sailboat bulkhead replacement

Building, restoration, and repair with epoxy

Replacing Damaged Bulkheads

By dan witucki.

Above: With her damaged bulkheads replaced, the Evelyn 32-2 sailboat RUSH is back in action. Several weeks later, the new bulkheads proved they could handle the stress of a heavy knockdown and a major storm during the infamous 2002 Chicago to Mackinac race.

If you race a sailboat long and hard enough, it eventually will reveal its weaknesses, sometimes violently. My friends and I race an Evelyn 32-2 called Rush. Less than a month before the 2002 Mackinaw races, we were competing in the Saginaw Bay Yacht Racing Association, Gravelly Shoals race. Throughout the race, the wind had been building and we were a little overpowered with a full main and 150% headsail. We had completed about 45 miles of the 50-mile race when the starboard chainplate decided it had enough and pulled out of the bulkhead.

The port bulkhead with the chainplate still attached.

Fortunately, Evelyn 32’s are designed with a stainless wire strut running from the chainplate down to near the mast step. This kept the rig from coming down; however, we were definitely done racing for a while.

After limping back to the dock and examining the damage, we decided to completely replace the bulkhead on both sides of the boat. Over the years, the chainplates had been leaking and had delaminated and rotted the plywood bulkheads. Before the accident, the bulkheads looked fine, but it was amazing to see afterward how badly they actually had deteriorated. With the end grain of the plywood bulkhead up against the underside of the deck, the chainplate was leaking directly onto the exposed end grain of the wood. Water damage was inevitable.

The next decision that had to be made was what material to use for the new bulkheads. The original, damaged bulkheads were made of ” marine grade mahogany plywood. However, we weren’t too anxious to use plywood again. It would be quick and easy, but we wanted something more bulletproof than plywood. After talking to Gougeon Technical Advisor, J.R. Watson , we decided to go with an epoxy/fiberglass composite called G-10. We selected ½” G-10 to replace the 5/8″ plywood. Because of G-10’s strength, we could have gone thinner yet. However, that would have made it more difficult to install and have everything else match up.

Removing the old, damaged bulkheads

Although I usually do most of the fiberglass and fairing work on Rush, John DeWyse did most of this job. The first step was to remove the shrouds and fasten them to the toe rail. Then it was time to go below and take the interior apart.

The starboard bulkhead where the chainplate let go was the result of accumulated water damage and heavy loads.

Luckily, Evelyn 32’s aren’t real plush, and this job went fairly quickly. We moved all the sails, equipment, and cushions from the bow and mid-section of the boat to the stern. Then we hung a tarp behind the companionway to keep the dust away from that area of the boat. We placed a large window fan over the front hatch, blowing out. With the companionway open, we had good ventilation. The next step was to carefully peel back the headliner and inner upholstery with a putty knife and tape them back out of the way. To cut the bulkheads free, John used a Roto Zip™ tool. This worked very quickly with minimal dust. He simply went down each side of the bulkhead, cutting the tabbing where the bulkhead met the hull and deck. He had both damaged bulkheads out after about 1½ hours. Then he used a 6″ grinder with a 40-grit disc to remove the old glass tabbing on the hull and underside of the deck. After that, we vacuumed up the dust.

Installing the new bulkheads

Since John was able to get the bulkheads out without damaging them further, they made perfect templates. When the G-10 arrived, we traced the bulkheads onto the new material using a black felt tip marker, modifying them slightly from the original design. We decided to extend the bottom of the bulkhead so that it could be bolted and glued to a floor frame that was below the original bulkhead. To cut the G-10 composite, we used a reciprocating saw with a carbide grit blade used for cutting cast iron and fiberglass.

John used a Roto Zip to cut the tabbing where the bulkhead met the hull and deck. The Roto Zip cut quickly and raised minimal amount of dust.

Cutting was rather slow; this stuff is tough. Taking turns, we were able to cut each bulkhead out in about an hour. The new bulkheads were taken down to the boat and put into place. After we had ground down a couple of high spots, they fit perfectly. Next, I ground and sanded a radius on the long straight edge, since this edge would be exposed to the interior. I finished preparing the bulkheads by using a random dual action sander with 80-grit paper to sand the edges where the tabbing will bond it to the hull and deck.

With the starboard bulkhead removed we were ready to remove the glass tabbing with a disc grinder.

