Shaft length on 18 Fisherman

[rrichar1]

Thanks for posting those pictures that really sheds some light as to what's beneath my 18 fisherman and will be invaluable for future reference.

Can you elaborate on the extreme rotting of the stringers?

[Kracker Jack]

Originally Posted by jsgeorge4x4

its a shame that this project would cost too much, it would have been cool to see it turn out something like stinkers. how common is the stringer/transom rot on these boats and the 20's anyway?

Rot seems to be pretty common on your average 70's early 80's v20's. I have looked at numerous v20's in my area and all the ones I've seen that are supposively in great shape have rotted transoms. Unless you have a creampuff!!!!

[jasoncooperpcola]

Every joint where a stringer meets a cross stringer (aka floors) it is broken. If i stand on some of the stringers they fold over. Whoever had this boat before me was an idiot. Noway this much has rotted out since they replaced the transom they had to see it, hell they even cut 12'' off the stringers to tab new stringerlets onto. I found spots where i dug wet rotted wood out all the way to the hull.

If only i pulled a rod box out when inspecting it before buying it.

jsgeorge4x4 remove your rod boxes you should be able to get to the floors and maybe the stringers from there. Tap on them with a hammer. It should not bounce. It should sound solid.

This is a stringer i am standing on.


Side of gas tank stringer



Rear of gas tank bulkhead



Wet soaked wood and i just took a hatchet and hacked the skin off. So since 1982 this is the first time this wood has seen light. I dug wood out all the way to the hull here.



This joint is broken.



This is rot where Wellcraft did not seal the cut out for the fuel hoses in the stringer.






This weekend i will take the center console and all the trash out of the boat and take a few pictures of the entire stringer layout for everyone to see how it looks without stuff in the way.

[Kracker Jack]

Them Natural Light beer cans in the last pic looked like my build when I started wacking and jacking on the stringers!!!!!! The Nattys helped out alot to numb the itch !!!!!

[jasoncooperpcola]

I have never tried Natty Light, Kracker. I nmust have found about fifty empty cans in the stringers, some of them i dont know how they got where they did.

Here are a couple pics of the gas tank. You can clearly see the hole in the close up. Notice its only corroded where the foam was.





I linked a website on a thread here a few months ago about the harm of foaming gas tanks in. Give me a while to find it.

Found it; www.yachtsurvey.com/fueltank.htm

[Kracker Jack]

Originally Posted by jsgeorge4x4

when i re-cored the fuel tank hatch last year the pieces of the stringers i could bash on were solid, when i had the rod boxes out to fiberglass reinforce them two weeks ago the cross stringers were solid as per a mallet, and so are the stringers under the splashwell

you guys just now have me paranoid about what i cant see, after reading all the threads of guys having replaced them

its a shame everything tends to get waterlogged on these boats

That is the reason why I did my stringers so simple, and why I didn't put a fuel cell below deck. In my opinion on my boat the plywood on the floor was good enough for a shear brace rather than glassing a bunch cross stringers. I simply wanted the water and moisture to get in and then the water and moisture to get out. I also have over drill every hole on this boat so far then fill with reinforced thickening resin and drilled the hole to size so all my thru-transom penatrations are sealed. My outboard motor bracket holes will be done the same way. There's a lot you can do to prevent rot.

[Stinky_Hooker]

Natty light is alot like making love in a canoe, its f^*k^&% close to water.

[jasoncooperpcola]

Originally Posted by Kracker Jack

That is the reason why I did my stringers so simple, and why I didn't put a fuel cell below deck. In my opinion on my boat the plywood on the floor was good enough for a shear brace rather than glassing a bunch cross stringers. I simply wanted the water and moisture to get in and then the water and moisture to get out. I also have over drill every hole on this boat so far then fill with reinforced thickening resin and drilled the hole to size so all my thru-transom penatrations are sealed. My outboard motor bracket holes will be done the same way. There's a lot you can do to prevent rot.

Agreed 100 percent. When i pull the liner off the V20 i am looking for soft spots in the stringers. If i find any i will repair them then locate the source of why they rotted. Also i am glassing any open spots to preserve the stringers. I might even pull the tank and get rid of all foam. Kracker has a point, most places do rot due to raw wood and a simple coat of epoxy in holes will prevent that. I purchased West Systems book called Repairing Fiberglass Boats. Best six dollars i have ever spent in my opinion. I learned quite a bit.