stringer problems, how do you know?

[rag top man]

Without hiring a "surveryor", is there a dependable way for someone to check and see if a boat has a "stringer" problem?

[MOP]

Tap them all over but concentrate aft by the limber holes with my preference a ½ dollar there should be no dull sounding areas. Should have a nice sharp solid sound. Dull sounding areas could be wet or possibly delaminated. Either way it needs to investigated further, try borrowing a moisture meter. Don't forget the transom and decks, transom check it all over but especially low near the drain plug area inside and out. Sometimes small dry voids will turn up most aren't worth worrying about.

[knee deep]

The tried and true method, use a phenalic (hope I spelled it right?) hammer. which is basically a hammer with a relatively hard rubber top. Tap the stringers about every 6 inches. If you hear a difference investigate it further. A moisture meter only costs about $100 and does a fantastic job. We had a moisture problem with a clients Sea Ray and the factory rep used a meter to determine how much of the transom needed to be cut out and replaced, using the meter he was bang on. For that kind of money the peace of mind it gives you is well worth the investment.

As far as surveyors - they are a good investment as long as you know you have a good one. Like anything else there are highly reputable ones and some that just aren't. Remember their disclaimer, you are paying for an opinion and that is what they give you, they are not liable for anything that arises from their opinion. I would venture to say that with the wealth of knowledge available on this site you could probably find a couple of guys on here that would be more than willing to take a look at your prospective purchase and likely have a deeper in-depth knowledge of Donzi than most surveyors do.

[harbormaster]

Greg if the boat is a 1990 or older I would invest in a marine surveyor

[MOP]

I agree 100% with Scot! Use all the info you can gather to find what you believe is the best boat, then get a good reco for a surveyor. If you need any help finding a qualified one you can go to the NAMS and the SAMS sites. They both have very good certification programs for the guys they accept.