Stringer Question E35-II 1979

[simplemonkey]

Here is the stupid question of the day...

I know I do not have the "GRID" on my model...but,
Does my vessel have "stringers" and where are they located?
I have searched all around the hull and find nothing that I would consider a "stringer."
I want to find these elusive "stringers," (if they exist,) and make sure they are in good shape...as I've read they can be prone to rot.
Thanks all.
David

 

[chaco]

Stringers ?

Our boats are two half hulls glassed together. The bulkheads form the lateral
strength and are glassed in to the hull. The bulkheads were glassed in with
varied precision and will come loose in some areas. This is the structural
failure to watch for. I have found sections of bulkhead glassed over
BILGE PAINT Just grind it down and install new fiberglass to regain
structural strength. Have never found anything considered a stringer.
The boats are tough and will stand up to much more punishment than the
modern composite hulls . Nothing like a solid fiberglass hull between you and
the water :nerd: Let me know what you find out on the stringer deal.

Happy Sailing

 

[jkm]

Dan

Down in Oceanside for the week, will be back next week and hopefully every few weeks this summer.

What slip you in. I'm always walking around looking for your Ericson.

John

 

[chaco]

H-58....over next to the Yaught Club (760.889.8039) will be down on Saturday. The MidEngine People need to stick together

 

[jkm]

I agree- those rear enders are a strange group.

Going back home today and returning Tuesday-I'll try to hook up with you.

Note-I HAVE BEER

John

 

[Brisdon]

The seats, the bunks, all the divisions between them and the fiberglass floor pan all share the burden of creating an internal support grid for the hull. It's a very strong boat for it's size and weight.

 

[gareth harris]

After puzzling over what the 'stringers' were myself for some time, I eventually decided they were the vertical strips of plywood glued to the sides of the hull in the main cabin to hold up the paneling. No structural function, just cosmetic.

Grinding them off was not a pleasant job, but some of mine were falling apart.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

 

[Randy Rutledge]

Is there wood in the layup for the engine bed? My MasterCraft "had" wood in the rails that the engine is mounted on. I think I read that some of the E boats had wood in the engine bed rails (stringers).

 

[Jason]

I don't know for sure, but I always thought a stringer is one of the horizontal white fiberglass structures you see here in the photo of the floor. The stringer gives support to the whole hull fiberglass hull structure by "stringing" the sides together.

Stringers are not unique to Ericson, they are used in most if not all fiberglass boats for strength.

Ericson does lay claim to the TAFG - Tri-Axial Force Grid. Now, that I don't have any idea what that is or where to look for it.

 

[footrope]

Tafg

Jason,

I think your picture is the tri-axial force grid. That is what Ericson pioneered back around 1980. It sure screws up the bilge by dividing it into sections, but it has other benefits. There are quite a few other TAFG discussions on the board and also some 1980 and on brochures in the Specs & Docs section of this fine website.

I always thought stringers would be running fore and aft between frames, but many fiberglass-hulled sailboats don't have frames or stringers in the classic sense of a wooden boat or a semi-monocoque structure in an airplane. The Ericson TAFG sort of has stubby frames, but they stop after they get beyond the keel area.

I bet Gareth has figured it out, but i won't bet much.