Alum. stringers not attached to hull

[Brimauster]

As you know, I have had my eye on an '81 Starcraft SS 18' for a while and I went back today and looked a little deeper and found something that made my heart sink... It appears that the stringers running fore and aft have pulled away from the hull ribs, pulling the rivets through the metal. The stringers have two rivets per rib, and all were pulled out, leaving the bucked end in the rib and empty holes in the stringer. Other than pulling all the ribs out, there is no way to get to the under side of the ribs to buck new rivets. Blind rivets will work, but I'd have to drill out a LOT of rivets first.

As a repair solution, I was thinking that once the hull is gutted, I could use a bent alum. bracket on each side of the stringer, riveted to the ribs (blind, solid, of course)and then bolted through the stringer. The holes in the stringer are in okay shape, not ripped or anything, but the metal is kind of thin. Or, could I just simply move the stringer outward another inch, drill new holes in the ribs, and use blind rivets to re-attach the stringer? Would this compromise the hull strength in any way? Should I try to repair it, or keep looking for a boat in better shape? The rest of the boat is good, but this new discovery might well spell doom for me. What would YOU do?

 

[HONKER1]

Re: Alum. stringers not attached to hull

I just finished restoring my 1986 18' Starcraft SS, and when I dug out the old wet foam flotation I had the same problem. My Starcraft had pop rivets, but I was amazed at how many were broke or missing. I just replace them with the next size pop rivets, and never gave it another thought. Maybe I went about it wrong, but the boat is still floating.
I would be curious to find out if other Starcraft owners have had similar experiences. This sounds like a design flaw, as that part of the boat is taking a real pounding.

 

[Brimauster]

Re: Alum. stringers not attached to hull

That was my thought too... Why did it happen? I'd like to repair it in such a way as to be SURE it won't happen again. Here's my idea... Remove stringer, remove all rivets from the ribs, re-install stringer with pop rivets using a backing plate (3mm thick angle) to reinforce it. I got lots of foam to remove as well.

 

[HONKER1]

Re: Alum. stringers not attached to hull

I am with you about the re-enforced plate, but your 2 rivets that go into the rib is where the breaking is going to happen. I like your idea (wish I had thought of it before I put the floor in), but don't you think if you ran the re-enforced plate farther down on the rib and use 4 pop rivets instead of 2 it would made it stronger? Maybe put a re-enforced plate on both sides of the stringer.
I guess I figured the ribs are re-enforcing the bottom of the boat and the stringers are supporting only the wood floor, so I didn't feel the need to re-enforce the pop rivets that connected them together.
Have you been able to contact Starcraft and find out what is reasonable and what is overkill ?

 

[Brimauster]

Re: Alum. stringers not attached to hull

To be honest, I've kind of given up on this particular boat for several reasons:

1) I get the feeling the seller is trying to rook me. The NADA value of this year & model is only $800, he wants $1200 with NO MOTOR!

2) The trailer is for a 16' boat, not an 18' and is in terrible shape.

3) I need a cabin if the wife and daughter will be coming out with me. Girls NEED a potty!

4) I have never restored a boat before, and I'm not sure if I want to start one with a structural problem.

5) I have a place to put it, but it will need a bit of preparation first.

I'm going to wait for the end of the season to draw closer and hunt for a better deal on a better boat. I think a Chieftan or an Islander would suit me better anyway. Meanwhile, I'll be going through all the great information here, and pick up as much knowledge as possible.

 

[HONKER1]

Re: Alum. stringers not attached to hull

I don't know where you are located, but here in Portland we have 100's of boats each day come available on Craigslist. I wish I had waited for a 18' Islander. Wife needs a potty. The canvas cover helps, but a cabin would be better.
I enjoyed restoring my 18'er. I wasn't in a hurry, so it was a good winter project. The boat had a couple of '02 Mercurys which helped me decide to make the purchase.
Good luck in you boat search..