With the bulkheads set into place, we cut strips of 738 Biaxial Fabric (with a mat backing) needed to tab the bulkheads into place. We cut enough to do both sides of the bulkheads with two layers of cloth, then set them aside. With the bulkheads still in place, we drilled three holes through the bottom of each bulkhead and through the floor frame. We used 3/8″ stainless bolts to fasten these together, but drilled 7/16″ holes. Later, when we glued in the bulkhead, we filled these holes with thickened glue, inserted the bolts, and tightened them down. This forms a very strong bond with all of the bolts loaded equally.

We later mounted the chainplates in the same manner. To glue the new bulkheads in place, we made a mixture of WEST SYSTEM® 105/206 epoxy thickened with 406 Filler to a peanut butter consistency. We removed one bulkhead and buttered the edge where it meets the hull and deck with a thick layer of epoxy using a plastic spreader. We also applied epoxy to the side of the frame where the new bulkhead overlapped it and in the three bolt holes in the bulkhead and stringer. We then clamped and bolted the bulkhead into place. John formed a fillet on both sides of the bulkheads where the glass tabbing would be applied, using more thickened epoxy and a plastic spreader with a radius cut on one corner.

After the epoxy had started to set, John wet out the fiberglass cloth with a mixture of 105/206 and applied the strips. The first strip had 60% of the cloth on the bulkhead and the second layer had 60% of the cloth on the hull side of the joint. This staggering of the glass forms a strong joint without the need to cut two different widths of glass. Air bubbles were worked out with a plastic spreader.

The next day, after careful measurement, we drilled the chainplate holes. Then we glued and bolted in the chainplates as previously described. We later caulked around them on deck. Then we cleaned and put the interior back together. We waited three days before installing the shrouds and tuning the rig. Although this bulkhead replacement job had looked rather intimidating, in reality, it was rather straightforward and we completed it in about 20 hours.

The bottom of the bulkhead/hull joint before the old tabbing was removed. We would extend the bottoms of the new bulkheads so they could be bonded to the side of the floor that ran transversely across the bottom of the hull.

Stress Test

Several weeks later, in the Chicago to Mackinac Island race, we tested our repair. During the second day of the race, the wind had been building and we were surfing, hitting 14’s, when we experienced a hard knockdown that laid the mast in the water. Later that evening, a strong storm tore through the fleet dismasting several 80′ boats, pitchpoling a 40′ catamaran and making a number of sail lofts very happy. We had the full main up and were in the process of taking down our chute when the storm hit. We were told it blew 60-70 knots (we had lost our instruments and masthead unit in the earlier knockdown). The boat and her new bulkheads weathered the storm just fine, and the crew’s nerves are nearly back to normal.

We used the old bulkhead as a template to layout the new bulkhead, and then sanded the edges of the new G-10 bulkhead to prepare the surfaces where the new tabbing will be bonded.

Two layers of 738 Biaxial Fabric tabbing were applied to each side of the bulkhead to reinforce the joint between the bulkhead and the hull and deck.

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Bulkhead Replacement Questions for a Cabo Rico 34

Discussion in ' Sailboats ' started by jkenan , Jan 10, 2020 .

jkenan Junior Member

Greetings! I recently purchased a neglected Cabo Rico 34 displacing 18K Lbs, which required gutting of bulkheads and cabinets due to water damage. What would be the two best options for new BH material for a boat such as this? Original BH's were 3/4" teak veneered marine plywood, installed as a single piece for each install, but also looking at at reducing risk of future rot, and perhaps improving strength (not that that was ever a problem for the CR's). For the rebuild however, I believe the larger BH's (main and forward cabin, which are both glued to aft and fore wall of the molded head/shower insert, and therefore those walls enclosing the head will need to be cut out with the bulkhead) will need to be installed in sections due to space constraints (which that did not exist when the boat was being constructed), and then glassed together due to their size. Also figuring that after cutting away the fore and aft walls of the head/shower insert, the new bulkheads can have a couple layers of glass applied to the backside walls (enclosing head/shower) and and then faired back into that insert. Also planning to use +/- 45-degree biaxial tape for the tabbing. Any knowledgeable guidance on materials, tabbing (including number of layers of tabbing), and overall approach to this job would be appreciated. Boat is mostly gutted at this point, with a couple more BH's to remove, and existing tabbing ground out. Then the reconstruction can begin. Thanks in advance!

bajansailor Marine Surveyor

Welcome to the Forum JK. It sounds like you have a major re-build on your hands here - are you going to gut her totally, or will you be able to still leave some bits inside? If you have some photos of her, inside and out, please do post them - everybody on here loves photos of re-fit work. And this thread could develop into a Blog showing the progress of your re-fit. Re new bulkheads, you could make them out of marine plywood, or you could make up foam (or Nida-core) sandwich fibreglass panels and use these instead. Or even make up very fancy vacuum bagged panels, but that is really only worth it if weight is critical, and it sounds like you have lots of buoyancy available at your disposal.

