Carver Owners Forum

Using a moisture meter, the surveyor determined there are hollow stringers in the 1991 3227 I am considering buying.

In reading previous topic posts, I remained confused. In 1991, was Carver still using wood stringers?

Yes, Carver used encapsulated marine plywood soaked with resin, as a mold for the fiberglass stringer. There are various views on this technique, so I am going to simply share what I understood from the comments I received from Carver at the time I bought my Mariner. The wood core inside the stringer is only there for the construction process. The strength of the stringers comes from the fiberglass. I am surprised the surveyor opines the stringers to be hollow. I have a colleague who had an 88 Mariner. He got wet readings from an infrared moisture meter on various points of his stringers. He decided to cut the top edge off, with the intention of digging out the wood core, and filling with resin to prevent issues. He tried to dig out the wood, but quickly found out it was like trying to extract concrete. He abandoned that project, feeling like he would actually degrade the integrity of the stringers the way they were. One thing you could do is to check the base of the stringers for spider cracks in the paint. Carver painted those bilges with a darker grey paint so the cracks would be easily visible. Inspect close with a flashlight. The cracks would be evidence of stress if the stringers were flexing at all. The other explanation of hollow stringers would be if they were the top hat design. I don't think Carver used that top hat technique on any hulls less than 42 feet. Hope this helps. er

Sjigal wrote:Source of the post Using a moisture meter, the surveyor determined there are hollow stringers in the 1991 3227 I am considering buying.

In reading previous topic posts, I remained confused. In 1991, was Carver still using wood stringers?

Welcome to the forum....here is a link to a previous discussion of the same thing and boat model just admittedly an earlier year....


viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4920

Different years and different models used ever changing construction methods and materials over the years, not really clear what your guy means when he says "hollow stringers" and where on the boat is this observed. Maybe someone who owns a 3227 of the same year can chime in. Engine bed stringers can be different.

Welcome aboard. If it's not the Top Hat system (hollow) being used in that model, then I'd be getting them to take core samples. It's the only way to get an accurate picture of what's going on and how wide spread the problem is. Even if he's not familiar with that particular model, the surveyor should know at a glance whether it's a Top Hat stringer system or not, there's no mistaking it. If the damage is wide spread, it'll be an expensive fix.

BTW, the Top Hat stringer system was used in models less than 42. Mine is a 38 and it's a TH system. Have seen it in 38 Santegos (same hull), etc. too.

This boat is a 1991 Carver 3227.