Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

[ali'i]

Until I read something on here one day, I never really new that stringers and transoms on fiberglass boats could rot, I can see how a rotten transom could be a problem, especially with a heavy motor on it, but how important is it to know if a stringer is rotten? if a boat is currently being used with no problems before I buy it, why should I be concerned whether or not the stringer is rotten? What problems can a rotten stringer cause? The boat will only get used on weekends from maybe April- end of Sept, and even then not every weekend, starting next year. Haven't bought one yet , but starting to look for maybe a 14'-15' fiberglass runabout. Don't mind a winter project, like painting etc, or even reinforcing a rotten transom, but replacing a rotten stringer looks like too much work, especially if its not necessary, Any suggestions?

 

[skyking897]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

Have no experience with rotted stringers since most of my boats have been aluminium but from what I've read on here, the stringers are the backbone of your hulls structural integrity. Once they rot, anything could happen. As far as reinforcing a rotted transom, that's like putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound. Might slow the blood flow but.......
Personally, I'd walk away from a boat that needed all that work, just not financially feasible (check some of the resto threads), unless you get off on doing the work rather than having a boat to go boating in.

 

[calvinator]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

This happened to me:

My first boat, '80s Scarab go fast, had rotten stringers and soft transom. I was young and dumb when I bought it. I just was envisioning driving around bikini babes.... i went to a safety orientation class, a few hours. But that didn't prepare me.

6th time out, at 45MPH, the rotten stringers/transom connection flexed with the boat/wave action and the bottom transom seperated. Flooded boat in 10 minutes, only windshield was above water, didn't sink though. Barely was able to get distress call out.

My 3 friends and I were in the water. yes, PFD, but water was 55 degrees. That is cold water. Hypothermia started to set in on the one bikini clad girl. We were in water 35 minutes before help arrived. Damn lucky. Check out a hypothermia table for 55 degree water. Bikini clad girls only last 60 minutes in 55 degree water before their organs shut down.

$4500 for salvage company to refloat boat and tow it back. Paid $20k for the boat. Insurance settled for $5000 because they deemed the boat not sea-worthy b/c of rotten stringers and transom. Marina pickled the motors, but I lost all interest in this boat, and it sat in the boat yard and rotted away. Lost all my cash, but I thanks then heavens no one was injured.



Ok, point being, stringers are the backbone of your boat. Rotten ones will affect the integrity of your boat and will cause a safety risk. When that risk turns into an event -- it will go bad, lives at risk, and unplanned financial losses.

Save your cash for a better boat. Don't do what I did !

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

Calvin, That is a sobering story. I am glad no one was hurt. I would have thought the boat would have given some warning (i.e cracks, small leaks) before breaking up like that.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

Could you walk or stand upright with out bones? They are the structure of the boat without them a boat is a flexible pile of plastic resin and glass fibers just waiting to crack and break into pieces. Perhaps before buying a boat you should do some research into how they are built, how they are operated, and all the safety instruction you can find.
Btw reinforcing a rotten transom is not a good idea either. Replacing a rotten transom is the safe and correct procedure.

 

[ali'i]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

So next question, say I go to look at a boat, guess I can check for rotting transom by tapping it, but what about the stringer, I obviously can't drill a hole, (it's not my boat, yet!) and especially since most boats seem to have a flat, plywood sub floor, will tapping from the outside tell me anything, if so, where is it most likely to be rotten, bow, stern, middle.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

get a marine surveyor to do an inspection including checking for moisture. Best $2-300 you will ever spend for piece of mind.

however for your first boat, I do suggest aluminum and an outboard

 

[ali'i]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

had 12' aluminum, had open 12' fiberglass, have 10'5 inflatable, all with outboards, 7 years ago also had an older, late 60's/early70's 14ft fiberglass w/35hp, never knew about rotting transom/stringers, just got in it an went, the new, used boat, (new to me) will also be o/b, since most boat owners don't know about rotting stringers/transoms, and therefore have never repaired them, sounds like there are probably an awfull lot of older boats out there being used on a regular basis that have rotten stringers/transom.

