A big thank you/motor mount problems

[gregsails]

As I search the site yet again looking for prop shaft/motor alignment info, I am reminded of the BIG thank you I must give again to Neil D, Shawn S, and Dave N who made my A4 rebuild possible 4 years ago.
My motors rocks! It starts every time, first turn of the key and purrs running.Its totally dialed in.
I never really ran it to hard till last year when on 7 day sailing trip and zero wind. I motored for at least 20 hours that week with no issues.
So why am I here? Well, 5 years ago I had to take the motor right out of the boat (cause I got knocked down by a shelf cloud and filled the engine with water) I also needed to fixed a rear oil seal leak and a leaking oil pan gasket..so I decided it was time for a overhaul.
The engine compartment was a major mess of oil to deal with. So I cleaned it up and repainted till it looked beautiful.
In all this I removed the engine mounts. And that is the beginning of what may be the end of this boat.
Between the mounts going back in, being loosened and retightened twice for shaft alignment, after my trip I could feel a vibration at about 4 knots. Upon checking I found the wood stringers felt a little punky and soft. It feel like if you really reef on them you will strip the lag bolts that secure them.
So what is happening is the vibration of cruising is backing the lags out and throwing the prop shaft alignment out of wac.
I don`t know the solution to this. I was thinking maybe doing a realignment and using thickened epoxy or G flex and glue the lags in place permanently.
Im not really interested in pulling the motor, new stringers work, work work etc for a 1977 Catalina 30. My parts are worth more than the boat as a whole and my wife is making noise about a power boat instead.
Anyone got any fixes or words of wisdom?
Thanks for reading

[tenders]

Depending on the scope of the punkiness, it is absolutely possible to gouge out a section of the stringers until you’re into good wood, replace the punk with epoxy that is strongly adhered to the surrounding wood, and redrill the mounting holes into the epoxy. Does this require pulling the engine? Maybe not. Is it work? Yes. Is this project the difference to your wife of sailboat vs. powerboat? Only she can answer that. But honestly, it’s a sailboat, if it isn’t this project it’ll be another.

I wouldn’t just epoxy the lag bolts in. They need to anchor into something solid or your engine is going to roll around at the worst possible time.

My engine mounts on metal rails, one of which had rusted terribly after 25 years and had lost its integrity. When the engine was pulled, the mechanic chiseled out the rusty one and had a new one made up in stainless which we epoxied back in place. Well...it’s still there, and THAT was 25 years ago.

[Al Schober]

Listen to your wife. Talk to her, what are her desires for your future together?
You may love your Cat 30 and your A4. Give your wife priority for a while. See what she wants.

[Dave Neptune]

An alternative

Greg, McMaster Carr has a good selection of "structural fiberglass" lengths. They have angle, box, I beam, channel and rounds. It is easy to work with and can be easily bonded in with epoxy. I have fabricated many things with these shapes, even a riser muffler for my A-4 and a battery rack.

It may be easier to knock or cut a section out than to fix them.

Thanx for the kind words.

Dave Neptune

[ndutton]

I think you answered your own question

I'm not really interested in pulling the motor, new stringers work, work work etc for a 1977 Catalina 30. . . . . . and my wife is making noise about a power boat instead.