Leaky Toilet Rotting My Stringers - What to do?

[Gone2long]

I recently bought a polyester over wood boat and found that a leaky toilet has been rotting through one of the glassed-over stringers underneath it.

I realize that this sounds like a bad joke, but it appears that the salt and urine have actually eaten away at the fiberglass. Not only that, but the wood in the stringer has some serious rot.

I tried scraping away at the rotted wood to discover how bad the problem actually is, and now, there is an incredibly noxious odor being emitted, apparently from the rotting wood.

First question then is, how do I begin cleaning up this mess? Also, is it wise to scrape anymore of the stringer away while the boat is in the water? Looks like the rot could go right down to the base of the stringer.

Any advice or suggestions would be sincerely welcomed.

G2L

[barnakiel]

You may want to remove the rotten section and laminate in a new one.

A picture perhaps of the whole area?

b.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Well this is a unique problem ain't it???

Agree with barnakiel ... pics... or a diagram...

[zeehag]

first, replace the toilet or remove it so it isnt rotting the wood anymore.
then assess your situation and sister a stringer into the mess.
then figure out how to get the boat out the water without it collapsing on ye from rot. then replace stringers and planks and have fun.
epoxy everything as you go so you dont have this repeat problem for at least 2 years.
for a better solution, ask minaret what to do.
or find a boat restorer for yourself and ask for consult.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by zeehag

first, replace the toilet or remove it so it isnt rotting the wood anymore.
then assess your situation and sister a stringer into the mess.
then figure out how to get the boat out the water without it collapsing on ye from rot. then replace stringers and planks and have fun.
epoxy everything as you go so you dont have this repeat problem for at least 2 years.
for a better solution, ask minaret what to do.
or find a boat restorer for yourself and ask for consult.

Oh man... Zee... you missed a home run by not using assess and toilet in the same sentence...

[zeehag]

oops lack of foresight....... since asses s and toilets are in same sentence we must ass ess this most care fully

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by zeehag

oops lack of foresight....... since asses s and toilets are in same sentence we must ass ess this most care fully

NICE!!!

[JPA Cate]

wear a mask to avoid inhaling the spores from the wood rot.

Zee is so right about this, the toilet must be removed to give you access to the parts beneath.

I find it hard to believe that the polyester was damaged by urine, it's pretty inert. I wonder what else might be going on there?

[onestepcsy37]

You say the boat is glass over wood. So the glass skin should keep the water out while you rebuild the stringers. Should be no need to haul the boat. I would grind/cut away the rotten wood and then replace or sister in new planking.

The odor is probably mold. Apply a strong bleach solution to kill the mold before working on the stringer. Wearing a mask couldn't hurt either.

But first pull the toilet and associated plumbing. It will give you room to work on the stringer and you can assess the toilet (!!!) to see if it can be saved by rebuilding it.

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

You may want to remove the rotten section and laminate in a new one.

A picture perhaps of the whole area?

b.

Will try to post a photo in the near future.

Thanks for your suggestion, which seems pretty much like a necessity from my point of view.

Regards,

G2L

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by zeehag

first, replace the toilet or remove it so it isnt rotting the wood anymore.
then assess your situation and sister a stringer into the mess.
then figure out how to get the boat out the water without it collapsing on ye from rot. then replace stringers and planks and have fun.
epoxy everything as you go so you dont have this repeat problem for at least 2 years.
for a better solution, ask minaret what to do.
or find a boat restorer for yourself and ask for consult.

Good advice, no doubt; however, I am certainly hoping that the rot is not that bad. Doesn't look like a major catastrophe just yet. But I am a bit worried about scraping any further. Looks like I've got maybe half of the stringer that still has good wood.

Taking out the toilet is on the agenda for today. Will bring in an expert tomorrow, hopefully, to assess the situation. May be hauling the boat soon for bottom painting and repair to the keel/rudder, so will probably do the toilet repair once the boat is on the hard.

Can urine and salt water actually rot through fiberglass????

Thanks for your help,

G2L

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by zeehag

first, replace the toilet or remove it so it isnt rotting the wood anymore.
then assess your situation and sister a stringer into the mess.
then figure out how to get the boat out the water without it collapsing on ye from rot. then replace stringers and planks and have fun.
epoxy everything as you go so you dont have this repeat problem for at least 2 years.
for a better solution, ask minaret what to do.
or find a boat restorer for yourself and ask for consult.

Know ye of a remedy for that one, me hardy?

G2L

[Gone2long]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

You say the boat is glass over wood. So the glass skin should keep the water out while you rebuild the stringers. Should be no need to haul the boat. I would grind/cut away the rotten wood and then replace or sister in new planking.

The odor is probably mold. Apply a strong bleach solution to kill the mold before working on the stringer. Wearing a mask couldn't hurt either.

But first pull the toilet and associated plumbing. It will give you room to work on the stringer and you can assess the toilet (!!!) to see if it can be saved by rebuilding it.

Thank you. I appreciate your input, and I think you are right about the glass protecting the bottom from water. I am worried that the rot from the stringer has seeped into the plywood of the hull, but, no way of knowing that really until I start tearing stuff out.

Also, I have grudgingly given into the idea that I am gonna have to tear out a good part of the head to even get to the stringer problem. But the odor is not mold, it is a strong urine smell. Will the bleach work on that, and if so, how long will it take to dry out? Seems like I need the wood to dry out before I start cutting any away, no?

Yours and the other comments sincerely appreciated.

Regards,

G2L

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

... I find it hard to believe that the polyester was damaged by urine, it's pretty inert. I wonder what else might be going on there?

Composting toilets are commonly made of fibreglass; and don't seem to have a problem with urine.

[zeehag]

one does not urinate into a composting toilet-- the excrement and urine are separated by the go-er when going. urine is dumped and feces remain in a bag with peat moss.

use vinegar to neutralize the possible urine in the wood, also to kill molds and rot microbes. then dry and fix.
bleach will react with urine to make a bad gas used to kill folks in ww1. remember urine has ammonia in it--reacts woith chlorine in a way you do not want to inhale.