hello. i/m doing a resto on a 24 7 pantera and i cut the floor out to remove the fuel tank. the stringers are in super shape as the boat was a garaged boat its whole life.

my question is this: when they assembled the boat deck to hull, they didn't attach the floor to the top of the stringers. it floats about 1/8th of an inch from the top of the stringers in the front of the cockpit and almost a 1/2 inch above the top of the stringers in the aft near the rear seat bottom.

should i glass the floor back in (the part i cut out looks new , its in super shape) and let it float again like it originally was, or do i build up the stringers and attach the floor around the edges in the normal fashion and attach it to the top of the stringers as well?

i'm wondering if there is a reason they let the deck float above the hull in the middle of the boat.

my natural thought it to make it as strong as i can (glass and resin it all together) but i don't want to foul it up.

thanks for any insight and have a good night, rob.

i've done exactly that, i tend to want to re engineer everythingthing that i work on and adding some extra strength is hardly ever a bad idea. Not sure why they would float it but i have seen it done both ways, i like to tab it down.

Ive been reading your posts about your rebuild and im rebuilding a 26 profile at the same time its realy a 24x7 with 1 1/2 foot added and I live in Mentor. would like to check out your boat and maybe trade some ideas if you would like.
thanks Keith

My Profiles floor is the same way floating mine was dry but termites so its comming out too.