Fiberglass Stringers
Barry_Thompson
Does anyone have comments on the new fiberglass & foam stringers many
manufacturuers are using now days? What manufacturuer's use this method
in a 21-23 foot Bow Rider?
bruce bates
As I was looking into new boats I saw that Glastron uses a synthetic
material for their runners and stringers. I think it was some sort of hard
plastic material but my memory is not that good. As far as opinions can't
help, we bought a Reinell which have wood stringers but they are warranteed
for life from the company that treats the lumber.
Bruce B.
Barry_Thompson <barry_t...@iacnet.com> wrote in article
<33C318...@iacnet.com>...
Dan Hoffmann
If you're willing to consider an "inboard" (vs. I/O), MasterCraft, Correct
Craft, and Malibu all offer all-fiberglass hulls on their V-drive boats
which keep the engine at the rear but avoid the outdrive of a stern drive.
MC has been all-fiberglass since the mid-80's, the others more recent but
still good history. The boats to look at are the MC Maristar 225V, the CC
Super Sport, and the Malibu Sunsetter VLX. After repairing the rotted floor
on my 10yr old Glastron at 7 years, I'm hung up on all-fiberglass
models....
--
Dan Hoffmann
Remove remove_ to reply - too much junk otherwise!
Peter Landon
I thought this post might save potential boat owners the hell I have been
through in the last few weeks...
After months of searching and water testing different boats, I recently
bought my first boat, a 1988 Campion 19.5 ' Cuddy. What a disaster. I
thought I was getting a deal, the engine ran great, the interior was
perfect, and the price was reasonable.
Mistake #1: It was a private sale, and the vendor had produced a bill
detailing the inspection/tune-up/compression test that was performed by his
mechanic. Thinking I could save some money, I didn't get a marine survey
done.
If I had, I probably would have been told that 6 feet of the stringers
from the transom forward were totally rotted under the fiberglass, as was
the engine mount. It was only after my second time out in the boat, when
the engine mounts came off and the coupler blew that I had a clue as to the
condition of the boat.
Luckily, the marina where I took the boat coached me through the repairs,
allowing me to do most of the time consuming ($$) labour myself.
One thing that did concern me was the comment from a customer service rep
at Campion in B.C., who said "no boat company is going to warrantee a boat
more than 5 years, after that time period, all bets are off... we don't
know any details on how the boat was maintained..."
I can understand this statement to a certain extent, but I would have
thought that a decent quality boat would last at least 10 years. After
getting very intimate with the bowels of the boat, I found a questionable
design technique that may have led to the problem. The floor supports
running perpendicular to the stringers create sealed cavities that are
filled with foam through a drilled hole in the floor. There is no way for
water and moisture to escape these cavities once it has found its way in
there. Water *will* get in there because of the hole in the floor that is
drilled to insert the foam. Also, the stringers were constructed of regular
2X8s, not the pressure treated kind. This to me is just stupid.
Is this the way most boats are built? I can certainly see the benefits of
synthetic stringers now.
The good news is I the boat has finally been repaired and is running great.
Chalk one up to experience.
Peter Landon
Rod McInnis
Peter Landon wrote:
>
> After months of searching and water testing different boats, I recently
> bought my first boat, a 1988 Campion 19.5 ' Cuddy. What a disaster.
<snip>
>
> Mistake #1: It was a private sale, and the vendor had produced a bill
> detailing the inspection/tune-up/compression test that was performed by his
> mechanic. Thinking I could save some money, I didn't get a marine survey
> done.
A lot of people skip the survey on a small, trailerable boat.
Unfortunately, it is pretty much a crap shoot as to the condition of the
key hull parts.
The two areas that I have seen cause the most problems are stringer
and transom rot. Even with a survey it can be difficult to determin if
there are problems, as the transom, and often the stringers, are covered
with glass. If the condition of the stringers/transom is suspect, a
hole can be drilled to check. But without a core sample, the surveyor
can only tap on the glass and listen for a "thud" instead of a more
solid report. This will show a badly rotted core, but may not show a
marginal condition.
If I was selling a boat, and the buyer wanted to drill a hole to check
for rot, I would make sure that all other contingencies were removed
first. In other words, if no rot was found, he now owns the boat, and
can't back out of the sale.
>
> One thing that did concern me was the comment from a customer service rep
> at Campion in B.C., who said "no boat company is going to warrantee a boat
> more than 5 years, after that time period, all bets are off... we don't
> know any details on how the boat was maintained..."
Five years on the hull is fairly standard. I have heard of many
manufacturers making good on defects after that period, but it has to be
an obvious defect. The problem with stringers and transoms is that poor
maintanence, imporperly installed options, and other factors beyond the
manufacturers control can lead to water getting into where it doesn't
belong.
Rod McInnis
SAlexan701
Some warranties are longer than five years. Boston Whaler has a ten
year warranty and Mirage Marine of Arlington, Wash. offered a liftime hull
warranty for a number of years. I believe several high-end off-shore
manufactures offer liftime warranties.
I am sorry to hear about your trouble with Campion. I was under the
impression they took care of most problems like the bad gel-coat on their
165 and 215 fishing machines from 1989-90. Oh well, live and learn.
Shawn Alexander
salex...@aol.com
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
"If you let that sort of thing go on, your bread and butter will be cut
right out from under your feet." -Former British foreign minister Ernest
Bevin