Stringer spacing

This may turn out ot be dumb question of hte day but.....

I would like to use an in floor fuel tank when I rebuild my next 16' bass boat. The original builder (Kennedy Boats, Toronto area, Ontario Canada) used a large/deep stringer up the middle, with a smaller oneabout a foot out either side. For me to use the tank I want to, I would go with wider stringers but they need to be 26" apart, with nothing in the middle. I have seen many hulls with the two stringer design - any thoughts here?

Mark

Re: Stringer spacing

would it be possible to leave the center stringer in there at partial height?

Re: Stringer spacing

I thought of something to that effect - coring the "vee" as there is a flat section on the bottom of the tank anyway. Honestly, I could put up with a little lost storage space but my big pet pieve is on my current re-build I have a 23 gallon side to side, and as I cruise along with 1/2 a tank the boat lists to my side - I weigh more then my wife and the fuel all sloshs to my side. Sounds minor but we boat every weekend, and it just plain bugs me. I though of going with a custom aluminum tank as they come with baffles but Ibelieve it would still slowly tilt. Larger boat is not an option as it has to fit in the garage and I like the performance of a 16' bass boat w/ Evinrude 115 ficht.....

My biggest concern is that the boat is just over 6' wide, and the stringers would have to be 25" apart to fit the fuel tank, which is also a little wider then they need to be to clear the jack plate bolts. In other words, I am concerned of the knee braces allowing flex or stress between the jack plate mounts and the braces theselves due to them being further away then need be. In hte original design, the knee braces are only about 2" away. If I recall correctly, engine mount/jack plate bolts are only about 16" apart?

Sorry for the long post....just trying to explain....