Tri Hull Cabin Cruiser Rebuild advice.

Hi Guys,

Hope this in the correct forum.

I am from Durban, South Africa and I acquired a 13-14ft (Still have to measure) Tri Hull Cabin Cruiser this past Saturday (freebie from a friend of a friend). The guy my friend got it from lost interest in the project and had to let it go due to space constraints, so I had no idea what work was done to date. This is my 1st attempt at trying to restore a boat so not to au fait with terms of boat building, but will learn as we go along. I have tried to read up a bit this morning to familiarise myself with some aspects.

On inspection of the boat yesterday, I could see that it requires lots and lots of work. The epoxy had delaminated off the "new" floor and the transom he replaced (2 X 18mm ply bonded) had rotten again.

I began stripping the floor and removed all the flotation. He used empty plastic containers to fill the void for buoyancy and also with polyurethane foam. The stringers were rotten through completely and will have to be replaced.

I have a few thoughts which I need guidance on.

I will most probably use epoxy where possible. (A lot of the online resources says polyester should be avoided for backyard builders.)

How do I prevent delamination on the ply in future?

The cabin section is about one inch below the main deck floor, water does not appear to seep from the top of the cabin (rainwater still in stowage hatches) nor from the hull on the main deck side. Should I leave as is or completely remove and rather replace the stringers all the way?

My intention is to make it into a wet deck, what you guys term a self bailing. Does the floor height matter on either a self bailing or standard deck?

What material can be used for the transom? I have read posts on using other material other than wood.

Thank You.