Originally Posted by
fietsbob
Which hole?
You have been getting good feedback from my perspective [so far]. What you seem to be decribing is a threaded hole in the drive-side crank spider, which no longer can accept/fit the originally intended mounting bolt for the chainring(s). If you would provide close-up photos of the hole in question, and photos of the chainring/bolt, we can advise. Virtually everything is fixable.
Your most economical crankset is the one that you have. Let's focus on the repair of th existing one. It may be very straightforward. You say that it is designed for a triple now, so I'm assuming that we're referring to the inner chainring, which is on its own set of mounting holes (inside of the bcd of the mid/outer chainring). These threaded holes were cast into the spider, and one of them is stripped. But we can't verify this without photos. If you can save the crankset, you can save the bottom bracket, too. And there's an additional cost savings.
Your next most economical crankset (and now bottom bracket spindle at at minimum, or cartridge) will be one found on eBay. Look for the proper chainring combination for your use, also with a reasonable bolt circle diameter (BCD) to permit the most flexibility in changing chainrings. a 24-36-48 might be a good starting point, or 22-34-44 if you plan to tour heavily loaded. Sugino cranksets are excellent, and there are 1980s vintage triples that would be excellent for your application. Modern ones are nice, but are more expensive. The spindle length for your bottom bracket must be matched to the crankset and desired chainline. Old spindle is unlikely to support the new crankset, unless by chance.
Stick to those compatible with square taper bb spindles, as they have the widest range if compatible parts and necessary tools.