Rotten Stringers (Tournament Ski Boat)

[pattyp56]

I have a 1985 19' Ski Supreme. I bought the boat 6yrs ago, and have grown attached. I have read a few posts from people with my situation, but I am looking for some advice.

The stringers in my boat have rotted to the point you can see everthing flex when you push on the motor. The original construction of this boat was not to the same quality as a Ski Nautique or MasterCraft (there is a reason for the price difference). I bought the boat knowing it had some issues. We fixed a few leaks, injected "Get-Rot" in the stringers (a sin I know), and I resorted all of the wood and electronic components on the boat. That bought me a few years. Now I would like to properly fix my problem. I am relatively handy when it comes to repairs, but an idiot when it comes to hands on use of fiberglass or epoxy.

I have talked to a local repair shop (that has been highly recommended) and have a ballpark estimate to do the work. I am wondering if anybody has an idea what the cost should be? I am having them quote the work as a "turn key" job and also a quote for just the wood and fiberglass work. I have no problem pulling the engine/transmission and interior components. Keep in mind this boat is powered by a 275hp V-8, and needs to be solid.

Any advice would be helpful. I want to get back out on the lake this summer.

[woodboat]

I am surprised that you are willing to do the engine removal yet not do the Glass work. Modern epoxies are easy to use. They are a 2:1 ratio mix. I would (did) grind off the top of the stringer by cutting the edge then lifting the top. Scoop out the old wood. This should be easy as I guess it is rotten and delaminated. Use a large angle grinder to rough the inside edge of the still standing glass. Replace the wood and fill with epoxy. Then use a little cloth on top. I used slow epoxy to give me plenty of time and to let the epoxy flow out and fill all the air spaces. The hard part is going to be engine alignment and reattachment, not the glass work.

[pattyp56]

Thanks for the advice. I am a mechanical engineer, so the drive train issues don't scare me. The glass and wood work seem more like a craft to me, and I am starting from scratch. I would hate to make things worse than they are. I interned at a SeaRay plant for a couple of summers, and the guys working with the hulls and decks were fast and good. The local shop here has quoted the job for ~$1500 if I pull the engine, tank, interior myself. The price doesn't seem bad, a little high. The estimate is based only on a phone conversation, I am pulling the boat over to their shop tomorrow to get a real quote. The boat is very open and easy to work on. I hope the price comes down.

[woodboat]

Well materials alone will be a couple of hundred dollars. West marine is $100 a gallon. Online is $70 plus shipping for 1 1/2 gallon http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/car...ct_match=exact The price may come down. Let us know about the final estimate.

[pattyp56]

I figure by the time I buy all of the right products/tools, and probably some of the wrong ones, I would be 1/2 way to the reapair estimate. I will let you know if the cost goes up or down after they see the boat.

Thanks for the help.

[dr.j]

Patty, I have found a boat that may be similar to yours in the classifieds. Does your boat have its engine mounted at midship with a straight drive shaft/skeg type set up? If so, then I assume that it is your engine bed stringers that are your problem ? You might want to give the hull a thorough inspection once you have removed the decking,tank and engine just to make sure that the hull flexing has not created any other problems. Small spider cracks in the gelcoat are a good indication that the hull has suffered excessive stress while underway. Delaminations at the chine, transom, or bulkheads might also be present. If you have no problems there, then your other main concern is that there is no oil/fuel contamination in the hull laminations. Most boats are gelcoated over the interior surface , however, I have seen some boats that had rather shoddy efforts at covering the bilge area. It is critical to remove any oils from the bilge area prior to grinding to ensure a good bond when reglassing. Being a mechanical engineer, you are obviously aware of the importance of keeping all bed heights and locations the same, so I will not address that part. As far as glassing techniques are concerned, do not worry. It is easy to learn with a little practice. Surface preparation and accurate resin/catalyst measuring and mixing are most important here. It is also key to have a warm, dry environment in which to work. Oily surfaces and moisture your worst enemy when glassing. Talk to your glassing friends to ensure that you have a good grasp of your task, They will probably even give you some scrap pieces of mat and roving to practice your techniques with. If you could post some photos of the area in question once you have removed the decking it might give us a better idea of your needs.

