What Older Boats have Fiberglass Stringers?

[bchaney]

Hey guys, I'm looking for an older used boat for budget reasons (5-6k in Seattle area), and would prefer to find something with fiberglass stringers. I understand that wood stringers have some advantages but I would prefer to avoid having to hire a surveyor to check the stringers before a sale, or avoid having to replace them or junk the boat in case of rot.

I have read that some 1979+ Glasply have fiberglass stringers and I have been looking at aluminum boats too, but I'm wondering if there are any other older glass boats with fiberglass stringers that I can keep an eye out for as well. Looking specifically for something 22' or less with an outboard. Any ideas? Thanks for the help.

 

[tpenfield]

Glasply might be one of the few in that era.

Here is a thread about a 1980 Glasply restoration. The issue was that the foam in the structure still absorbed warer over the years, even though the stringers did not rot. There is also the transom to think about.

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...d-hull-repair/483392-glass-stringer-questions

 

[ziggy]

1970-1980 Aristocraft Nineteen has glass stringers. they are incorperated into the ski locker + ice box at the ft. of the ski locker. the deck is also glass. construction of a Nineteen entails a hull, cap + inner liner which makes up the deck. all Nineteens are i/o's. Nineteens are also filled full of foam and do have some wood in them. ie a square piece on the transom for the drive to attach to. however the transom is mostly glass, just where the drive is, is where the wood is. 1960-1970 Aristocraft Funliner had a wave form stringers made of glass. most of the Funliners were outboards. ya can go to http://aristocraftboats.com/new-production/fiberglass-brochures/ and look at their brochurs to see the construction in some of their ads.
i still have my Nineteen and when i found out it was mostly a glass boat. that was a real plus to me also.

 

[wahlejim]

pre 2001 Mariah should be right in your price range, I believe they were all glass in the 90s

 

[Maclin]

On Mariahs, the '96 24 footer I looked at was rotten floors all the way thru, did not need to look at the stringers on that one.

 

[Maclin]

After 2003, Mariah had gone out of business, and another company bought them and began making boats. After 2005 or so there was a sticker on the stern that said "No Wood No Rot", at least on the 18-19 footers.

 

[jimmbo]

OMC, Evinrude, and Johnson boats of the 1960s had fiberglass stringers.

 

[RGrew176]

My 1981 Carver 3007 Aft Cabin has fiberglass stringers. No wood at all below the waterline in my boat.

 

[wahlejim]

On Mariahs, the '96 24 footer I looked at was rotten floors all the way thru, did not need to look at the stringers on that one.

I would have been curious to see what the stringers looked like. Mariah used CCA Marine Grade Douglas Fir plywood as a filler in their stringers, but the structural integrity came from encapsulating them in glass. It wouldn't be the first time that a Mariah owner would have gotten away with a floor replacement and not an entire stringer replacement. They offered lifetime warranties on their hulls at that time, which of course went away when they folded in 2001 so there is no backing for that warranty any more.

There was no production in 2002, All molds were sold to Sea Fox in 2003, and Sea Fox sold them I believe around 2010. There are quality issues with stress cracks, bubbling, etc from the Sea Fox production. In addition to that, Mariah was originally targeting the higher end market of Cobalts, etc, Sea Fox brought them down to the Sea Ray level. The fit and finished was amazing up until 2001. If you put a 1999 against a 2003, the difference is notable.