I have come to the unfortunate discovery that I have stringer rot within my starboard inboard stringer of my boat. I had planned to use the boat for 2 more years and then sell it. The repair would involve completely removing my interior kitchen countertops and cabinets all the way back to the aft bathroom. This repair would cost without a doubt $20/25K as per estimates from the boat yard capable of doing this job. If the repair is not done then the boat quickly reverts to a salvage value only as it would not pass a survey and in most cases become uninsurable.
The resale value of the boat is not an issue for me and I am not willing to tear out my (recently installed) Corian counter tops and beautiful teakwood cabinetry. So, I am looking for a repair which would shore up the damaged stringer and allow me to operate the boat for 2 more years at which point I am willing to sell it for whatever it is worth (as is) and needing stringer replacement. The idea I have is to insert a piece of aluminum or steel angle capping the full length of the damaged area (roughly the length of the Crusader 350 and beyond the motor mounts) for additional support. The left front motor mount has compressed the top of the fiberglassed stringer approximately 1/4" and I would seek to eliminate further compression. Since the motor mounts are adjustable I assume I will be able to achieve an "alignment" of the drive components as per before damage. Here's a photo of my situation with the right front motor mount. I'd appreciate a discussion of my idea and please keep in mind that this operation could NOT BE considered to be a "repair" of the situation and positively affect the value of the boat in any way. It's just for my own peace of mind. This boat is berthed on a lake, never exceeds 8mph and does not encounter rough water conditions ever.
The resale value of the boat is not an issue for me and I am not willing to tear out my (recently installed) Corian counter tops and beautiful teakwood cabinetry. So, I am looking for a repair which would shore up the damaged stringer and allow me to operate the boat for 2 more years at which point I am willing to sell it for whatever it is worth (as is) and needing stringer replacement. The idea I have is to insert a piece of aluminum or steel angle capping the full length of the damaged area (roughly the length of the Crusader 350 and beyond the motor mounts) for additional support. The left front motor mount has compressed the top of the fiberglassed stringer approximately 1/4" and I would seek to eliminate further compression. Since the motor mounts are adjustable I assume I will be able to achieve an "alignment" of the drive components as per before damage. Here's a photo of my situation with the right front motor mount. I'd appreciate a discussion of my idea and please keep in mind that this operation could NOT BE considered to be a "repair" of the situation and positively affect the value of the boat in any way. It's just for my own peace of mind. This boat is berthed on a lake, never exceeds 8mph and does not encounter rough water conditions ever.
