1987 270 sundancer, string rot under rear birth

[phoenixhotrods]

I have two sections that are soft where the sea cock comes into the boat and where middle bilge is. The compartment is boxed to hold water and on the right and left side of the box is soft the front and rear are not soft. Is this going to be a big deal to fix or can i patch a piece in there.
It seems like a stupid design and im sure im not the only one with this problem.

 

[88dancer300]

Its sounds like the stringers are rotted. Many of these older boats have moist/wet stringers but will sound out ok with a hammer, and will retain structural integerety even though they are wet. The wet wood is surprisingly strong. However if you have soft areas, that is usually an indication of advanced wood deterioration. I would open up the soft areas and see what you have. But be prepared to find potentially extensive problems. Dont mean to scare you, but this can turn into a real nightmare. There are many other threads on this subject here on CSR.

 

[1956olds]

Sounds like the area where the a/c and shower sump is located ,i had a little rot there when i bought the boat and had the marina fiberglass manager look at it .He said it wasnt that bad he put a radiant heater next to it for a few hrs to dry it out and sealed it with thickened epoxy.I agree it was a stupid design flaw and i put a new shower drain in with an elbow and a section of 1.5" hose to the sump area through the stringer weep hole.Of course it will be hard to give you a definitive answer without at least a few pictures of the radical stringer wetness.

 

[phoenixhotrods]

I drilled into the stringers all the length of them and they are solid its just where that sump is. So can i cut it out size new wood in and glass it or do i have to replace the whole stringer?

 

[88dancer300]

Thats good news ! Localized rot can be sucsessfully repaired. I would cut out the soft area, put a heater on it to help dry it out, then cut a plywood patch and glass it up.