I am in the process of purchasing a one owner 1996 Tiara 31 open. The survey was completed June 30th. with only one problem. The aft portion of the far starboard stringer showed a high moisture content when tested with a meter and had a dull sound when tapped with a hammer. The other stringers had a solid ping sound. The marina that sold the boat says these are "box stringers" and moisture in the stringer is not a structural problem. My surveyor does not agree. I contacted Tiara customer service about the matter and am waiting for a reply. Any comments would be appreciated.
wet stringer
- Thread starter reinbilt
- Start date
They might mean that they are hollow. My boat has hollow stringers (one on each side). They are tubes cut in half and glassed right into the hull. They are open on the ends, so it's obvious. My opinion is that if they are not open, they are not hollow. If they are the same stringers which the engine(s) sit on, they cannot be hollow and are structural. I would go with the opinion of the professional surveyor you hired. Hope this helps.
I think further investigation is waranted. Tiara's are generally well built. I would look to see if there is an area where water could get to the stringer, i.e., an unsealed hole. I would also double check the readings and maybe drill a small hole or two. You want to make sure that the stringer is ok or that your surveyor is right. Good luck.
Water meters can be tricky, but if you are recording moisture in part of the stringer, it's probably not stuck in the fiberglass. That said, I believe there is a construction method where hard foam is put in place and glassed over. The foam is designed to shape the fiberglass and is non-structural after the fiberglass cures. It's like the open stringers described above but is probably not open. Let us know what Tiara says.
Just guessing above there :>
I thought Tiara might use that where others wouldn't. It takes more fiberglass. But I always thought it was a good technique - nothing but fiberglass in the bilge.
I'm hoping that Searay did that by accident when they overbuilt the wood stringers in my bilge. A lot of extra fiberglass was used in 1980.
I thought Tiara might use that where others wouldn't. It takes more fiberglass. But I always thought it was a good technique - nothing but fiberglass in the bilge.
I'm hoping that Searay did that by accident when they overbuilt the wood stringers in my bilge. A lot of extra fiberglass was used in 1980.