Turns out the 153 keel stringer should be long enough to use in the 500, thanks to the more rakish bow. Which would be cool cuz then we'd only have to scab the one side. Vs cobbling the whole thing up from floor sections. And that leaves us with more of the floor to use for the fwd bulkhead, transom knees, repairing the dash, etc. WooHoo!
Still dunno what to do with this mess on the bow. Paranoid to do any repairs with it off'n the boat for fear it won't line up right? Think mebbe we'll set it back on the hull'n try'n shore it up from the outside. Then pull it off & beef it up a lil from the inside. Then put it back on'n finish from the outside. Your thoughts?