Stringer Repair

[tshirtdeal]

Hey guys and gals,

when an older Sunsport gets a stringer repair are they done in fiberglass so it never has to be done again? What is the best way to have the best job done at the best price? What would the average price be?

TIA

[Mani]

They're generally redone in wood cased in fiberglass, the same way the factory did it. You can always go with composite stringers and floors, but be prepared to pay a fortune to have them made and installed.

[sybrmike]

Lots of options:
1. Wood encased in fiberglass - either dimensional lumber (fir, mahogany, etc.) or plywood wrapped in combinations of cloth, mat, roving and poly or epoxy resin. Original factory method. Consensus here is that allowances have to be made so the flotation foam (if you use any) doesn't stay saturated with water contributing to premature wood rot. Done shoddily (like most of us have found from the factory) it's still good enough for 20+ years. Done right, can last a long long time...
2. Composite (structural foam wrapped in glass) - current production method, but structural foam is expensive. Plus you've gotta get the layup right since foam is not as strong as wood.
3. Pour in place - cut the tops off the stringers, cut out ALL the wood, fill/pour with a magic mixture (like Seacast), re-glass the tops. Used mainly in transom repair. Our stringers are narrow and lots of them (compared to a transom), and so don't lend themselves to this method. Cross braces/bulkheads are another problem.

DIY wood/glass with poly resin ~ $2k materials (add more for dimensional lumber or epoxy resin.

Shop repair ~ $4-6k depending on shop & how much disassembly labor you provide.

[Okie Boarder]

Everyone has it about right. It all depends on what you want to spend. You can spend $2-4K doing it yourself with wood or more going all composite. You could spend $4-8K having a shop do it. There are various schools of thought regarding the methods, but the point has already been made that a less than desirable job from the factory lasted 20+ years so there is room for improvement with little cost increase.

[csuggs]

Okie's got it - and the others too. I just had mine done at a shop. It lasted over 20 years from the factory using materials from the 80's. Today's materials are much better (although still primarily wood in my case), and the methods of reassembly are improved. So I figure the stringers should outlast any other part of the boat. For the money (around $5k) you can't beat it 'cause if you look at replacing the boat you're either into a whole lot more money or someone else's problem.