Supporting hull while installing new stringers

[Tazmo65]

Hi, I am in the process of installing new stringers in a 17' Searay bowrider and need some advice. The boat has been stripped down to the bare hull, floor and old stringers are gone and the top is still on. I built 2 new stringers and bulkheads outside the boat and want to install them as an assembly. My question is, what would be the best way to support the hull while i am glueing them in? The boat is currently setting on the trailer with the area under the transom supported with jack stands and the front is resting on the trailer so that the center of the boat is un supported. Will this work? Or should i do something different?

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Supporting hull while installing new stringers

Since it is just a bare shell, it is quite light. I am assuming there is no motor. The only thing I recommend is when you glass the assembly in, do it in sections so you can get back out of the hull. Your weight can distort the bottom as the glass is curing. I glass mine in one stringer at a time, letting each stringer cure. This way you don't have the risk of distortion. <br /><br />The other thing I might recommend is having only the trailer do the supporting. When you get in the hull, the suspension will settle, but the supports under the transom will not, which could cause distortion. Is your trailer roller or bunk? Either way, the trailer is a better support, it will spread the load.