Stringer Replacement Decisions

Well, I knew I would be thinking about this decision one day.

I have a 1985 2001 Ski Nautique down here in SC....

Over the last couple of seasons, the floor has gotten springy behind the drivers seat and in front of the pole (typical places ~ I guess).

I had planned to make the repairs myself, but after rechecking a few of the stringer repair stickies last night, I'm not sure the repair lies within my skill set.

Has anyone "paid the man" to have this done?

If so, what was the charge, and how long did it take?

Also, to help me compare, and possibly motivate me to develop the skill set, what would the budget be for a DIY job?


best,
iPlan

tell you what...after reading many postings and articles regarding how to replace stringers, I was ready to take on the challenge. However my wife wasn't ready to give up her garage for the winter. if you decide to have it done, you should expect a price tag somewhere around 5K and the boat gone for less than a couple weeks. if I were to do it again, I think I would do it on my own, learn the skill, make a mess, and have the satisfaction...

lot of $$$ to spend on stringers and really have to love the boat. I didn't want to see my 65 go away so that is why I did mine...in all honesty, I love the look of my boat but would love a little more room that these newer models have for the family. Good luck and if you decide to have someone do the job for you, I can give you a number for someone in NC or maybe Reid may know someone who can do it for less $$$.

iplan wrote: I'd feel a ton more confident if I had someone who could pop by every once in awhile to make sure I'm not screwing things up......

That is what is so great about the folks on this site. If you submit tons of photos along the way everyone here will keep an eye on you and if you listen to the advice won't let you go astray. The help I received here was the only way I was able to accomplish the task. Just remember to budget twice the time and 2 to 2.5K to get the job done right and to fix all the little "while I'm in here" items that pop up.

Good luck!

Jon,
I just finished my floor on my boat. It took a little over a year. I used a friends work space and expertise. There are a number of postings here complete with pictures for doing such a job.

Waternut is right, the hardest thing is removing all the hardware, engine & drive system, and finding a place to store it.

Take care to provide plenty of support for the bottom of the boat.

I did mine with a circular saw set to about 1/4 inch depth and cut about an inch to inch and a half from the side. then use a pry bar to take up the glass floor. Make sure to do it in sections that you can manage. They will get awkward and are like handling flimsy plastic sheets...'cause they are!

Then I got busy with a garden shovel and dug all the foam out. Most of it will pop away from the fiberglas hull. I filled God-only-knows how many trash bags with foam. Then it took about 3 months to pawn it off on the trash man.

After this, you can use a small pry bar to clean up the little pieces.

After this, the fun begins. This is when you need to determine the condition of the stringers. There are 2 ways to go.

1.) Cut everything out and install new fir stringers. Remember to use FIR. Fir is what CC used and I have not found anyone that recommends PVC or anything else. Then glass everything in. I like epoxy resins, but there are several opinions on using epoxies versus poly's.

2.) There is a process (which escapes me at the moment) which you can remove the rotten portion of the stringer piece by piece leaving an empty cavity. You then fill this cavity with an epoxy filler. The nice thing is that it will never wear out. The problem is you are removing the fir and going back in with a plastic. I will have to find the company and the proicess and post a link.

There are a lot of old school boaters here with far more knowledge than I about stringer repair processes. (My expertise is in aircraft and aircraft engine repair.)

I recommend talking to Pete Brainerd or Billy Sutton (The Doctor). They are some of the best sources for information.

Good luck! And Keep 'em Floatin'!

Tonali_III wrote: 1.) Remember to use FIR. Fir is what CC used and I have not found anyone that recommends PVC or anything else. 2.) There is a process (which escapes me at the moment) which you can remove the rotten portion of the stringer piece by piece leaving an empty cavity. You then fill this cavity with an epoxy filler.

1. There are many good options besides the doug fir for stringers. Thats one of the better options for the mains if youre replacing with wood, but LVL (microlam) would be another. Hemlock and Pine are ok for secondaries and bulkheads. Even better than any of the above (IMHO) would be a suitable composite like Coosa or Airex.

2. I think you are thinking of seacast pourable stringers. I do not think you are going to find many (or any) people on this site who recommends following that process.

Tr you are correct. But I was thinking of the stringers. I have an adversion to Pine, but if it's coated, it should be okay.

I found the link:

http://www.aeromarineproducts.com/

I tlalked to someone there about the process. Apparently, they use it for transom repair, but I am a little hinky about it.

I found the other transom repair links:

http://www.transomrepair.net/

This is the Seacast site that TRBenj mentioned. and:

http://nida-core.com/spanish/nordprod_nidabond_transom.htm

This one appears relatively new.

Aeromarine is where I got my epoxy. Price was reasonable and product worked as advertised.

Tim is absolutely correct. Remember to take plenty of pictures. They will come in handy when you get ready to re-assemble. When I did my engine project, I took a bunch of pics. They came in handy when it was time for everything to go back togther. I had no problems.

Also we get to watch your progress.

As Tim said, if you are halfway handy, it is a task that a first-timer can handle. Just remember to take your time, and if in doubt: ask! There is a wealth of knowledge at this site that is more than happy to help anyone out that asks.

Allen & Tim,

Just checked out Coosa Composites. I am impressed. This product is pretty sweet. I will keep it in mind if I need to do a transom job.

I have talked to John at Watercraft Sales in Three Lakes, WI and recommended that I put some kind of flotation under the foredeck and along the gunwales since I removed all the low density foam under my floor. Do you guys have any recommendations for any flotation foam blocks that I can cut and glue to the foredeck and gunwales?

I have checked with Glenwood and done the math on Negative Buoyancy. I figure I have about 1200 lbs of negative buoyancy in freshwater.

I assume that's supposed to be $2700? If so, there are plenty of people who have done jobs themselves for that kind of money. Granted, they typically go overboard for lifelong durability but still. I would consider that an excellent price.

Tonali_III wrote: I have talked to John at Watercraft Sales in Three Lakes, WI and recommended that I put some kind of flotation under the foredeck and along the gunwales since I removed all the low density foam under my floor. Do you guys have any recommendations for any flotation foam blocks that I can cut and glue to the foredeck and gunwales? I have checked with Glenwood and done the math on Negative Buoyancy. I figure I have about 1200 lbs of negative buoyancy in freshwater.

Spray foam it.

Tony,
How did you connect up with John Lamon? Northern Wi. is a little far away from you!!

TRBenj wrote: Tonali_III wrote: There is a process (which escapes me at the moment) which you can remove the rotten portion of the stringer piece by piece leaving an empty cavity. You then fill this cavity with an epoxy filler. 1. There are many good options besides the doug fir for stringers. Thats one of the better options for the mains if youre replacing with wood, but LVL (microlam) would be another. Hemlock and Pine are ok for secondaries and bulkheads. Even better than any of the above (IMHO) would be a suitable composite like Coosa or Airex. 2. I think you are thinking of seacast pourable stringers. I do not think you are going to find many (or any) people on this site who recommends following that process.

I certainly am not impressed with the Seacast!! It's also not cheap!!!

iPlan,

I agree with Pete. If they are into "salvage what you can", I would be careful. Remember that rot is a fungus. You can kill it with a fungicide, but the effects to the wood remain. And the spores cannot be seen. So even if you remove what rotten wood you find, the spores can still spread and you could be in the same position you are in now in a short period of time.