Re: will it hold its shape with the top off?
The main dimension you need to worry about is the width at floor level. The hull needs to be supported in a way that does not allow for twist, warp, hook, or bow. This can be accomplished on the trailer, or on specially built jigs. Do not brace from the ground in conjunction with the hull being on a trailer, your body weight in the hull will cause the trailer suspension to settle, but the braces from the ground won't so the support becomes uneven. <br /><br />Measure the width of the floor every few inches from back to front, confirm these measurements stay current when the structure is out and new structure is being glassed in. Periodically check the hull bottom from underneath for distortion. Do not try to glass all the stringers in at once, do them one at a time. Otherwise you have a stringer curing with your body weight in the hull, and any deformation your weight is causing could be held by the curing stringer. <br /><br />You glass one in, you get out, you let it cure. The hull holds its shape. You also want to let the bare structureless hull set for a few days before glassing any new structure in. This allows the hull to return to its as-molded shape, as opposed to the slow deformations that has happened over the years as the structure rotted and the boat sat on the trailer. Don't worry about the tops of the hull sides, they can flop, it doesn't matter as long as the floor level stays put while glassing. You will find when you put the top back on that you will have to do a bit of jockying the sides in and out to get things to line up. Good luck...
