Re: DIY-1972 thunderbird shawnee tri-hull boat restoration-(after shop repair gone wr
Howdy jarrpal001,
Just jumping on board to give my 1/2 cents worth...
The trailer does a fine job of supporting the boat when it is one complete structure.
When you are doing a complete restoration, even if you remove one stringer at a time, that part of the hull becomes weak and prone to flexing or warping...while it may or may not amount to much, you are taking a chance of the hull deforming just enough, that when you go to put it back together, it may not fit or actually become deformed...
If you are doing the "standard" complete restoration which usually involves removing the cap, etc..., and you are replacing the stringers and transom, you should support the hull by building some form of cradle to keep everything properly aligned, so when you go to install the cap back on, you don't find that it won't fit...
The actual hull of the boat is usually a very thin, around 1/8 of an inch thick, lamination of fiberglass. This is then made structurally "solid" by the stringers, transom, bulkheads[ if designed into the hull] and the cap. When any or all of these are removed in the process of a restoration, stresses will be applied to the weak areas of the hull and these could adversely affect the shape. If it is not properly supported when being reconstructed, it could change the shape of the hull enough that it won't go back together the right way. If your trailer support happens to be under one of the stringers that you removed, the hull may actually "give" upwards, and when you go to replace that particular stringer, it may not sit at the correct original height and cause you problems later on...that is just one example that immediately comes to mind...
A proper cradle for the hull can be thrown together in a matter of hours and for very minimum of cash outlay, compared to the amount of time and money that you are going to be putting into a complete restore, and provide the security and peace of mind knowing that your hull will maintain its shape throughout the entire rebuild. Since you really only have to do this once, there is no reason to skimp on this part of the process. It would be a shame to put all of the effort and money into a restoration, only to find that you have to go back and tear out what you've already done, and start over...
Also, by building a cradle, it wont be absolutely necessary for you to replace "one at a time" the stringers, etc...instead you can do all of your initial grinding and prep work in one complete shot, then begin the reconstruction process...which is generally more a efficient use of time ...
Again, just my 1/2 Cents worth, for what its worth...
Best regards,
GT1M
