how does one tell if their stringers are going bad??

just wondering,,, is there anything u woudl notice,,without having to take the floor up?

Re: how does one tell if their stringers are going bad??

without taking the floor up...well u can inspect the bilge, and maybe the gas tank locker if there is an access panel, and the ski locker. what is ur cause of concern for rotten stringers? do you have soft spots in your floor? the best way is to take a 3/8" drill bit and drill exploratory holes into the stringers and check the wood drill shavings for moisture. if you have no access some people take hole saws and cut holes in their deck to check stringers. then take the plug from the hole saw and glass it back in place. depends on what your trying to do....

Pictures help and more description. im currently replacing my transom, stingers and deck.

Re: how does one tell if their stringers are going bad??

a1akeywest said:

just wondering,,, is there anything u woudl notice,,without having to take the floor up?

Click to expand...

Age and overall condition, telltale signs on the transom and deck. Any compression at the engine mounting bolts on the transom spell rot .
Look for the black lines of death running down from transom bolts. :0
After 10 yrs I'd expect some water damage here and there unless really well taken care of.
Rugs on the deck cause problems, foam ensures rot.
thru bolts for seating, even properly bedded don't stop water forever.

After 20 yrs its a dice throw whether rot is underway, probably... unless very well cared for.
After 30 yrs its all rot but a few have none, I've only seen one or two here that had perfect stringers from the early 1980's.
My boat is a 1974 ,transom was black wet pulp.
A professional restorer says 70% of the boats on the water have wet transoms.
But they were never designed to last 40 yrs anyway.