stringers - preventing rot

[pescaloco]

hello all, new to the forum.

the question is in a new boat construction with stringers constructed of sections of plywood to construct 1.5"x6" full legnenth stingers and engine bedding - with glassing using (1) layer 1805 nitex & (1) layer 1.5oz matt and polyester resin. is the stregenth aqequate to support a 5.9l b series diesel aprox. 1300 lbs - and if stregenth wise this seems good, is applying a top coat of epoxy resin going to do anything to prevent water intrusion into stringer system as it ages and flexes ??? it's a 27 ft sportfisher

thanks for any feedback you may have, the boat is still in the mold and the builder is old school (very skilled) thinks polyester resin is fine ?

thanks, mark

[gonzo]

I think you'll find this answer over and over in the forum: follow the designer's instructions. If you distrust the designer and builder so much, they must be low in your esteem. Maybe hiring a surveyor to supervise the construction may be a good idea.

[pescaloco]

gonzo, thanks for you reply.

there is no question I trust the builders ability and judgement, I should not have said anything about the engine bedding, the glassing schedule really was not the concern - I just know that most guy the work with polyester thinks is just fine and most guys that work with epoxies think it just better. so what I was really asking after the boat has come out of the mold and I take delivery to finish the whole rest of the boat

?? would it be of any benifit to top coat stringers with epoxy and maybe some very light mat ??

thanks, mark

[gonzo]

Many boats built with polyester are in good condition after many years. In my experience, the failures come from screw holes that let water get in and limber holes that were not sealed. I like to glue a pipe in the limber holes to prevent that problem. Another usual source of water intrusion are the engine mount bolts.

[tja]

I'm thinking that one layer of 1805 over the motor mount areas and stringers is a bit sparse to me. But then i'd rather have too much then too little. When I put in motor mounts I use three times that. The weight diference can't matter much when it comes to fuel economy of that size boat and the cost of the raw materials isn't much either. More glass is worth a lot more then a coat of epoxy. Use a good quality gelcoat to seal any areas that may suffer from water intrusion. My two cents. Tom.

[pescaloco]

thanks, guys for the replies

the glass is 1.5 oz matt and 1815 biax nytex - I might bulk up the engine bedding with one more layer (to me a litlte more is better/couln't hurt)



thanks, mark