many questions about repairing/replacing stringers

[Liam]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

when i cut out & replaced my deck, i bonded a 1/2 wooden tab to the underside of the lip like a shelf around the cavity. i then cut out a piece of 1/2 ply to fit the hole, then glassed over & faired to the original edge. this left the everything flush on the deck.

I considered this teqnique,but it seems the underside of the remaining perimeter is very uneven. How did you seal your tabs,did you just soak them in resin and then screw them from the top with thickened resin? thanks

[phatdaddy]

had to do some grinding on bottom side. the tabs were soaked with epoxy & then bonded to the lip with slightly thickened epoxy(to cut down on the dripping). held in place with c clamps until cured. no mechanical fasteners. i used epoxy only, not polyester. i think it has a stronger bond & is easier to work with. more consistent pot life & work time. the down side is you are then forced to paint deck, can't gel coat.

[bradford]

I wouldn't put in any foam. You have the right idea about letting everything drain well and get air to it to dry out. I think it's a good idea if you park her indoors to open the hatches to let air circulate, if not at least the ones inside the cuddy if you have a cuddy model. Interestingly mine didn't have any foam except for around the rotted out fuel tank.

When reinstalling the deck you should add additional hatches where available. My cuddy had a huge void forward of the fish box that I opened up and installed my batteries and an additional bilge pump. Also you should add hinges to your fuel tank hatch to make it easier to inspect or remove if necessary.

Great hearing everyone's progress!

[phatdaddy]

i also added a compartment forward of the fish box, not sure if it's doable on a center console





also agree with bradford on the air circulation, this is what i do when parking mine