Thanks for the feedback - hadn't considered foam bulkheads. Yes, it is a major project, but I knew that going in, and have done a major refit before with an Ericson 29. I think there are a few panels I can save - and will help stabilize the cabin top as all other bulkheads are removed. These are the doorway openings to the head, v-berth, and aft cabin, which have some ply, but also lots of solid wood which did not rot. Also some above-settee/galley minor BH's that were not immersed will stay. For some reason, the ply in the doorway panels that were immersed don't seem rotted with the 'probe' test (basically pushing a pick into the wood to see how soft it is), but all the primary athwartship/structural BH's rotted significantly and must be replaced. Not sure how structural the doorway openings are, but certainly provide some rigidity to the boat. Most of the boat will be gutted, and have already completed the better part of it - plumbing, electrical, mechanical, appliances, etc. I will upload some photos when I have time to pull them together (along with video I've made - yes, thinking about the vlog/blog), along with a build schematic. I feel confident doing this, and have some in-depth experience with all of this. Some big decisions to make, and before I spend the $$ wanted to vet it with the experts. Thanks again!!

Excellent! That is the most important thing, having a pretty good idea re what you are letting yourself in for - so many folk approach re-fits very naively, and get discouraged quickly when they find it will take twice as long and cost three times what they initially estimated. Please do post some photos (and even a video, wow) when you have time, and you can be sure to get a most enthusiastic response on here.

wesley Sherman Junior Member

You are doing such a job as I am, Complete refit of a Alberg 30. I don't have all the knowledge in the world but here is what I did. I used marine Ply 3/4" for my bulkheads, I dado-ed out of the hull side of the bulkhead panel 3" a 1/4 recess into the bulkhead. So that as I laid layers of fiberglass it would slowly build up to just over flush with the bulkhead when fiberglass tabbing was complete. This turned out to be about 7 layers of bi-axial cloth. If you don't do this you will end up with a very thick edge of fiberglass over the bulkhead plywood. My last layer of fiberglass I put on went over the 3" daddo to 4" up the bulkhead to tie it all in. I went a bit further and drilled holes and put fiberglass strand string to both sides and fiberglass them in.. Sure there is no need to do this but it made me feel better. Before I did all this i coated the bottom of the bulkheads several times with slightly thinned epoxy to seal the edges before I installed them. I put 1/2 pieces of dowel slightly hot glue to the hull to keep the bulkhead off the hull put in thickened epoxy fillets in between the dowels in several locations let it dry and then knocked out the dowels leaving the gap ready to fill with epoxy fillets. don't think the gap had to be 1/2 but that is what I did. I used large Popsicle sticks from home depot to use as a fillet tool. I totally overbuilt the bulkhead tabbing. One thing I cant over stress if you don't know is that really take the time to roll out the air bubbles before you finish each layer. Makes the following layers so much easier to do. Also if you haven't started to fiberglass the bulkhead yet, Makes it much easier if you have a rough surface on the hull, to take thickened epoxy like filler , I used milled fibers or fumed silica and lay a thin layer along side and over the area you are about to fillet and fiberglass and make yourself a smooth surface for your first layers of fiberglass. If you don't do this rolling out air bubbles over rough surface is not easy and leaves lots of bubbles you can't push out. I used bi-axial to start then bi-axial with mat, then bi-axial then bi-axial and mat and so on. I prefer using biax with mat for many things as its so easy to wet out prior to laying it down holds its shape better than whetted out bi-axial but bi-axial is cheaper than biax with mat.. (stitched mat ) this is important if using epoxy. I like 1708 bi-axial with stitched mat for laying fiberglass over re cored balsa decks from the below side, makes it so easy to do. The green stuff you see is Total fair that i used to coat the fiberglass and make a smooth surface over all the fiberglass. I am sure there is no real reason to do this either as paint will cover it to.. But I like everything to be smooth when I paint. I know everyone says its not worth the money and you will never get your money back. But for me, not about someone else value, it's the freakin joy of building something, I am having so much fun doing this.. financially I planed for this for awhile, purchased stuff long before i started.

