Any solid old boats out there?

[oldshore]

As has been discussed before, so many aged boats are rotten to the core - literally.
How about those with no wood in the stringers or deck (yeah the wood cored transom will rot)? Which brands, how do they hold up?
Do they fall apart as well?

I have a 1979 23' Chris Craft Lancer with structural stringers (no coring material). Only the motor mounts have wood, which is rotted by the way.

I had a 1979 26' Penn Yan Flying bridge tunnel hull. For several years till about 5 years ago. The front deck was cored and beginning to get soft. One of the engine hatches, also cored was shot, but the stringers were solid as a rock - I seem to remember lots of unglassed wood in excellent condition.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Any solid old boats out there?

Not many, but if folks would learn how to take care of a boat there would be a lot more.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: Any solid old boats out there?

My 87 Rinker is stil pretty solid. The only rot I found was about 2' of one stringer near the transom and about 18" x 6' of port side decking.
Transom is solid, motor mounts are solid. Even the original foam is totally dry. Apparently the 4 PO'S took good care of it.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Any solid old boats out there?

Sure. There are a lot of old boats that are still in great shape. It's all a matter of taking care of your toy. Don't forget we mainly see the neglected ones. The owners that maintain them don't show up here looking for advice. If they do, they're the ones helping out.

 

[oldshore]

Re: Any solid old boats out there?

I know neglect is a major factor however boats get wet, water gets in the bilge, and poor construction techniques result in rot. However how long should we expect a boat to last? Twenty years is a lot.