Early 90's formuls
 

was just wondering if its just mine or are they all built like this and this was over looked..

I have a 1992 336,i was in the engine bay pressure washing..i aimed the wand at the foreward bulkhead and low and behold i took the paint off it,upon further inspection i noticed that the bulkhead was soft,formula just tabed in this forward bulkhead and just tabed around the center stringer..THEY DID NOT GLASS THE WHOLE BULKHEAD IN..then they painted over it..the rest of the stringers and transom are solid as a rock and you would think thet would have done the same to the bulkhead that holds the center stringer which holds two engines..

thanx in advance for the replys on how your formula if built..

Yup my 311 was the same way. When i did the motors i had a glass guy fix mine.

They are not all built the same as mine does not have a forward bulkhead.

my 86 272 is the same way. Getting ready to repair the bulkheads and other wood. the forward stringers but up against that bulk head so wood to wood contact with the one piece exposed.

Nice work......... :angry-smiley-038:

Brian

My 89 242LS is built that way but seems to be ok. My SS has a little softness at the top but seems ok otherwise. I'm not thinking to do anything about it until there is a more pronounced need.

My 86 was only noticably soft where the mid bulk head was exposed at the top. But once you start digging into it, watch out! My center stringer is now being replaced, the bulk head is over 70% out where it got wet and the stringers going forward are wet. They are strong as hell and the boat feels very solid, no flex in the cockpit at all. But there is water in there and will have to be dealt with.

Everything had felt solid to me also except for that one bulk head to either side of the main stringer, not all of it. Checked the transom and it is dry thank God! A lot of the wood came out hard from the bulk head and stringers, it was wet not rotted. I do not see how the center motor stringer on all of these is not wet with how they built them and then left them open on the bottom! As long as I am into it, I am doing it once and then the motors are going back in.

Brian

fixx
 

Thanx for the reply's..one would think with the reputation that formula has they wuld at leaste spend the extra money on what vary little it would cost them to at leaste glass the that section of the boat in so we the people that cant afford a newer boat would not have to go through this...this will be the last formuls i will buy after seeing the way they cut corners to save on a little weight and dollars..:angry-smiley-038:

cant say that I would never buy another Formula for that reason, I am sure that their quality has increased over the years from the eairly 90's... Nothing last's forever... And one thing I can assure you that any older or even newer boat you inspect with a fine tooth comd you will find some kinda quality issues..

I have see alot newer boats with more rot than that. IMHO "whole transoms" Believe it or not Formula Knows how to seal a boat up.

Mine is holding up quite well compared to others of the same vintage.

My 1991 242SS . . . same thing . . . the bulkhead between the engine compartment and fuel tank was not fully glassed and rotted away. I happened to hit the area with a pressure washer and sort of blew it away. I repaired the effected area . . . better than new.

I do not know how wood in boats is not wet. (note: saying this after working on only one formula, but saw this in several that I looked at first to include scarabs)

The center stringer on my 86 - 272 was made by two pieces of 3/4" ply about 18" tall and 48" long. These were the outside "skins" with a 2x2 at the bottom and a 2x6 at the top (or 2x2 and a 2x4) to form a hollow stringer with the ends open. The water in the bilge was free to flow right down the middle of this, so of course it was rather wet. Now, the stringer was shorter than the span so the wood did not contact the bulk head or the transom and I think this is what saved my transom. The center of the bulk head also seems solid. I have removed all the wood from the center stringer and will be casting it solid. Will be much stronger given that it was 1/2 hollow before.

The front bulk head buts up to the stringers running forward and where they meet they are joined by a 2x2 to help hold it all together while they are glassed in. Water from the unprotected bulk head soaked into the 2x2 and transferred to the stringers since there was no air gap or glass seperating them. Get wet in one spot and it starts spreading. Now, the center bulk head will dry out due to its exposure, but it will take forever to get those stringers to dry out!

The front bulkhead is also gone due to a leaking cabin door and the water took out the stringers going forward about four feet from where they joined together, so it soaks plenty far once one piece gets wet.

Now wet wood is different from rotten wood. Much of the wood in the center stringer was a major pain to get out, had a lot of strength left in it. Only a small part of the engine compartment bulk head was rotten, but it all got wet. The stringers going forward are wet, but the wood will not come out unless you drill it and chip it out. If they use the correct wood, it will survive wet for quite awhile. Also, I believe rot requires oxygen, so wood that is wet and buried under glass may survive longer? Not sure.

My point or question is this. How does anyone NOT have a wet center stringer and if your bulk head got wet, how are the forward stringers not wet as well? May not be rotten, but seems like they all would be wet unless rack stored under cover and never left in the water or exposed to rain! I am just looking at how the wood was laid out in the boat and do not see anyway to prevent it from getting wet over time unless stored in a dry environment.

With my limited exposure to boat interiors, I am curious on what others think of my "analysis of the situation".

Update . . . I re-checked my boat based on some of the on-going discussion of bulkhead and stringer rot. It looks like deterioration went from the bulkhead to the stringers. So, I'll be taking things apart over the next few weeks. Here are a few pictures showing the cause and the effect.

The Cause . . .
http://home.comcast.net/~tpenfield/W...erCheck-27.jpg

The Effect . . .
http://home.comcast.net/~tpenfield/W...erCheck-38.jpg

There still seems to be lots of supporters of wood structures for boats, and if sealed properly, wood will last a long time. I think the practical issues experienced in production fall short of that longevity goal, and it looks like Formula is not exempt from these issues.

I also think that is why you see the bigger boats going to composite structures, 'cuz who wants to tear apart a 35' boat after 20 years.

Anyway, my situation is not too bad, and I know I can fix it better than new - probably will not use wood in the repairs.

I've seen worse issues on other brands of boat after fewer years. So, I'm still a Formula Fan. I'll know what to look for as I consider upsizing to a 272 or 292 at some point.

I just bought a 272 sr1. The old hammer test sounds good on all places I can reach. Floor throughout boat and cabin feels solid. Hoping to do more inspections when I need to do something with motors.