 

[Watermann]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

You'll have to find a newer boat that has been taken care of in order not to get stuck with rot. I bought an 1987 Chris Craft 19' with an I/O just as a parts donor boat/trailer. Not knowing the guys emotional attachment, I didn't tell him why I wanted his boat. I'm not a $200 a pop boat inspector either so the first thing I did was walk around every square foot of it finding soft spots. Opened up the dog house and looked inside at the structure, rotten bulkhead around engine bay. I now will assume the whole innards are rotten.

On the outside the transom was chock full of stress cracks in the gel coat radiating from the outdrive keyhole. There was white kitchen and bath sealer goop around the gimbal housing. I put some weight on the outdrive, it flexed down enough to separate the goop from the fiberglass skin. Now I know the transom is rotted out too.

Thing is, the guy told me how great the boat was, lake ready, turn key and take her out and have some fun on the water. The interior of the boat was replaced and looks awesome which was my first clue that the boat had been left out in the weather to deteriorate.

If someone who knew nothing about boats bought it and took that boat out, they would have been on borrowed time above the waves.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

You'll have to find a newer boat that has been taken care of in order not to get stuck with rot. I bought an 1987 Chris Craft 19' with an I/O just as a parts donor boat/trailer. Not knowing the guys emotional attachment, I didn't tell him why I wanted his boat. I'm not a $200 a pop boat inspector either so the first thing I did was walk around every square foot of it finding soft spots. Opened up the dog house and looked inside at the structure, rotten bulkhead around engine bay. I now will assume the whole innards are rotten.

On the outside the transom was chock full of stress cracks in the gel coat radiating from the outdrive keyhole. There was white kitchen and bath sealer goop around the gimbal housing. I put some weight on the outdrive, it flexed down enough to separate the goop from the fiberglass skin. Now I know the transom is rotted out too.

Thing is, the guy told me how great the boat was, lake ready, turn key and take her out and have some fun on the water. The interior of the boat was replaced and looks awesome which was my first clue that the boat had been left out in the weather to deteriorate.

If someone who knew nothing about boats bought it and took that boat out, they would have been on borrowed time above the waves.

Newer is not a guarantee of no rot or water intrusion either. There is a thread on here about 2012 Bayliners with wet transoms. Get a $200 - $300 inspection on any boat you are ready to drop your money on.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

Inspector is a good idea. Also check it out like Watermann described. If the decking is sound, and there are no cracks on the transom, that is a good sign. A test drive will also reveal stringer issues. I had an old cored hull runabout. The boat looked OK, but when you hit a wave, the bow deflected, due to the rotten balsa core.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

had 12' aluminum, had open 12' fiberglass, have 10'5 inflatable, all with outboards, 7 years ago also had an older, late 60's/early70's 14ft fiberglass w/35hp, never knew about rotting transom/stringers, just got in it an went, the new, used boat, (new to me) will also be o/b, since most boat owners don't know about rotting stringers/transoms, and therefore have never repaired them, sounds like there are probably an awfull lot of older boats out there being used on a regular basis that have rotten stringers/transom.

While lots of people own and use boats with bad stringers, no one should buy one!

Anyway, it's not an issue in the boats you describe above. Small boats, small motors, are not subject to the same forces, and are not built the same way, as larger boats and those with bigger motors. And even then, when you get into lengths over 16', hull design takes over (whalers don't rot).

There's a regional aspect too. Until I joined this forum I never thought about rotten stringers b/c it's just not something I've seen in 40 years of coastal boating, but the lake boaters from areas that have freezing winters go on the assumption that any boat over 10 years old is rotted (and every boat is an i/o, which seems to add to the problem). While that may not always be correct, around those parts, it seems to be a smart assumption to make when buying, rather than find out too late.

So I too could easily say I've never seen a rotted stringer but that would not be good info for a boat shopper in Michigan.

