That's one side of the coin, I'd consider it the "tails" side.
I'm more of the mind of, if I'm already in there and already have everything torn apart and exposed... I'm going to fix everything that needs fixing now and anything that may need fixing in the future. I just can't see digging into a boat and having everything apart and exposed only to do the minimum required to "get me by". The last thing I would want to do is to have to come back in a couple of years to tear out the new work I've installed (and new material) to do something I should have done the first time around... but we have seen several people do this on this forum and I can't see the logic behind it unless you just like tearing your boat apart and spending more and more money on it. I'd rather do it once and done... then enjoy it for many years without having to open her up again.
As far as someone paying me to "patch at" their boat, that's another story. If I couldn't convince them to go ahead and do it all at once, then if I had the time and they had the money I'd make a patchwork quilt out of it for as long and as many times as they wanted.
Yes Jig, its the tails side, if tails were called.
These mid 80's aft sleepers were built with a 3 piece hull design, with a hull, cap, and tub, plus additional substructure for the aft sleeper. They resemble a split level house, but with ply framing. The stringers aren't continuous, but are tied to bulkheads up to 10' spacing. Its not just a matter of "while im in there" theres an order of the components, not unlike a puzzle, that makes up the structure. In my build, I was able to access two bulkheads, and 4 rear and mid stringer sections with just two cockpit cuts at the bulkheads. that allows access to the engine bay and fuel tank bay. I made a 3rd cut at the galley sole, for exploratory reasons, but the stringer sections towards the bow were good. If I needed, I could access all the stringer fronts with a v-berth removal. There are no areas that needed to be fixed, that I didn't do in a sectioned rebuild. To swap out the entire multi-level deck structure would require a trolley hoist, and large work space, which most pro shops, not to mention home builders ,don't have.
Now if the hull is foam filled, which most 80's afts of this size were not, then it depends on the extent of compromised foam...like in the case of GSPR and his Vic. Even if its filled, but not totally compromised, a repair of just the saturated sections is required.
Teds formula bulkhead repair thread is a good example of a proper repair, on a larger cruiser.
Bertram, and a few others, had the foresight to integrate removable cockpit decks, and salon decks, for access to fuel cells, and engines, but also gave access to the substructure...that's why u see a lot of "frame offs" on those models, most other 80's mids, are repaired or scrapped.
Most any pro shop will isolate the problem areas of a boat this size, and repair them, then get it back in service, only an amateur would tear out the entire structure, only to replace it all with near zero net gain in integrity, unless paid for a custom rebuild.
This is not a glorified row boat, its a wanna be yacht.
When I saw..."88 Chris Craft 290 Classic" I kinda figured this would be one of those!!!!