Wesley - Thank you for the detailed account of your bulkhead project! It looks like you are doing a fantastic job! Yes, the existing bulkheads on the Cabo Rico are dado'd as you describe, but the layers are only a few of a heavy 90-degree/0-degree cloth in polyester resin. The BH's weren't sealed, and water got into them. I was able to 'pop' some of the tabbing off not only the BH which I might expect in it's current state, but also where it is glued to the hull, which surprised me. I definitely plan to rough up all the surfaces that will receive glue, sealing all edges, maintaining the gap as you described, and using epoxy. I had planned on using +/- 45 deg biaxial as the tabbing. I like your approach of alternating with triax including mat, and had already considered drilling through and running glass strands as you have done as a final reinforcement for a bulletproof bulkhead. Don't know if I'll paint the inside of the hull as all that gets covered - any specific reason you're doing this? What marine ply to did you use? Okoume, Meranti...? or something else? How did you come to the decision to use what you did? I'm considering using a teak veneered marine ply since that is what was used originally, as all BH's are exposed and integrate with the teak trim aesthetic. Had also considered Coosa, and then laminating a teak veneer over that. As for the money, I think it is all relatively affordable, and not a huge expense when doing it yourself as we are doing. Hiring this stuff out is where it gets prohibitive, and a non-starter for me anyway. The boat was relatively cheap due to it's condition. I hope to sail this boat into retirement (still a ways off) and hand it off to my kids to take me sailing when I'm too old. So the effort and costs are worth it to me! I'll share my work once I get it together. Thanks for sharing - and beautiful work!

fallguy Senior Member

I would build foam with rebates at the intersections to simplify fairing inside.. Create a wood frame backer and screw the panels to it while they are bonded on the seams. Then remove the backer and glass tape the seams with 1708 tapes. if you have more questions, let me know, this method is also the easiest imo

Jkenan: I choose Merante 3/4 due to its considered stronger and it is an bulkhead that has supports for deck stepped mast beam. And I don't like dark areas and I am going to paint all in white other than wood varnished trim, There is no reason to paint all the inside in white to be honest other than I am a bit of a obsessive about being able to clean and wipe things down to clean and also brightens up the darker areas in lockers as as well. I tend to go overboard when I restore things. You can probably see in my picture by the green fairing that there is a 6" merante over the base of the bulkhead. This is laid over the fiberglass 7 layer on both sides of each bulkhead That is three layers of fiberglass over that. To complete this obsessive project I will be fastening this together with SS thru bolts every 8" pinching the layers of fiberglass tabbing together in on big over done mechanical attachment. In reality the base of the bulkhead is not 3/4" its 1/1/2" and yes i know its over done. I love this boat and have since my youth sailing with my father in the pacific. So like you i am doing this for the love of the boat and myself. Its unless lost due to some disaster the boat I will sail into my old age. Even though I did the fiberglass strands to mechanically attach the bulkhead to the hull that was probably enough, I didn't need to the extra sandwich over all that. Also I am told that you can also just through bolt with SS fasteners and washers the fiberglass tabbing as well when cured. Part of the reason i did all this extra comes from a bit of fear of something failing. I gutted this boat and only used two of the old bulkheads as two were in mint shape, no rot no decay. I like your boat, I looked at one couple years ago and I loved it an considered it but for me a bit bigger than I wanted. In the end I chose this Alberg 30 cause of a few factors. Its wonderful ability to heave too. Its narrow beam, I am expecting to have to do a number of haul outs as I cruise on some long voyages, an smaller is cheaper for mooring an hauling out. I will miss though the roominess of my Southern Cross 31 which I lost in hurricane Sandy due to the boat next to me on the hard was improperly set up by the marina. In the end its my success or failure that will show at the end. Not to mention it will be designed interior as I want it to be and laid out for my comfort at sea and in a blow. Alberg 30 is a great boat but its layout didn't suite me in long voyages. Also Alberg 30 is a great design but was in many respects workmanship was not exciting. People either love them or hate them.

jkenan, Fall guy has a idea if you saw it above, I have done what he has suggested but not with foam if that is what he is suggesting. I have done this before but the backer plate made from Merante and made it like the pieces you in my picture, and left it as a added support and fiberglassed it in .. because I didn't want to tear out an entire BH that had other things being supported by it. if there is not a terrible amount of rot and its limited to the first couple inches, would save you some time. Only problem I see is that wondering how you would get to the side of the BH were the liner is. If there is a way to get behind the liner or the liner to the BH off this would be the way to go..

