bad stringer 1985 SN

I just purchased a 1985 SN and it looks like the stringers need replacing. Can anyone tell me the best way to attack this problem? Best way to open the floor It seems to be only in the front of the boat. I was reading about Seacast. Does anyone know if it works well? Can you replace only the front half of the stingers or do they have to be totally removed????? Any help will be appreciated

This air powered saw was a great tool for cutting away the floor, cutting loose stringers, and general cutting inside the boat. It can be purchased at auto parts stores. You'll need extra blades.

You only have to replace as little or as much as you want but I a$$ure you that if the floor is breached in front the damage extends all the way down to the transom. Once the water works its way into the boat it eventually saturates into the foam from the bottom up.

If you wanted to do a partial repair of only the front you might want to do something like this:

Cut out the gla$$ from the front of the engine compartment to the bulkhead leaving about 1/2" along the sides of the hull. Underneath that gla$$ you are going to have several 1"x3" pine slats that are STAPLED onto the stringers.

Remove the gla$$ and wood in that area keeping it as intact as possible to be used as a pattern.

Remove the foam in that area leaving a good line where you stop.

Then if your stringers are not falling apart rotten you can use rot doctor to repair the wood. Even better remove a section 4" deep for the length of the damaged area. You can laminate or graft a new piece of stringer onto that spot.

The secondaries are probably very bad. You can graft new pieces in the repair area in a simalar manner depending on how badly they are damaged.

Replace the foam.

Install a 1/2" plywood floor covered in gla$$ and resin.

Regla$$ the floor to the hull.

Still a ton of work. Will provide a good repair of that area. BUT still leaves behind soaked foam and rotting stringers.

Thanks for the info My 1x3s were so bad they are mud. Is there a pattern on line I can go by? Or would you just plywood from front to back then gla$$ over it?

Yes I did cut most of the floor. I started cutting small pieces trying to avoid a large job. I will also be looking for a new drive train if any one has one for sale

What are you proping for when you drill? If you are expecting water to come running out like a faucet that is not likely to happen. I learned that most of the wet foam on my boat was at the very bottom - gravity. You certainly won't destroy your boat making a hole. It can be repaired - marine tex may not be the best answer but would work. In the 2001's (model not year) the floor under the front seats is wood. You can bang the end of a screwdriver against it checking for soft spots. Then poke an ice breaker inside to confirm your suspicions. Same technique for checking stringers for rot.

There may be other symptoms: Unusually large wakes; vibration; obvious breaches between the hull or floor and stringers; screws that are loose and wont tighten.