2 birds with one stone?

[airlock]

i'm getting the motor replaced on my old 166 reef raider on monday along with the steering cables, the transom seems pretty solid to me but there is some rot in the wooded bit between the hull and the outboard, im wondering if there may be some rot underneath it aswell. since the boat is kinda old and i picked her up dead cheap im wondering if i should get the transom and stringers replaced while the motor is off, then will know that is all fresh and solid back there. Or should i wait untill its defiantly on the way out? How long would a replacement take?

[robfish 1]

Hi airlock...just went thru the same exercise myself. found that my stringers were shot, and advised that the transom would also need replacing. At a cost of $6000, on a BMT worth $5000 3 yrs ago, it was not worth the cost. If i were halfway decent with my hands, I could have shaved several thousand off that price, but can't, so didn't.
I offloaded the boat for little more than the price of the 70hp yammie, and am looking around for another BMT.
If you are capable, or have friends that are, it may be worth the time and $$$, but otherwise, it can quickly escalate.
I'm thinking that once the old motor's off, you should be able to check the bolt holes for soft wood - and assess the state of the transom then.