You know the stringers are toast as well.
I would have derigged completely, pulled the cap/sole liner and done it that way.
I’ve sounded the stringers in a couple places fore and aft and they seem solid. I will of course take some small core samples to verify prior to redoing the gel coat, but so far it doesn’t look like it’s gone that far. I don’t like doing things twice, so will do my due diligence.
As far as pulling the entire top cap, I just don’t have the room for doing something like that on a boat this size. I’ll be more than happy to cut it out piece at a time as needed. You know what they say about eating elephants one bite at a time.
I’m going to enclose the transom and use a motor bracket in order to gain a swim platform and a few feet of cockpit space.
An explanation as to how the transom could have rotted so bad when nothing else has is there was fiberglass front and back, but nothing but some silicone and two pieces of thin aluminum angle on the top edge.
