Rotten Stringers	Structural Repair
		Structural members in today’s boats are made of wood and covered with fiberglass.  Over time, water may seep into these and rot the wood from the inside out.  When this happens there is little left to hold the boat together and support the weight of the engine.  Replacing a rotted floor may only mask an underlying and more serious problem.  Here is an example of how rotted stringers can become and a shot of one step of restoration being performed.Most boats built before the mid 90’s have wood floors and stringers laminated with fiberglass material and resin.

The “stringers” are the “floor joist” of your boat, very similar to the framing under your home. This main framing supports the engine, floor, fuel tank etc. and will last for many, many years with a little care. Let the boat sit outside full of water, exposed to the elements and its life will be cut short.

We talk with many boat owners about the “small” soft spot under their boats carpet who feel it is just a “small” area which will need attention, only to find out the entire floor is rotted and much of the framing (stringers) are rotted as well. Depending on the amount of damage, we can sometimes replace/patch just the damaged areas and re-glass everything back together for a solid boat again. This is much less expensive and time consuming as a full structural restoration.

And how do we determine what should be replaced? Much of this depends on the damage and the value of the boat. Without mentioning any boat brands, if the cost of the repair exceeds the value of the boat, best to find a better boat.

At Ohio Boat Works we rebuild many inboard, direct drive and V-drive boats from builders like Correct Craft, Mastercraft and Century. These boats have lots of history and value, therefore making them worth the restoration investment.