How to know if a stringer is good or bad?

[Jfreeman1412]

Hey Guys
I was wondering if there was a way to tell if a stringer is good? Is there a tell tale sign if one is bad? How do they determine? Looking at new boats, it would be nice to determine if a stringer was bad before I wasted a bunch of time and money to get the boat surveyed. That would be a deal breaker. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Stripermann2]

Start poking into the wood with a screwdriver...look for wetness and start prodding. Look for the limber holes. These holes allow water to pass through bulkheads and compartments so water doesn't collect in one spot and up against the wood. If clogged at any point in time, water could have saturated the wood. Also look at the tops of the stringers where the engine mounts are for rot. Problems in these areas are going to cause issues for engine support and alignment down the road. And on the F series, where the stringer ends at the transom, under the lazerette hatch.

When you're ready, hire a surveyor. He'll most likely know the boat and where to look for suspected stringer issues you may have missed.

[Commissionpoint]

No seller is likely going to let you drill core samples, but if you want to know stringer condition, its probably the most telling way to do so.

Hire a good surveyor, one that is licensed and bonded with lots of years of experience. Then follow his/her reccomendations when you find a boat you think you want. If the surveyor says its crap, don't buy it no matter how cool you think it is unless you are looking for a major restoration/refit project. Most folks aren't looking for a life experience in naval architecture and hull design and just want to go boating. If you are in the latter group, a quality survey should go a long way towards keeping you out of the former one.

[yorklyn]

Bad Stringer:

[yorklyn]

Get a survey and trust the surveyor if they find issues. Believe it or not I had these stringers surveyed 2 times. once when I purchased the boat and again during my 5 yr insurance survey. Both surveys by two different people said the stringers appered to be sound and solid. unfortunatly when dealing with thick fiberglass its hard to find. I have paid for many surveys over the years which caused me to walk away from many potential bad purchases . Good Luck