 

[Watermann]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

Newer is not a guarantee of no rot or water intrusion either. There is a thread on here about 2012 Bayliners with wet transoms. Get a $200 - $300 inspection on any boat you are ready to drop your money on.

Yah your right crabby newer is not a guarantee although don't ignore the "and taken care of" part of the comment. Would someone buy a car with soft rotten spots in the floor boards? Pop the hood or truck and see the insides rotted out? Why would anyone not do the same with a boat? I guess some would rather pay someone else 200 -300 bucks to trample the floors and pop the hood?

What we should do is start a check list thread for guys new to this whole boating thing so that they can just print off and take it along on their boat hunt.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

on said checklist:

#1 if the add says "new pressure treated floor" don't even bother to read the rest!

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

Yah your right crabby newer is not a guarantee although don't ignore the "and taken care of" part of the comment. Would someone buy a car with soft rotten spots in the floor boards? Pop the hood or truck and see the insides rotted out? Why would anyone not do the same with a boat? I guess some would rather pay someone else 200 -300 bucks to trample the floors and pop the hood?

What we should do is start a check list thread for guys new to this whole boating thing so that they can just print off and take it along on their boat hunt.

How badly can someone treat a brand new boat in a year or less? Granted Bayliners do not have a great rep,,, but no boat should have a wet transom in the 1st year of it's life even if it sat outside or was submerged a short time. I have owner more than 20 boats in over 40 years- only 2 were pre-owned. Neither pre-owned have any wood at all in them. That eliminates a lot of concern but far from all of it. A checklist sounds like a great idea as even the most experienced can get excited and forget something.

 

[Chris N]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

So next question, say I go to look at a boat, guess I can check for rotting transom by tapping it, but what about the stringer, I obviously can't drill a hole, (it's not my boat, yet!) and especially since most boats seem to have a flat, plywood sub floor, will tapping from the outside tell me anything, if so, where is it most likely to be rotten, bow, stern, middle.

Sometimes you can discover a rotten stringer by removing one engine mount bolt at a time and check them for rust. When you reinstall them make note of how snug you can get them. If they don't grab and just keep turning it means the stringer is most likely rotten. If you can tighten them securely then it's a pretty good indication that the stringer is solid. One of the old timers in our shop told me that you could also stuff a wad of paper towel into the bolt hole once the bolt is removed. If you pull it out and it soaking wet then the stinger is saturated and will need replacing.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

Sometimes you can discover a rotten stringer by removing one engine mount bolt at a time and check them for rust. When you reinstall them make note of how snug you can get them. If they don't grab and just keep turning it means the stringer is most likely rotten. If you can tighten them securely then it's a pretty good indication that the stringer is solid. One of the old timers in our shop told me that you could also stuff a wad of paper towel into the bolt hole once the bolt is removed. If you pull it out and it soaking wet then the stinger is saturated and will need replacing.

Great idea-- better than a visual check!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

but replacing a rotten stringer looks like too much work

The harder you work for something, the sweeter it is when you attain it.


The best way to buy an older fiberglass boat it to buy one that you know is rotten and for very cheap. Then restore it and you get a like new boat for a small fraction of the cost of a new one.

You'll also know your boat inside out too, which may come in very handy in the future.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Are Rotten Stringers a concern?

^^^true if you prefer nasty restoration work on a cheap boat, to going out in a boat with friends and family! Free time has value. Fixing stuff up b/c it's fun is one thing; doing scut work is another.

One thing, too, about the inspection advice: in a lot of used boat sales, there is no opportunity to do much inspection, and the price might not justify hiring someone. No smart seller is going to take the boat off the market while you go get someone to look at it a week later. often you need to be ready to buy on the spot.
Also no smart seller is going to let you drill into anything, and most won't let you wrench on stuff either.

Checklist? every other day the question is asked, "what should I look for?", and a dozen answers appear with the same list of suggestions, most of them pretty good.