fasteners used for stringers on FRG

Tator · Sep 14, 2018

A question I couldn't answer came up today from the person who is painting the topsides on our late 70's Taiwan built boat. As the boat is 900 miles away I can't just pop in and check it myself so I thought I would turn to the Forum's wisdom. The question is- How are things like bunk stringers and cabinets attached to a fiberglass hull? In all my years and the extensive rebuild that we did, I don't believe I've really ever noticed how it is done.

The reason for wanting to know is that we have many 1/4-3/8 inch blisters in the old two part paint that was put on over the gel coat. A few of them appear to be a little deeper and are oozing a small amount of brown moisture. The painter thought they might be from fasteners coming from the inside that are rusting. To me this seems unlikely as I reasoned that probably stringers running fore and aft were supported by stringers running athwart ship which were attached to bulkheads. I can't imagine running a screw into the sides of the hull for support. Also, all the SS on the boat seems to be top quality and never has shown signs of rust. Any ideas?

Tator

boatpoker · Sep 14, 2018

If the brown liquid tastes a little acidic (vinegary) it is hydrolyzed resin.

Art · Sep 14, 2018

boatpoker said:
If the brown liquid tastes a little acidic (vinegary) it is hydrolyzed resin.

Just gotta ask... any other way to determine contents other than manual tasting?? Any amount of hydrolysed resin in human system can't be good!

I'd have hard time asking my painter to take a lick and let me know how it tastes - LOL :popcorn:

boatpoker · Sep 14, 2018

miniscule, barely visible amount on fingertip is all it takes to tell otherwise you are into lab analysis. If there is no (or little) taste it is usually fluid from decayed wood.

TDunn · Sep 14, 2018

Most of the time stringers are glassed to the hull along their full length while beams tend to be tabbed with fiberglass. Cabinets are most likely screwed to bulkheads and stringers.

Art · Sep 14, 2018

boatpoker said:
miniscule, barely visible amount on fingertip is all it takes to tell otherwise you are into lab analysis. If there is no (or little) taste it is usually fluid from decayed wood.

Decayed wood too - YUMMMMYY

I'm just kidding here on both posts - well sorta kidding, I guess.

When younger I was made of infallible/impenetrable high tensile steel, tasting drop of coolant to see if proper amount of antifreeze was in there meant nothing to me. Washing my hands off using pure toluene was no prob! Inhaling varnish fumes in tightly contained locations with not much ventilation or sand blasting for short periods with no dust mask were too often accomplished tasks.

Now, in my mid 60's... I'm beginning to realize that I've become made of made of "careful is as careful does" materials!

Funny how the less front room you have in life makes us ever more careful as we look at how to continue moving forward for as long as possible!

Looking back... we can see more error-moves than we'd [I'd] like.

Always drink lots o' Water. Every day eat one or two Bananas. Often have baked Brussel Sprouts - That is the "Popeye" diet of the 21st century... well... for me anyway! - LOL

firstbase · Sep 23, 2018

Art said:
Decayed wood too - YUMMMMYY

I'm just kidding here on both posts - well sorta kidding, I guess.

When younger I was made of infallible/impenetrable high tensile steel, tasting drop of coolant to see if proper amount of antifreeze was in there meant nothing to me. Washing my hands off using pure toluene was no prob! Inhaling varnish fumes in tightly contained locations with not much ventilation or sand blasting for short periods with no dust mask were too often accomplished tasks.

Now, in my mid 60's... I'm beginning to realize that I've become made of made of "careful is as careful does" materials!

Funny how the less front room you have in life makes us ever more careful as we look at how to continue moving forward for as long as possible!

Looking back... we can see more error-moves than we'd [I'd] like.

Always drink lots o' Water. Every day eat one or two Bananas. Often have baked Brussel Sprouts - That is the "Popeye" diet of the 21st century... well... for me anyway! - LOL

Always better to practice healthy habits for sure but...you are mid-60's...what affect did those things you listed have on you at this point? Any health issues to which they may have been contributory?

Art · Sep 23, 2018

firstbase said:
Always better to practice healthy habits for sure but...you are mid-60's...what affect did those things you listed have on you at this point? Any health issues to which they may have been contributory?

Likely that some affects from my yesteryear antics are actually in my "today's" physical make-up/system.

How to ascertain which ones and how pervasive any of the possible effects are is for me impossible to accurately calculate.

All n' All... at 66 I'm healthy as a pig! Have this and that type of age related down turns... but, nothing that noticeably interferes with leading a robust life... very similar to while in my 30's... with more precautions taken [simply because older = smarter] regarding handling or being exposed to toxic items.

I've always been sort of a health nut regarding exercise and good food. Lifetime of weight lifting exercise stands me in good stead. Cold turkey quitting all and any alcohol and cigs half way through my 43rd year was best [wisest] thing I ever did. I've got the magic number of reaching 110 years in my living crosshair scope and as the last item on my "Bucket List"

We/I shall see. 2061 is 43 yrs. away. As I intoned above... I really like the #43... it did me well in what is soon to be 23 years ago; i.e. this November, 25 2018!!!

YAHOOOO!!

koliver · Sep 23, 2018

Even amature builders should know enough to ABSOLUTELY NEVER screw anything to the hull from inside, especially not using rust prone fasteners.
TDunn above has the obvious answer.
Was yours a production or a home built boat? That alone should answer your query.

alormaria · Sep 23, 2018

TDunn said:
Most of the time stringers are glassed to the hull along their full length while beams tend to be tabbed with fiberglass. Cabinets are most likely screwed to bulkheads and stringers.

This is what I've got in my 70's Taiwan trawler.

Nomad Willy · Sep 23, 2018

TDunn said:
Most of the time stringers are glassed to the hull along their full length while beams tend to be tabbed with fiberglass. Cabinets are most likely screwed to bulkheads and stringers.

+2 for TDunn

DavidM · Sep 23, 2018

I am a bit amused by the tasting posts. My wife runs away when I taste bilge water for saltiness. I had lots worse in my mouth when I was a kid, well maybe as an adult as well :blush:

.

David

Lou_tribal · Sep 23, 2018

djmarchand said:
I am a bit amused by the tasting posts. My wife runs away when I taste bilge water for saltiness. I had lots worse in my mouth when I was a kid, well maybe as an adult as well .

David

Now we want the details lol

L

Art · Sep 24, 2018

Stringers in our Tolly are very thick hand laid FG web... laid/weaved into the very thick hand laid hull's web. Stringer interior is dense, closed cell foam that originated the support configuration during the hand lay of thick multi layer FG that comprises the stringers' full strength.

Don't need worry with our boat for rot in the stringers that too often happens for stringers having shaped wood beams as their internals; as well as often relied upon as each stringer's main support structure.

fasteners used for stringers on FRG

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