When to replace stringers....what happens if you don't?

[suprasam]

A friend of mine just picked up a 83(I think) saltare or comp the boat is in decent shape but has not had any work done to it other than changed the oil. He is planning on doing a rebuild, but I know him....and prob wont do it untill the last minute. The floor is soft, motor mounts seem hard and don't budge....but what actually happens if the mid to front parts of the stringers are rotten(i know prob rotten towards back at some point). This is more out of curiosity than anything for me. I know in I/O if the transom is rotted you can actually pull your outdrive off the back or twist and crack the gel coat and fiberglass. But since this is an inboard.....the pressure is more on the bottom part of the boat. Also I know if the motor has soft stringers under it.....it can twist and screw a lot up. I guess my question is, if the bow portions are rotted or are weak what happens, do the stringers give the hull strength up front? Can it cave in by taking a big wave? I know what most are going to say, FIX IT.....yes he knows this, I'm asking the "WHAT IF" question.

[wotan2525]

I haven't seen or heard of a catastrophic failure in the front half of the boat.

My boat pulled the engine mounts out of the stringer (after I had "repaired" them), twisting the engine. The drive shaft wore a hole through the shaft log and the boat sank.

[suprasam]

Damn Wotan.......after you repaired them? Either one badass motor or I am guessing the repair was done with duct tape? I think my friend was an idiot to buy the boat....I know he won't end up fixing it, to lazy.....more than likely he will use/abuse for one year and sell for what ever he can get out of it. Did that cost a couple of bucks to pull the boat up? Ouch I'm sure

[wotan2525]

Well I put the word "repair" in quotation marks because I attempted to repair them. I used penetrating epoxy, filler and oversized lag bolts. It was before I knew about this board.

And luckily, I was able to make it close to shore before she sank. Back end was under water but I was able to get it bilged out and made a high speed run back to my launch (about 8 miles away.) Once the boat was on plane, the water sucked itself out through the same way it came in.

It was a nightmare of a day.

[jasun]

Just reading that made me throw up a little... I could not imagine....