1988 Crestliner / Stringer material?

[JN123]

Ok so I bought a cheap old boat. Turns out the stringers are gone. I found this out while checking the bilge pump and whats left of them floated into the bilge! I stared pulling the floor and its solid the foam is soaked but not black. I pulled a sample with a 3/8 dril bit. Im needing to know do I use Duglas fir to replace the wood with or is redwood the better choice ? I have a local yard with pretty good grades of both. I was told the fir is alot stronger and the redwood has better rot resistance. The thing I was wondering is do I want the "flex" of the redwood. I worry about the fir not moving wiht the hull . I'll keep reading here just wondering about building materials. ANy advise on "West systems" epoxy would be apreciated.:facepalm:

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1988 Crestliner / Stringer material?

Ok so I bought a cheap old boat. Turns out the stringers are gone. I found this out while checking the bilge pump and whats left of them floated into the bilge! I stared pulling the floor and its solid the foam is soaked but not black. I pulled a sample with a 3/8 dril bit. Im needing to know do I use Duglas fir to replace the wood with or is redwood the better choice ? I have a local yard with pretty good grades of both. I was told the fir is alot stronger and the redwood has better rot resistance. The thing I was wondering is do I want the "flex" of the redwood. I worry about the fir not moving wiht the hull . I'll keep reading here just wondering about building materials. ANy advise on "West systems" epoxy would be apreciated.:facepalm:

Ayuh,.... Movin' to the Resto-forum,....

Good luck, 'n Welcome Aboard,...

 

[tpenfield]

Re: 1988 Crestliner / Stringer material?

Ok so I bought a cheap old boat. Turns out the stringers are gone. I found this out while checking the bilge pump and whats left of them floated into the bilge! I stared pulling the floor and its solid the foam is soaked but not black. I pulled a sample with a 3/8 dril bit. Im needing to know do I use Duglas fir to replace the wood with or is redwood the better choice ? I have a local yard with pretty good grades of both. I was told the fir is alot stronger and the redwood has better rot resistance. The thing I was wondering is do I want the "flex" of the redwood. I worry about the fir not moving wiht the hull . I'll keep reading here just wondering about building materials. ANy advise on "West systems" epoxy would be apreciated.:facepalm:

How big of a boat are we talking about?

1/2" exterior grade sheathing will be fine. It may not be worth getting carried away with stringer material. Many good boats are made of exterior plywood as their stringers and bulkheads.

 

[JN123]

Re: 1988 Crestliner / Stringer material?

Ok did a little more diging on the boat. It looks like I have fiberglass stringers from the fuel tank to the bow were it ties into an aluminum structure in the bow. SO the good news is the wood stringers are only 4X4 in the back next to the transom. Im looking at doing a NIDA pour on the transom and the stringers. for around $250 it looks like me best option and about the easiest solution. Any thoughts on this stuff?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1988 Crestliner / Stringer material?

I just bought a 1988 Crestliner Nordic runs great and the transome is solid but the glass is cracked at the engine mount bolts. I got it cheap and the interior has recently been redone. But the floor has been patched and Im worried about stringers! It looks like they used some sort of aluminum sub frame ? Just wondering if you found a buch of wood under it or what ? Thanks ! Good luck !

W/out pix, it'd be hard to be sure, but I suspect that the transom may not be as solid as you think.

Dimensional lumber, fir or redwood, isn't necessary but the wood is most likely a form for the fiberglass work. The fiberglass is doing the bulk of the structural work.

Might read thru this:
"Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms"

Unfortunately, it looks like ClundBerg, the other Crestliner owner, whose thread you posted the above qouted text, is unlikely to be posting pix anytime soon. It's been since April w/ no further posts after the 1st & only. Treat inactive threads (no posts by the original poster in 3 months) like library books: Good for research, but don't write in them

Your boat was likely built w/ polyester resin, but if you choose epoxy, anywhere you use epoxy, you will not be able to follow up with polyester resin, it will not adhere very well. Same for gelcoat, difficult to use over epoxy.

 

[JN123]

Re: 1988 Crestliner / Stringer material?

Thanks for the info. As far as replying to the post it was a shot in the dark?? Had a guy who "repaires boats great guy but his idea was some sort of "partial transom replacement". It didn't sound good to me. I'll see if I can get this in the right forum and through some photos in it and hopefully get some good feedback. Crestliner built these boats like a tank wich is great as long as you don't have to take it apart to repair anything structural. :facepalm:

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1988 Crestliner / Stringer material?

Nothing wrong w/ leaving it here.... if you're rehabbing it, it's actually a great place to have the thread

But pix would be great where ever you post it, best of luck getting it back in the water next season!