STRINGERS

[P Doug (WA)]

Question: I can't find boards lon enough for stringers to be one piece. Can stringers be butted together or do they need to be scarfed?

[warthog5]

Scarfed or Sistered.

[P Doug (WA)]

Thanks, I know what scarfed is, I don't know sistered. I scarfed them just because I knew a scraf joint had to be stronger than butt joint. May not make that much difference on a straight item that needs stringers but this is curved.

[warthog5]

OK I give a example. The example will be just off the top of my head and not nessisairly the right demensions for any one boat.

Let's say that plans call for a stringer that is 1 1/2in wide and 16ft long. In this case you would butt 2- 3/4in 8ftr's together. Where the butt joint is the center of the next 3/4in X 8ftr will go. Glued and screwed. Then 2- 3/4in X 4ftr's would butt onto each end of that 8ftr. Glued and screwed.

Does that make sence?

[P Doug (WA)]

Yes, I think you are saying in the case you gave the joints are stagered like laying bricks. Is this the "sister" thing? It sounds like you wouldn't lay out stringers butt jointed end to end to run the length of the bottom, like if they were 1"X1"'S , butt joint two 8' 1"X1" together to make the 16'.

[Andrew_Butchart]

I've scarfed together stringers before with few problems. Just make sure that where the joint is isn't where there is a lot of bending if you can avoid it. I'll often put a screw through the scarf joint as well to hold it together.

If you but-joint them, the won't lay fair on the curve - but if the section where the joint is is pretty straight then it doesn't matter.

[P Doug (WA)]

Thanks for the info Andrew. The stringer I was worried about I scarfed, as long as I was scarfing I made it about twice as long as I needed. Made it real flexible and easy to bend to the curve I needed. The old leverage thing. The scarfs held together fine.