Just a few questions for the pro's

[Aquasport&AChevy]

Does anyone keep the original stringers or did everyone just replace them completely? My brother and I are thinking about cutting the tops off taking out the old foam and refilling and resealing them up with new glass. Would it be smarter to just rip them out completely?

[Aquasport&AChevy]

Forgot to mention this is for a 1971 flatback or anyone with anything close to that year.

[melba toast]

IMHO and not a master rebuilder: You could do that. However, In an ideal world, you would remove them carefully, and put a layer of 1808 over the whole bottom up to above the chine first. Then you can reglass them back in place, glassing the aquasport stringers on the inside and the out. Use 45 degree mat/biaxial tape in 4" then, followed by 1.0z mat and a 10" biaxial on the inside. You can do the same on the outside, then foam and add two layers of 1808 standard biaxial matte over the whole stringer overlapping atleast 6" onto the bottom.

[CLM65]

I am currently rebuilding a 67 flatback and have cut off the tops of the stringers to remove the foam.  I'll be glassing the insides of the stringers to the hull, refilling with foam, and glassing over the top.  Others are doing it or have done it this way.  Others have also removed the stringers and either re-attached them as Melba described, or used an entirely different stringer system.  Look through the rebuild posts for flatbacks and you will find a variety of solutions.

[gman 82 aquasport]

If this helps, let this be a sort of guide, are the stringers loose anywhere?, If they have popped loose anywhere along the hull, you might be best to cut them out like melba toast post says, and add glass to the hull then reglass the stringers back in place then refill with foam and go on from there ...If they are good and attached on more than 90% of the hull, I would probably go CLM65's way..and just reglass the stringers to the hull and the hull floor between the stringers and go on from there, either way you have strenghtened the hull and the stringers and thats a good thing On my rebuild I just reglassed the stringers to the hull, and the floor of the hull and reglassed the tops back on and refilled with foam..Let the condition of the stringers be a guide , but ultimately, you decide how beefy you want your build.. :) Cost will be close either way, time will be not that much difference, maybe an extra day or three Let everyone know what the decision is and post up some pics, and oh yeah, Welcome aboard here

[Aquasport&AChevy]

Thanks everybody and they arn't in bad shape they are attached to the haul pretty good so I am really in the middle on this. Once I rebuild the transom back up I'll have to really take time and decide how I go from there.

[dburr]

PM sent

[Capt Matt]

Plan on raising stringer hight so boat will drain
Capt Matt