Boat stringer repair

Dear fiberglass in Denham is the gold standard. Hes usually way backlogged.

Years backlogged? Like seriously ???

Call Max at Ohlmsted shipyard in LC
(337) 274-7642

Not suggesting any individual do it themselves but if it is a situation where reputable places are backlogged and its going to cost a heaping pile of money it isn't overly difficult to do. Its a pain working with fiberglass but it aint rocker science, its pretty simple. There is an art for certain in getting that fresh from the factory look that takes years and years to perfect but if it is simply fixing the boat and it ain't going in a dealer showroom where folks willing to spend $100K are apt to see it it's a pretty simply repair. Again not suggesting you do it yourself only suggesting if someone else is in a similar situation they might consider it.

Probably not the stringer, its probably that fiberglass insert that covers the fuel tank. I had to pull mine out last year. I cleaned out the old ply wood and put in a new piece of 3/4" marine ply wood and glassed over it. Solid as ever.

I don't think they put wood in any stringers after the 90's.

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Probably not the stringer, its probably that fiberglass insert that covers the fuel tank. I had to pull mine out last year. I cleaned out the old ply wood and put in a new piece of 3/4" marine ply wood and glassed over it. Solid as ever.

I don't think they put wood in any stringers after the 90's

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Skeeter is a high quality mass produced hull, or always was, in my experience. When I read the OP I thought it'd be strange for a hull with the reputation of Skeeter to use wood in stringers, especially in newer models. Not unheard of, many one off custom, high end yachts still use marine plywood in stringers, but I would almost bet Skeeter, especially newer models have almost no or none wood in them. Do not know this though.


It is entirely possible and even probable that a spongy floor is the result of wood rot in the vicinity of a fastener which only impacts the top few inches of a stringer and the surrounding area. Fasteners should be over drilled, filled with epoxy and then drilled to the correct diameter BUT most mass produced manufacturers skip this because it is time consuming and boats built without doing it will last a LONG time, usually, with out a problem. When this is the case its possible to cut out the decking, save it, remove the rotten part of the stringer, laminate a repair, span the opening of the deck removed with a fiberglassed "beam" of encapsulated marine ply wood, replace the saved decking and reglass it in. This is a simple fix. Its dirty, itchy and irritating but it can be done for very little money and take very little time.

Most people envision a stringer repair with the cap fully removed,,,,a daunting task but not really after you've done one. It usually isn't necessary unless of course the stringers are damaged through. It might even be possible to do the repair I described above and replace the deck with an access plate...I have done it.

And again, I am not suggesting this is for everyone. it is not science its just damned hard and irritating....you will itch for months it seems. But if you are looking at a costly repair and are on a budget or just cheap like me, or if you are looking at your boat being in the shop for months on end and like the idea of being able to use the thing, it can be done by just about anyone. Its not science, there is no magic, its just had and dirty and itches like hell. The exception is if you need or want a mirror finish. That is an art. It also can be done but it is almost magic.