Stringer Rot in Pre-Brunswick Sea Rays

S

sgs01

Member
Jan 18, 2015
90
Marietta, GA
Boat Info
1982 Sea Ray Vanguard 30ec
Engines
2 Mercruiser 260 direct inboards
How much of a problem is stringer rot in the pre-Brunswick Sea Rays? The stringers on my sea dancer look pretty thick and glassed in pretty well. When the boat was surveyed last year, the stringers were bone dry. How can I keep them that way?
 
not to hijack but what are considered pre-brunswick? i have heard 1989? i have a 1986 and everything seems very solid
 
boatman37 said:
not to hijack but what are considered pre-brunswick? i have heard 1989? i have a 1986 and everything seems very solid
Click to expand...

Brunswick purchased Sea Ray in 1986 I believe, but I consider anything prior to 1988 pre-Brunswick.
 
Also it is worth noting that Brunswick had two branches. One made Bayliner, Maxum, Boston Whaler and a few others, and another made Sea Ray, Baja, and (maybe) Meridian

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The stringer issue has less to do with the brand ownership than it does with learning to build bigger boats that are stored in the water as opposed to lake boats.

In the 80's, Sea Ray lined the limber holes in stringers with PVC pipe sealed with silicone. Eventually, the silicone joint fails and the limber holes leak water into the wooden stringers, then rot ensues. If the boat is dry now, the best way to handle the problem is to eliminate bit by removing the PVC and relining the limber holes with glass and resin or epoxy. It is a difficult time consuming job, but it permanently solves the problem.

The other area of concern is where the stringer joins the transom. If your transom leaks water into its core, the water can migrate into the stringer and cause rot. Repairing this one is a tough and expensive process because the transom has to be stripped and re-cored and the stringers dried out.

In either case, you don't want to be the one who has to replace the stringers in one of these boats, so catch it early or prevent wood rot altogether by keeping your bilges as dry as possible.
 
My limber holes are glassed in and covered in gelcoat so I don't think that will be a problem. Last year the transom sounded dry by the surveyor.

The surveyor said that the stringers were COMPLETELY dry by percussion sounding and by moisture meter, and if I don't have a problem with them now, I never will. I suppose I should take his word for it and quit worrying :smt043
 
The 340 series that my boat is part of kept with the Sea Ray design till 1990. The 300's and 390's 'I believe' also changed to new designs in 1990 as well...
 
fwebster said:
The stringer issue has less to do with the brand ownership than it does with learning to build bigger boats that are stored in the water as opposed to lake boats.

In the 80's, Sea Ray lined the limber holes in stringers with PVC pipe sealed with silicone. Eventually, the silicone joint fails and the limber holes leak water into the wooden stringers, then rot ensues. If the boat is dry now, the best way to handle the problem is to eliminate bit by removing the PVC and relining the limber holes with glass and resin or epoxy. It is a difficult time consuming job, but it permanently solves the problem.
Click to expand...

can these be easily reached? i haven't even seen any on mine but i'm 6'0 and about 280. not easy to crawl around in these tight areas....lol
 
Even if my stringers ever get rotten (which shouldn't happen as dry as I keep my bilge; water anywhere is a threat to the boat everywhere), I have made up my mind that I am keeping that boat no matter what. If it needs $$$ to replace stringers and bulkheads then so be it.

The beauty of an older boat that is paid for is that even if you have to put money into it then you still only pay for a fraction of what a new boat costs, and it will outlast you if you do it right!
 
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Don't let your love for the old boat make you say things you could someday regret.

To replace both main stringers, the boat has to be stripped of the entire interior, the cabin floor, the engine(s) and anything that is mounted to the stringers. Then you have to grind/saw out the stringers and glass in new ones cut from straight air dried pressure treated lumber or laminated from marine plywood or a structural PVC foam like Klegecel or Divinycell. Not a little job, but one than can easily run to 2-3X what the boat is worth. Besides, the boat will need to be refit with new wall covering, new flooring, new carpeting, when it goes back together. All this on a boat that cannot escape it's damage history and probably couldn't be sold for average retail when you are done. The smart money would just part out the old boat and replace it with newer, bigger one you like rather then spending a ton of money to save the old boat.
 
If you have a boat that you intend to keep for a long time though, is it still worth it?
 
As I said, I have a bad habit of worrying way too much about these things.

I would hope that if the surveyor says the stringers are still rock solid on a 1984 boat and I keep the bilge as dry as possible, the boat will stay solid.

Is it a case of "one drop of water can ruin everything?" or is it a long and slow process that takes several years?

If the stringers start rotting close to the transom, can it be replaced in sections?

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You can splice stringers using a scarf joint and reglassing.
 
I think Stephen loves his SeaDancer a little too much :wink:
 
I wouldn't go that far, but the fact that there were so few made is what makes it stand apart to me.

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The main sources of water intrusion are swim platform mounting points, transducer mounts, trim tab mounting....etc. pretty much anything bolted to or fed through the transom. If you're lucky enough to already have a "dry" boat, remove all of those screws and bolts and reseal them with 3M 4200 or 5200. Check them again every couple of years and reseal if necessary.

I completely rebuilt the sub structure of my 268DA similar to what KC did. Not a fun job, but well worth the efforts in my case.


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i have read where guys say to drill the holes out larger and fill them with 5200 then drill the holes the right size and screw into the 5200. does this stuff dry hard? is it strong enough to support it? or should i use through bolts with a large washer and nut on the inside?

i bought mine from the original owner and he said he has never resealed anything on the hull. kinda hate to mess with it now after 30 years but i have thought about resealing everything on the transom this spring
 
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