead spots that I can tell (but I do not have a trained ear), however, I am concerned I may have to address these.
Concern:
There is a 3" area where the tabbing to the hull looks to have delaminated a bit. I planned on fixing this when the floor is out. But with that being said, the fiberglass seems very stout on all the stringers I have access too. The engine mount bolts also snug up very tight (did not have rust on the threads when I pulled them out either. I have read on other posts that the fiberglass is the bulk of the strength, others disagree. This is why I am looking for someone with experience with the sea sprite specifically. By the way, my 200lb body jumping on the outdrive and gimbal housing did not flex the transom at all.
Bottom line:
Does it sound like I am looking at rotted stringers? Does this particular hull rely on the stringers for much structural integrity? Also, when I replace the floor do I use epoxy and screws, or something else?
I am mainly concerned about safety, but I have a tight time and money budget too. I did run the boat 5-6 times and it performed great.
Any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks
Mainly, I am looking for anyone with experience or knowledge of 1980's Sea Sprite boats for this.
Sorry cant get pics to post, but if you care to google "1985 Sea Sprite Continental" a brown and white one pops up that is identical to mine.
Known History:
Mine is a 1985 17' Sea Sprite Continental Mark 1 I/O bowrider with alpha one and Merc 120 (originally equipped with 140). Its been a freshwater boat its whole life and will continue to be. I purchased the boat towards the end of this summer. I dropped a new-to-me engine in and had the outdrive rebuilt. I planned to redo the interior over the spring, including the floor. The PO tried to put some love in this boat by the looks of it. He had replaced the floor (not just plywood over rot), but he did not coat it and it has a few soft spots under its nice patio carpet. Luckily I have a ski well and have a good look at the inner stringers. My half-arsed tap test did not reveal any hollow or dead spots that I can tell (but I do not have a trained ear), however, I am concerned I may have to address these.
Concern:
There is a 3" area where the tabbing to the hull looks to have delaminated a bit. I planned on fixing this when the floor is out. But with that being said, the fiberglass seems very stout on all the stringers I have access too. The engine mount bolts also snug up very tight (did not have rust on the threads when I pulled them out either. I have read on other posts that the fiberglass is the bulk of the strength, others disagree. This is why I am looking for someone with experience with the sea sprite specifically. By the way, my 200lb body jumping on the outdrive and gimbal housing did not flex the transom at all.
Bottom line:
Does it sound like I am looking at rotted stringers? Does this particular hull rely on the stringers for much structural integrity? Also, when I replace the floor do I use epoxy and screws, or something else?
I am mainly concerned about safety, but I have a tight time and money budget too. I did run the boat 5-6 times and it performed great.
Any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks