Floors & Stringers

[Tim]

Hi,

I am looking into purchasing a 1988 comp. The boat is in excellent condition as far as gelcoat and interior. I of course did not want to but the boat without knowing the condition of the stringers. So, I had then test with a moisture reader. The results from the test were reading betwen 16-23, from what I understand, this is acceptable.

Can anyone with knowledge on this subject confirm this for me.

Regards,
Tim

[Salty87]

i have no idea how the moisture meter should read. would it be affected by recent rain or recent use of the boat? does it read moisture under the floor?

checking the bolts that are holding the engine to the stringers is 1 way. if they spin freely, no good. they should grab solid wood. any soft spots under the seats? any signs of rotted bits of wood under the seats? my seats are showing their age (1987) and its not too hard to find flaking wood pieces. if the seats are going, the floor probably isn't far behind.

you can also visually inspect the stringers that the engine is mounted to. in mine, all the way to the rear near the port exhaust, i've got a stringer that's just crumbling. its soft to the touch.

just some thoughts