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Steve Lortie
 
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Default stringer problems??

If anyone has any comments on this, please fire away (with blanks though).

I have a 40 ft 1969 Drifter. The two main stringers (16" deep) running off
centre the length of the boat, certainly appear to have problems. The glass
applied to the stringer is buldged out from the stringer a good inch, both
sides! This would imply that the stringers have dropped but they are the
same height as the next set of stringers parallel to them providing a level
floor. After removing the floor the give in the stringers is quite obvious -
a good half an inch of vertical movement when you bounce on them. The hull
is pretty thick and there doesn't "appear" to be any sagging, cracking etc.
The stringers are very wet along the bottom which also implies rotting. The
stringer is merely covered with one layer of what I believe is a roven
material which to me is just covering it and not bonding it to the hull for
extra strength. Repair books show layering of the cloth to build in strength
"transfer".

Am I looking too deep into this:

level floor (was it originally??) but buldging fiberglass implies the
stringer has dropped (the floor was sitting right down on the stringer).
Bouncy stringer. Doesn't even look like it was put in there for strength. Is
that possible?

Should I just rip em out and replace or leave them? Any one else with a
Drift-R-Cruz that has looked under their floor and discovered something
similar?

Thanks!