Rotten Stringers....Maybe??

[Hamhog]

I will start by confessing that I barely no what stringers are. My boating knowledge is very limited.
My question is: Is my boat safe, and how will I know when it is becoming unsafe??
Background: 79 Grady White Dolphin 20 ft cuddy cabin. Bought 2 years ago - previous owner had just had a new transom proffesionally installed and a new 140 suzuki 4 stroke added at the same time. I have enjoyed this boat for 2 years with no structural problems until a friend noticed my "stringers are rotten" I agree the ends of the stringers are damp and moldy and, well somewhat flaky. Does this mean they are completely rotten through the whole boat? Is my boat going to fall around the trailor one day? I have had this boat in 5 foot seas, pulled skiers etc. I asked my mechanic when he changed the oil to take a look at the stringes and he said "At full throttle your transom is not flexing any, their is no play". why did he mention the transom.
Wouldn't the stringers have been rotten 2 years ago - can you tie rotten stringers to a new transom - or do they 2 even meet up.
Confused and concerned, any advice is appreciated.

[wooky]

I too am new to this forum but not to boating in general, I grew up around them and have a project underway myself. I think I can answer some basic questions for you but will welcome any corrections from the others here. The stringers in a boat are your basic frame, strengthening the hull and giving support to the sole (floor), seat attachments, and the engine(s) in an inboard setup. From my understanding, what you described, damp moldy and flakey, should be looked at closer. With you having a 29 yo boat, stringer rot should be no surprise, what does surprise me is that this was perhaps overlooked during the transom rebuild. Do a search here on transoms and stringers, there are many threads with the answers to your questions (you won't believe what I'VE learned here so far). I hope this has helped steer you in the right direction and again, welcome.

[Kay9]

Welcome to you both.

More specifically. You stringers run fore and aft in your boat. They give you longitudinal strength.

There is only one way to know if your stringer is rotten the whole way and that to drill it every couple of feet to find out.

Not that I think it matters.

You say the transom was replaced. I have to assume this was due to rot in the transom. Likely the same rot is what got your stringers as well. Now the fact that your transom dose not flex under full power dosnt mean your ok. Your stringers could fail and your entire transom could fall off in one non-flexing pice. Your still sunk though. It also dosnt mean that your in bad shape. Depending on how bad the rot is, and where, you might just be ok. This is the time to find a reputable shipyard or surveyor to look at your boat and tell you the cold hard facts.

K9