stringer problem

[Hayden]

I have a 1986 18' CC SeaCraft with stringer problems. The boat was orignally owned by State Marine Resources Division and they put a lot of hours on it before they sold it at auction. Their are visible cracks (stress fractures) along the chines on the outside of the hull. Local fiberglass shops have told me the stringers are "working" and the extent of the damage is hard to determine until the deck is removed. After 3 years I've decided to address the problem and do as much of the work myself to save money. What's the best method of cutting the deck out? I've removed the console, seat and removed the access panel to the fuel tank which appears to sit inside a box, the space between the tank and box is filled with foam. How difficult is it to remove the tank? If the stringers require significant repair or replacement, should I attempt to do the work myself? I have no experience with boat or fiberglass repair. From what I see here, there are many knowledgeable members of this forum and I'd appreciate any of your suggestions on What I'm getting myself into.

[oldbluesplayer]

Hayden - this is going to boil down to you, asking yourself how handy, and adventurous, you are.

There are a ton of folks here who have tackled this scene successfully - check out the pix - trayders 20 will probably give you a direct, blow by blow pictorial.

fiberglass is actually pretty easy to work with - this isn't rocket science, just preparation, diligence, and willingness to do a job right.

Taking out a foamed in gas tank has also been addressed and discussed at length, along with the merits of the foam, and whether or not to foam it when putting it back in.

I can only heartily recommend doing a bunch of topic searches. I'll also suggest that there are many projects over on the classic mako forum worth studying, as well.

But the simple answer is, Yes, you can do it successfully, if you think you can.

Bill

[Bryan A.]

You have come to the right place there is much to learn here. I second the searches option.

I am not familiar with that year or the 18 but many have recommended leaving a lip around the inner liner for the new deck to attach. By the way what condition is the deck in?

[Abe's Rocket]

Not to hijack the thread, but how does the deck get reattached to the lip? west system?

[Hayden]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to pull the tank tomorrow and go from there.

[Hayden]

The deck seems to be in good shape. No soft spots that I can find. Thanks for your feedback.

[dsharp]

Hayden, I have a 23' Seacraft so I am not familiar with your particular boat but you may want to look at the stringers a little closer before you start cutting the deck out. You need to try to determine if the hull is actually working enough to crack the glass or if it's just the gelcoat cracking. Its not too unusual for the chines to be beat up from grounding, careless loading on the trailer, etc. If the stringers are actually moving you will often see cracks along the lifting strakes on the bottom. Do you know if the local shops are familiar with the seacrafts. The reason I'm asking is alot of bass boats and cheaper boats used stringers that were nothing more than 3/4 " plywood on edge with a layer of 1.5 oz mat over it.

I used to own one of those cheaper boats that was also a bass boat I was using it to fish our bay's down here in galveston anyway's the boat was slightly overpowered and after launching it off of a tug wake the landing split the hull in 5 places on both of the chines immediatly started to leak bad had to beach it and pump it out several times to get to the boat ramp. The moral of the story is if the hull integrity has been effected from my experience you would know it. I've seen gel coat cracks on some real good boats that only effected boats looks not stucture.

[Hayden]

Yes, it would be a shame to cut out the deck unnecessarily. However, I may have understated the "cracks". They are in the glass. As a matter of fact, water will seep from the cracks for days after use. I've been pushing my luck knowing what a job it would be to undertake, but it's time to face the music and take a look inside at what's going on. The shops I've consulted are very surprised, because they say they've never seen this occur with a Seacraft. One of the more experienced guys I talked to thinks the boat could have dropped during one of it's previous lives. We will see. The tank came out relatively easily this weekend. So, the deck is next.

[Hayden]

Wow! That type of experience is what I want to avoid. I've been pushing my luck so far and I know something like that is possible if I don't get it fixed. I've been putting 5200 on the cracks for three years which minimizes the water that gets in (and out).