Stringers from plywood

"please excuse my lack of naut

"please excuse my lack of nautical engineering terms. i think stringers run the lenght of the boat. what i pulled out was made out of a 2x6 at least. i chose mohogany because i thought it best. this is the second transom i have done. the last one did not need stringers. i think back to how i did that that one. i only want to improve on that job. this is not the first time i was told plywood was good enoulf. the guy who fixed the carbs on my 78 50hp outboard merc o/b says exterior grade ply is good enoulf. he sells used boats. i work at a use car lot. i plan on keeping this one. im 34 now i dont want to do this again when i am 65. i think if i was going to sell this one, it might not require marine grade materels. but for this boat i want only the best. that is why im going out of the way to repower with small block chevy and mercruiser.
let me know what you think? mike"

"We used oak in places that we

"We used oak in places that we didn't use marine plywood.
A couple of things to think about while you are reworking your engine compartment. Saltwater is the biggest enemy of Mercruiser engine. Go with full freshwater cooling and minimize saltwater in the bilge. Mercruiser made stainless steel risers for a few years, I got mine off of E-bay for a little over $200. The rest of the engine and manifolds have antifreeze inside.
To keep saltwater out of bilge and off the engine I set up a triple bilge system. We fiberglassed a lip about 1.5 inches high all around the engine compartment. We made small bilge areas on each side of engine compartment just in front of the transom. They have pockets at the rear below deck level for water to gather and be pumped out. All the water on the deck drains into these compartments instead of under the engine. We have three drain plugs at the back of the boat and three bilge pumps. If I have a problem with one of the side bilge pumps (clogged with fish blood) I will have water standing on the deck long before it is high enough to get in main bilge under engine.
Main engine compartment has a fixed front, removable sides held by 6 screws each and a hinged top for quick access. Had to add a stainless drip tray under hinge to keep saltwater from dripping on engine through hinge.
Batteries are in the side bilges along with trim pump. I cut the top off of a 5 quart oil jug and put it over the top of my trim pump to keep water from dripping on it."

It's your perogative to bu

It's your perogative to build it the way you want. Just use the CPES on all the cut/fitted wood and you'll never have a wood problem again.

The OD opening edge should be treated w/CPES. Any small holes thru the hull should be slightly larger than needed and also be treated w/CPES and then filled w/epoxy and redrilled. Use thru hull transducers when possible.

Don't use screws to install a bilge pump. Epoxy the base in place after scuffing the area.

"[b]"im 34 now i dont want

""im 34 now i dont want to do this again when i am 65."

Ayuh,..

65
-34
______
31 Years...

No Problem for Plywood...

Look at it this way,...
You're Sealing it with Resins, Glassing them in with a few layers of Glass....
The Strength is in the Glass,...
The plywood just holds the shape long enough for it to Set...

If you Don't allow Water to lay in the bilge 24/7/365, by proper Drainage,...
And you don't go poking Holes thru your Sealing job...
They'll Last til 'ell Freezes Over....

My Old Town Atlantis is a 1973,... About Your age....
It's as Solid as the day it was shipped from Old Town Canoe Co...
It's stringer system is fully glassed Plywood...
And,.. It's also been Well taken care of,+ Always set up to Drain properly...."

same with my 69 Slickcraft...

same with my 69 Slickcraft... it has Mahogany stringers under a plywood floor with carpet on top...solid as a rock @ 40 years old.. my original carpet testifies as to how well the boat has been stored