I am in the middle of restoring a Santana 22 that I recently bought
(1968, hull #365) and upon removing the chainplates I discovered that
the 2"x10" laminated stringer that runs under the mast was thoroughly
water-logged and mostly rotten. I cut away the interior fiberglass
and removed the decaying stringer and discovered what was left of a
5x9" aluminum inset plate directly beneath the mast that had mostly
turned to paste. I guess I have two questions; I was wondering if
anybody has experience and could give me some advice on laminating
and installing a new stringer; and what should I replace the 5x9"
plate with--stainless seems like a better way to go, but it appears
to have been nearly a half inch thick. Any help would be much
appreciated. Thanks,
Steve