Floor feels OK but a little spongy

[stopngo]

Hope this question is not too silly.

Apart from the negative aspects of a spongy floor my question is: If the Stringers are rotten ....am I risking hull damage by not replacing them? My thought is (or hope) is that the stringers are glassed in and that the Fiber Glass itself provides sufficient rigidity to create the hull support required if any.

I cannot say just how my boat is constructed but are the stringers most commonly fiber glassed in? Is there an emergency here to prevent further issues??

Thanks

 

[jigngrub]

If the fiberglass on your stringers was strong enough for structural support... they would have used the wood reinforcing.

Hull damage is just one of the liabilities that comes with structural rot.

 

[stopngo]

Not exactly what I wanted to hear.....but thanks. I get it

 

[JoshOnt]

You can risk structural damage but depending on the amount of rot you may be able to get away with riding out the rest of the season and having yourself a winter project.

 

[jbcurt00]

Risk ^^^ appropriate choice of words

Nope, not w/ my friends and family

Good luck stopngo

 

[gm280]

If you are going to take the time and effort to remove the rotted floor, why would you then shortcut the build with leaving rotted stringers? Doesn't make common sense to me... If you are going to continue to keep this boat, do it the correct way. We don't offer shortcut builds on these forums... Safety has to be number one!

 

[stopngo]

I don't recall saying that I intend to remove the rotten floor. Perhaps I made it sound worse than it is. It isn't bad at all. That is why I am reluctant to open a can of worms if I don't have to...Once I get to that stage no question about it its all coming out .

Thanks Y'all

 

[jbcurt00]

It likely IS already at stage, unfortunately you cant confirm what condition its actually in until you so take the deck up

For arguments sake, lets estimate you have a 12" X 12" area of decking that is soft. To guess-timate you'll get rid of all the effected wood, wrongly BTW, you remove a 24" X 24" section of the deck.

What you find below the section you remove only gives you a small window into the actual conditions below deck.

The stringers below could be sound, but others 1 or 2 ft away not be and you wont know.

The foam below that section could be dry, or only partially so. Foam can appear dry on its surface but on the other side next to the hull be completed saturated. Even if its dry, which again w a soft deck above, I doubt, water allowed in from a soft dexk could have settled 12" away and you wouldnt know it lookkng thru a 24X24 opening.

As before, good luck.

Boat and boat resto safely

 

[Scott Danforth]

not sure what you are working on, however if you have access to stringers and bulkheads under the sole either in a floor storage, or ski locker, etc. I strongly suggest putting you head down there with a powerfull flashlight and a chordless drill. make some test drills.

if the shavings are hard, dry, and light colored - no rot or moisture
if the shavings are hard, wet and dark colored - moisture
if the shavings are mush, wet, black and water is oozing from the hole - you have moisture and rot.

from there you can make the determination of the next steps.

 

[stopngo]

10....4 Y'all Now Im gonna sit down and decide how much I love boating.........:facepalm:

 

[Scott Danforth]

10....4 Y'all Now Im gonna sit down and decide how much I love boating.........:facepalm:

once you accept that BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand, and you can get past that they are holes in the water you pour money into. you can then sit back and enjoy them.

we have all been there, however after the hours of fiberglassing, cussing, and beating our heads against the walls, we smile like crazy when we splash them for the first time after a rehab.

 

[stopngo]

In all honesty this boat is 39 years old but one of a kind and have never seen one like it anywhere. Built by Wright Bros of Bellingham Washington in 1976.
Outer Hull in perfect shape. Maybe Ill decide its worth it........

 

[gm280]

stopngo, please please don't let us scare you away from refurbishing your boat. That is certainly not our intention. We all know how it starts out with a mere little soft spot and before you know it, it is a total rebuild. But honestly you couldn't find a better site to offer quality help and assistance then iboats and the huge number of folks that have all gone through what you are presently. We just don't want folks to spot repair and boat with a huge accident that could happen. So take real care when evaluating your rot and problems. If you have to do more then initially thought, it really isn't that bad after the initial shock is over... However, I have to admit, it isn't for everybody either. You have to like this type work or it will be a PITA... Just saying. But you certainly won't be the first to do a rebuild...that's all...

 

[stopngo]

Yes I hear you loud and clear. Life is about what you wanna do not what it costs.If you don't do what you wanna do while your around it wont help to do it later because later is too late. Hows that for philosophy??

 

[jigngrub]

Yes I hear you loud and clear. Life is about what you wanna do not what it costs.If you don't do what you wanna do while your around it wont help to do it later because later is too late. Hows that for philosophy??

My philosophy is:
When you restore an old rotten boat, you get a like new boat for a small fraction of the cost of a brand new boat!

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Hiyas Stopngo..

It is possible that the stringers are glassed in beefy enough..but you wont know without inspecting them. As far as the soft deck..well how large an area are we talking about? If its only 24"x24" and nothing else..then sure scab it in. But just going on a typical standard scenario is kinda pointless. Do a little exploration and tell us what you have..not what you Might have..or what we Think you might have. Its that or you might get into a can of worms that you didnt need to open.

So start simple before you start tearing out the deck..how large an area is this soft spot?

 

[stopngo]

Will keep you posted of new developments. Thanks Y'all