Re: Be gentle, it's my first time!
Boomyal, <br />Mine was symmetrical enough that I was able to cut the first one, then use it as a blank for the second. Largest advantage was that when bayliner laid the original stringers, they did so after the layer of roving in the main hull layup, and before they laid mat and chopper glass to it. I found that if you're extremely careful you could sand the mat/chopper down with a 50grit sanding disc on a 4 1/2 grinder until you just started to see the roving pattern, and that left you with a great consistent, level area to fit the stringers to. The area directly under the factory stringers are to that level already, all you're really doing is fairing it out a bit more. I found that by doing that it left the finished layup back to only a bit higher that the original. Be advised though, that it's a lot of sanding, and a lot of dust. That's effectively how I killed 3 grinders. Also.. and this is important.. If the boat is on a bunk trailer, especially the Caulkins Escorts that they were originally sold with, that all the weight of the boat is on the bunks right on that area that the stringer was, and you have to be careful that the hull doesn't give inward from the weight. I had to support the boat under both rear corners and under the very front of the bow to not have the hull deformation. Best way to tell is to sight along that strake at the stringers on the outside from the rear of the boat. If it's out, you'll see it there. My boat had about 1/16 already, just enough to be visible from years of sitting on the trailer, and it never all came out, but had I glassed it just sitting in place there would have been a heck of a hook in the hull. Didn't have to take it off the trailer at all, just distribute the weight so that it wasn't all on the bunks. <br /><br />As far as the radius, as you make the transition from the bottom of the hull into the bow, it's not a sharp transition, therefore it isn't one angle into the other. instead it's a bit of a sweeping curve in a short distance. It's also different on the inside of the stringer than the outside, so you end up trying to come off an angle that's used at the bottom of the hull, to the bow angle, compensating for the fact that the stringers don't go straight into the bow, but intersect into the side of it in a way. Biggest thing you have to be careful is making sure that on the initial cuts that you leave enough meat on the stringer to be able to blend. If you just cut one angle into the other, you end up with the inside bottom of the radius short on material. Don't ask me how I know, but I have a third stringer to use as firewood! Hope that explains, but it's kind of hard to describe.. <br /><br />Regards,<br />Roger
<br /><br />Realgun, <br /><br />I have the shelves, but they're going to be redone so I'm basically just saving them for templates. The port one had a hole rotted through the top of it anyway. <br /><br />I know what you mean about cold. If it weren't for a heated garage mine would be sitting getting nothing done on it also!<br /><br />I am playing a bit of havoc from the Mrs. for the house smelling like epoxy tho..<br /><br />Roger