stringers

[SECF3114M73J]

I have a '73 23 ft. cc,I'm ordering a new leaning post and plan to lag the feet into the stringers, how wide are the stringers? The inboard dimension for the stringers is 15 inches off the centerline, how far out can I go and still hit the stringers?

[Trayder]

You may want to re-think as the Stringers are glass only, no wood in them for the lags to bite into. On the other hand your deck is 3/4 ply and that should give you enough meat to lag into with out touching the stringers.

[SECF3114M73J]

Thanks for the quick reply.My thought was that it would be a stronger installation if I bolted to the stringers. What's the downside, won't the screws hold in fiberglass?

[Trayder]

Good question, My feeling is too leave the stringers be and never breach their integrity. I would be afraid that somehow sometime, the drilled holes in the stringer may get water into them and even though they are not cored with wood the water still may wreak havok. I honestly think you will be fine with 4 well sealed screws in each base of the leaning post.

As for the screws holding in fiberglass, It will not hold as well as wood. I do not know the thickness of a 23's stringer but since you would be penetrating the wood deck as well it should hold well.

[Finster]

You may also want to put some 3M 5200 on the threads to seal'em and keep'em from backing out.

[GetReel]

Dude; Screw'em tight with 5200, do not penetrate (your stringers)! Thats what I did and she be plenty tight.

[FELLOW-SHIP]

THE INSIDE WALL OF THE STRINGERS (FROM THE BOW TO THE END OF THE HATCH THAT COVERS THE GAS TANK) ARE APPROX 30” APART/ WIDE OR ABOUT ¼” TO ½ “ WIDER THAN THAT LARGE DECK HATCH. EACH GLASS STRINGER IS ABOUT 3 ” OR SO THICK AND FULL OF FOAM THE THICKNESS OF THE GLASS STRINGERS IS ABOUT ¼” THICK AND REALLY NOT SUITABLE TO MOUNT ANY HARDWARE. WHEN YOU GO FURTHER BACK TOWARDS THE TRANSOM THEY ARE MUCH WIDER YOU COULD MEASURE THAT BY USING A TAPE MEASURE IN SIDE THE BILGE ACCESS HATCHES. ON MY LEANING POST THE WITH OF THE LEGS WERE PAST THE 30” DECK HATCH BUT SINCE I RE DID MY DECK WITH ½” MARINE PLYWOOD AND PLENTY OF GLASS I WAS ABLE TO MOUNT MY SEAT WITH NO PROBLEMS. IF YOU HAVE A OLDER POTTER BUILT THERE PROBABLY IS ONE ROW OF 3/8” THICK 6”X6” SQUARES OF PLYWOOD ALONG THE DECK JUST OUTWARD PORT AND STARBOARD FROM THAT DECK PANNELL THAT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE TRANSOM AREA.
FELLOWSHIP [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[Billybob]

If it's a 4 legged leaning post, screwing it into the deck should be fine.But I have a question on the stringers.If they're foam cored, then it's the glass that provides the strength right? I hear of rotton stringers, and now I'm wondering what rots? You see, I have no reason to believe that my stringers are a problem, and they look fine from what you can see with the hatches removed.But I've wondered, how do you know if they're bad, and how would they "rot"?

[Trayder]

Stringers in a SeaCraft rarely go bad. If they do people may say they rotted out but in realitly they probably just failed, like mine on the 20. The glass would fracture and this would break the stringer not rot it. It would be very hard to break a SeaCraft stringer maybe after years and years of abuse and a good hard grounding.

[SECF3114M73J]

Thanks for the info,I'm gonna mount to the deck and try to avoid the stringers. It may be hard to do if the stringers are 3" wide.The leaning post will be 38" wide,haven't seen it yet but would guess the feet are no more than 36" wide. A freind is rebuilding the transom on his '78 23' C.C., his port stringer was completly detached from the transom and the stbd. stringer was partially detached. The stringers at the trans. are about 1.5" thick.He sistered 3'4 ply wood on both sides of the stringers and glassed everything over and tabbed to transom,it's solid as a rock.He also removed the live well and raised the transom to 30". So far it looks real nice, glass work is done, now he's gonna re gel coat.