When describing STRINGERS, I hear 3/4, full, partial, 1/2, etc.
When referring to those, what exactly are we talking about?
3/4 goes 3/4 of the length of the boat??
Partial would be half the boat??
I have an "engine box" that's 4feet from the transom, then the stringer is in the center of the hull and is 10 feet towards the bow from the "box" and the boat is 18feet overall length. Is it a 3/4 Stringer??
Since I'm replacing the stringer and the front of the engine box, I'm thinking about removing the 4 feet of the engine box sides, and putting 2 stringers from the transom all the way forward, and terminating them in the front of bow like the original center single one, just on the sides.
Getting the supplies isn't an issue, doing the job RIGHT is what I am concerned with.
I may be displaying some ignorance here, but I have never heard the term "half" or "three quarter" stringer in anything.
There is full stringer, which is when the stringers go from the transom all the way past the front bulkhead.
A quarter stringer deal is just that, there is a structure around the engine for the mounts to bolt to and that is it. The strength in these comes from the keel beam and the floor.
I really like full stringer hulls because of the inherent strength and ability to handle ridiculous hp. They also typically handle rough waters a lot better with less hull stress, a full string hull typically stress cracks the hell out of the deck and the quarter typically cracks the bottom.
Converting a quarter stringer to a full is quite a lot of work, but if you really like the hull, worth doing IMHO.
The most common mistake made is when the hull is not supported very well when glassed back together. You can do it on the trailer, but it really needs to be off the bunks, I normally put the trailer on jack stands and square them up, then I will block the hull off the bunks using the corners of the rear of the trailer and the keel near the bow where the stringers will end.
There is a crap ton of grinding to do because you need to get down to fresh fiber glass and down past the area where the glass has oxidized, typically about 1/16" of the surface is yellowed and brittle glass. Use a respirator, i use a North full face. DO NOT BREATH THE DUST...
Good luck and most important, have fun doing it. If it's not fun, what the heck is the point?
GT