Lateral Stringers

[Diverted Income]

'82 F32 have had the boat for 10 years. Previous owner allowed water intrusion. At one time water was a couple inches up on the door for the head, so quite a bit of water. Lateral stringers under the floor next to the dinette have detached. Forward one is real bad. They have been damaged for a long time, I sure prior to us owning her. They all need to be replaced. Time to tackle it. Questions and looking for advice.
I cut some of the glass on the forward stringer around the limber hole area for inspection. Boat has been hauled for the season. Thinking I don't really want to cut it open till it is back in the water? Would that be the correct time to do it once it is floating again? Do them one at a time to maintain as much structural integrity as possible. Would like to reuse as much of the original "shell" as I can. best to cut the front or back off and slide new wood in place or cut top off and drop in? Looking for experience here. Appreciate any tips.
Thanks!

[prowlersfish]

I would cut the top and see what you have. It can be done in or out of the water if it's blocked properly

[P-Dogg]

Hard to beat being in the water for providing distributed support. Extra blocking on the ground could suffice.

Consider: on the hard, every trip inside the boat means up n down a ladder, vs walking down a dock. But if you're already hauled, you're not missing any boat-use time if you start now.

Agree, trim the tops off as a start. IIRC, several stringer repair threads in this forum.