stringer repair

[BobCT]

I'm going to repair about a 2-3' section of stringer on my mid cabin. It's in the aft section right around one of the large (unsealed) cut outs from the factory. There's one each side under the rearmost bilge hatch. The port side is fine and sealed/epoxied by me already.

Do you think I would be better off doing this in the water? I'm thinking of any alignment implications and the support the hull is getting when it's floating vs. on the hard which is only a few weeks away.

Todd, do you know the dimensions of what I need to order? Two sections of 3/4" ply... is 12" high enough at the stern? I can measure it up but have a feeling you know this off the top of your head. Is it practical to only cut the cap (since it's not as high as under the engines), clean it out and do the repair this way? I would like to keep as much glass intact for obvious reasons. If the top is opened up, that might give me the option of using one of the pourable compounds. It's not a structural issue and I could probably just leave it alone but I'm going to do something. I've been through every inch of the boat now and this is the only section that needs any work. Everything else from the deck down is solid as a rock and I've epoxied any areas that can allow water into the "core".



thanks
Bob

[RWS]

maybe doing a round of West System or Git Rot first,

Then re-evaluating it again next season?

The K I S S principle ?

RWS

[jimbo36]

maybe doing a round of West System or Git Rot first,

Then re-evaluating it again next season?

The K I S S principle ?

RWS

If you are thinking of this kind of fix you may consider Smith's CPES, (clear penetrating epoxy sealer) widely used in wooden boat restorations.

[todd brinkerhoff]

Do it now. From personal experience, you'll think about it all winter. I think cutting the top section out is a good idea. You can then chissel out the rotted wood. I'd keep as much laminent in place as I could to use as a "form". Use West System and the 404 structural powder for your wood adhesion. Wet out the wood first. Easy fix. As long as its not structural, location won't matter.