[pattyp56]

My boat is a direct drive inboard with the motor/transmission mounted directly to the main stringers midship. I have inspected all areas of the boat that I can. I haven't seen any spidering of the gelcoat along the hull or other areas. The boat has a nearly flat bottom, and doesn't handle rough water. I have always been concerned with abusing the hull while underway so I have tried to be a gentle as possible. I will take pictures as this project progresses, and ask questions as I go. Thanks for the input

[gbaaron]

$1500 sounds like a good deal to me. I have a 20' Baja, the local repair shop here estimated all stringers & floor replacement at $5000 to $6000. Can't afford that so I decided to repair myself. Post some pics of you're project if you can.

[yokebutt]

I really like woodboats suggestion on repair-technique, very clever, and by the way, $1500 is a screaming deal, I'd be tempted to take it myself.

Yoke.

[pattyp56]

Well the great deal went south. The guy doubled his price when I actually pulled the boat to his shop. He wanted $3200 for a complete job and $2700 if I pulled everything but the floor. I have one last chance with a "friend" discount back home in Tennessee. If he comes in anywhere close to what I can afford I will be pulling to Knoxville this weekend. My dad's shop has more room to work, so taking the boat apart will be easier there.

[pattyp56]

Well, I have floundered on how to fix this problem for a couple of months now and this is the big weekend (to start anyway). I am pulling my boat back home to Tennessee to work on it at my dad's shop. We are going to attempt the whole repair ourselves. I am wondering if anybody has opinion on "Seacast" pourable transom and stringer filler? The material seems ok, similar to the filler Boston Whaler uses in their production process. An unbiased opinion would be helpful. It just seams like it would be easier to pour a composit in to fill the void left by the removed wood.

Help!!

[pattyp56]

The boat was in terrible condition! I am not sure how it hadn't already folded in two! One motor mount might have been holding in semi-solid wood. We removed both stringers just past the ski pylon, and are preparing to install the new stringers. I know you aren't supposed to replace both at once, but I don't think either was doing much work. (see picture of old stringers in a bucket) The trailer provides good support of the hull, and there is very little weight in the boat.

Let me know if the pictures generate any comments or questions.

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by pattyp56

The boat was in terrible condition! I am not sure how it hadn't already folded in two! One motor mount might have been holding in semi-solid wood. We removed both stringers just past the ski pylon, and are preparing to install the new stringers. I know you aren't supposed to replace both at once, but I don't think either was doing much work. (see picture of old stringers in a bucket) The trailer provides good support of the hull, and there is very little weight in the boat.

Let me know if the pictures generate any comments or questions.

If your fuel tank(s) is buried in there somewhere now would be a good time to look at it and decide if replacement is needed. Make sure the hull doesn't shift or twist any when climbing in and out. Are you itchy enough yet? Sam

[pattyp56]

Thanks SamSam,
I drained the tank before pulling to Knoxville, and it actually came out quite easily. It fits in the void behind the rear seat.(2nd picture) We have been pretty careful climing in and out. We now have boards spanning the floor to distribute the weight.

I love fiberglass. I have taken three cold/hot showers since my last bit of cutting and I can still feel some in my forearms and shins!

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by pattyp56

I love fiberglass. I have taken three cold/hot showers since my last bit of cutting and I can still feel some in my forearms and shins!

Ah, the hot/cold open/closed pore theory. A guy I knew who practically lived in the stuff would always wet his arms down and then use the air hose to blow it off, he claimed the water sucked the fibers out as it was blown away. ( There were 3 of us at the place, he was the laminator and turned out 1 hull a week, a 30' powerboat with a 12' beam, and it was his job to cut the rough edge off the top of the hull. So once a week he'd saw through aprx. 75' of 1/2" thick glass with a skillsaw held almost at arms length above his head wearing shorts, a t-shirt and a paper mask. ) Myself, I figure what really itches is the stubble that catches on clothes and sheets, so I soap up my arms and legs for lubrication and then heavily scratch and scrape with my fingernails and try to break them all off, leaving me only sorta kind of ignorable itchy instead of intensely bitchy itchy. Good luck on the boat. Sam