Okay to cut stringers?

[forestjohnson]

I have a 32' Forest Johnson Prowler. It has encapsulated plywood stringers that are very tall. My question is would it be possible to cut the stringers down in one area and add thickness to the stringer to retain the same strength? I would add the doubler along the entire length of the stringer of course. If this is possible how much thickness would you have to add to mantain the strength of the original. Would you use plywood and epoxy? I would like to reduce the height of the stringers by half in one 30inch long area to accomodate a generator. Thanks.

[buckknekkid]

can you attach an angle along the top and sides to stiffen it instead?

[forestjohnson]

I could attach an angle, but what material and thickness should I use? That would be an easy solution for sure.

[buckknekkid]

If your in Merrit, theres a few builders there that you could probably talk to about their engine mounts. Large Diesels require serious mounts so find a few and ask lotss of questions

[Deering]

Cutting stringer height in half and doubling its thickness won't give you the same stiffness. Think of a 2x4. On edge it's pretty siff, but turn it on its side and it bends easily, even though the amount of material remains the same. You're proposing to do essentially the same thing.

You'll either need to add a lot more thickness (maybe triple), and/or reinforce it with a higher strength material such as steel or aluminum plate.