Wet Stringers? We Dry Them Out Without Tearing Your Boat Apart.
Finding out your stringers are wet is a lot like finding out your house has foundation problems. Not exactly the news you were hoping for.
Here's the good news. You probably don't need to rip out your stringers to fix them. Dryboat dries wet stringers in place, with no tear-out and no visible repair when we're done.
Get a Free QuoteWhat Are Boat Stringers, Anyway?
Stringers are the long structural beams that run along the bottom of your hull. Think of them as your boat's backbone. They carry the engine, stiffen the hull, and keep everything from flexing where it shouldn't.
On most cored boats, stringers are made of wood or foam wrapped in fiberglass. That fiberglass is supposed to keep water out. Over time, it doesn't always win.
Want the deeper dive? Read What Are Wet Stringers?
How Do Stringers Get Wet?
Water is patient. It finds its way into stringer core through:
- Screws and bolts drilled into the stringers for engine mounts, brackets, and hold-downs
- Small cracks in the fiberglass tabbing
- Bilge water that sits against the stringers for too long
- Fittings and penetrations that were never fully sealed
Once water reaches the core, it spreads. Left alone, it can lead to rot, delamination, and a weaker hull.
Signs Your Boat Might Have Wet Stringers
If any of that sounds familiar, don't panic. That's what we're here for.
The Old Fix vs. The Dryboat Fix
The traditional fix for wet stringers is tear-out and replacement. That means cutting into the hull, pulling the old stringers, building new ones, and re-glassing everything. It's expensive, it takes months, and it leaves your boat with repair work a buyer or surveyor can see.
Dryboat takes a different approach. We dry the core right where it is.
Traditional Tear-Out
- Cutting into the hull and pulling the old stringers
- Building new stringers and re-glassing everything
- Months of downtime and major expense
- Repair work a buyer or surveyor can see
The Dryboat Way
- No cutting out stringers or fiberglass skin
- Typically 50 to 60 percent less than tear-out and replacement
- No visible repair scarring once we're finished
- Your boat's original factory structure stays intact
- We come to you at your marina, boatyard, or storage facility
What Does Wet Stringer Repair Cost?
Short answer: a lot less than you're probably bracing for.
Traditional stringer replacement means cutting the hull open, rebuilding, and re-glassing. On larger boats, major tear-out repairs can run past $100,000, plus months of downtime.
Dryboat's process is typically 50 to 60 percent less than tear-out and replacement. Every boat is different, so your exact price depends on how much area is wet and where it is.
How We Dry Wet Stringers
Evaluate
We review photos, moisture meter readings, and your survey report (if you have one) to map where the moisture is and how far it has spread.
Setup and Dry
We make small access points in the affected stringer areas and use our patented system to push warm, super-dry, pressurized air into the core at controlled angles and depths. It runs around the clock, adjusted for your boat, until the core reaches acceptable moisture levels.
Verify and Finish
We re-test with moisture meters to confirm the stringers are dry, then seal and finish the access points so there's no visible repair.
Why Boat Owners and Surveyors Trust Dryboat
Our drying process is protected by multiple U.S. patents, including US 9,945,612, US 10,717,505, and US 12,441,451.
We've completed hundreds of warranty and non-warranty jobs, and boats we've treated have a 100 percent marine survey pass rate.
Surveyors, brokers, marinas, and boat manufacturers send owners our way when a survey turns up moisture. That's the kind of trust you can't buy.
Multi-Patented
U.S. patented drying technology
100%
Marine survey pass rate
30 ft+
Vessels we specialize in
What Surveyors and Owners Say
"These guys were great! If you have moisture issues I highly recommend that they give them a call."
Armando Melendez
Yacht Owner
"10/10 service! I was skeptical at first but these guys over delivered! Thanks Jace and Scott."
Scotty Nieman
Yacht Owner
Wet Stringer FAQs
In many cases, yes. Our patented process removes moisture from stringer core in place. During evaluation, we'll tell you honestly whether your boat is a good fit.
Not necessarily. Replacement has long been the default fix, but drying the core in place is a non-invasive alternative that typically costs 50 to 60 percent less.
Boats treated by Dryboat have a 100 percent marine survey pass rate.
No. The small access points are sealed and finished when the job is done.
We focus on boats 30 feet and larger.
Nope. Our team travels to your boat anywhere in the U.S., and we service Canada too.
It depends on how much of the stringer area is wet and where it is. Dryboat's drying process is typically 50 to 60 percent less than traditional tear-out and replacement. Send us your survey or moisture readings for a quote.
Related Reading
What Are Wet Stringers? (And Why Should You Care?)
The basics on stringers, how they get wet, and why it matters.
Read moreHow to Tell If Your Boat Stringers Are Wet
Six signs to watch for, from soft floors to survey flags.
Read moreCan Wet Stringers Be Dried Out? (Yes. Here's How.)
Why drying in place works and how our patented process does it.
Read moreStringer Replacement vs. Drying: What You're Really Paying For
Cost, downtime, and resale value compared side by side.
Read moreLet's Get Your Stringers Dry.
Send us your survey, moisture readings, or a few photos, and we'll take it from there.
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