The engine is out of the Kona right now and I want to make sure the stringers are gunna be up to the task of holding the 496 down.
The stringers are 2x6 from the transom to just past the engine, then they are 2x4.
There are some extra holes drilled through the stringers that have been acting as drainage ports for the areas outboar of the stringers. There's a silly little 'ditch' on the outboard side of the stringers that fills with water. ???
I want to drill some holes into the top of the stringers to see if the wood is still solid, then fill with glass if they are. If they are not, I was thinkin about cutting the glass off the top of the stringers and then hog the wood out with a big carbide bit, leaving the fiberglass sides of the stringer. Then fill the stringer with some soaked carbon fiber cloth (or just glass) until the stringers are tightly packed. Then cap off with fiberglass. Sand, drill holes for engine mounts and gelcoat. Maybe only doing this a little ways past the front of the engine, leaving wood 2x4 from there forward.
I also wanted to fill those silly 'dirches' with glass at the same time. and maybe put a couple of drain holes through the stringer.
I'm thinking this will be way stronger than wood and it will never rot out and I can tighten the crap out of the engine mount bolts.
It may change the flex of the boat but hey, this is no racer. Will it be too rigid and try to split apart from the hull?
What are the problems with doing this???