So, with Covid came the layoff. With the layoff came a very anxious spring and summer supporting a family, looking for a job, not getting anywhere with it, and not getting anything done on the boat (couldn't justify the time or money). With the fall came some traction, and with winter came not one but two great job offers, so I am back in business with the Cabo Rico 34! Wild year to say the least. Revisiting this thread, I can say that I've decided to gut the entire interior except for large FRP inserts: galley, settees, and fore/aft berth inserts which also house water tanks. All bulkheads will be rebuilt anew. I will be able to save the teak door frames (which are quite thick and beautiful), doors, and lots of the cabinetry facings including their associated doors. So, lots of louvered doors, frames, and cabinet facings will be salvaged. The interior, I've decided, will be done in a Herreshoff style interior, with oak strips about 2-3" wide (and v-groove seams) lining bulkheads, headliner, and inside hull along berths, all painted white. I have a ton of white oak lumber (I live in the country with tons of hardwoods, and my neighbor has a sawmill). I've also decided to go with 1/2" Coosa Bluewater 26 panels for the bulkhead cores, cockpit floor (double laminated to 1") and will surface them with white oak 1/4" strips, laminated to the Coosa, to make up the original thickness of rotted 3/4" ply. I won't have to rabbet the Coosa, and will simply laminate the white oak on top of the Coosa up to the tabbing, then trim it out in teak trim. That, with teak doorways and cabinetry, will lend to a very bright and warm interior, I think. With the boat gutted, I have ground out all prior tabbing, and am close to having a blank slate. Like Wesley, I plan to paint everything white once new bulkheads with oak laminate are installed and galley/settee/berth inserts repair and prepped for paint. Then install rebuilt cabinetry and trim it out. Glad to be back at work, and back to work on this project!!

Welcome back JK! It has been a rather roller coasting year for sure - congrats on the new job, and on being to get back into your big re-fit now. Please do allow this to develop into a re-fit thread, with lots of photos along the way - I am sure that everybody on here will follow it most enthusiastically.

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20-01-2015, 09:24
	problem in a structural bulkhead. (between and room)I found a product that may be helpful to replace the 3/4" ply but I'm concerned about the strength. here's a description: Cana-Core Honeycomb is a lightweight , and chemical resistant product used in sandwich , or any other area where a honeycomb product with a high strength to weight ratio is required. Anyone have an opinion? Thanks

20-01-2015, 12:00
Boat: 1976 Sabre 28-2	for cost and availability. Seal the edges with before laminating in place, fix the leak, and should be good indefinitely. If you've got a multi or ultra light sled and have a weight Jones, might be worth exploring this material.

20-01-2015, 14:14

for cost and availability. Seal the edges with before laminating in place, fix the leak, and should be good indefinitely.

If you've got a multi or ultra light sled and have a weight Jones, might be worth exploring this material.

20-01-2015, 15:04
Boat: Nauticat

20-01-2015, 17:45
Boat: Currently Shopping, & Heavily in LUST!	, then I'd say that yes, it'd be viable... assuming that you laminate on sufficiently strong, & impermeable structural skins. Plus, anywhere that there's going to be an opening in it, as well as all around the edges, & anywhere there's a fitting, you're going to need to fill in the edges of this , & also put in solid material. Like G10, , Plywood, etc. Here are a couple of relevant threads on the topic, & the material. Including one where I made some inquiries about Nida-Core, a similar, if not the same material, only rebadged. On bulkhead construction, including composite bulkheads. = On Nida-Core The thing is, unless you Really need to save weight on the , using this stuff for one part, is likely both going to cost you more, & be a heck of a lot more to fabricate, as well as install. Probably the best way to go is to get some Plywood &; Cut it to size. Heavily saturate the edges (especially the lower ones) with a penetrating epoxy. Glass on a thin layer of on each side, & apply enough resin to fully seal both the , & the glass. Properly the bulkhead, & tab it into place. The Uncommon Thing, The Hard Thing, The Important Thing (in Life) Making Promises to Yourself, And

21-01-2015, 09:17

Boat: None,build the one shown of glass, had many from 6' to 48'.

and room)I found a product that may be helpful to replace the 3/4" ply but I'm concerned about the strength.
here's a description:
Cana-Core Honeycomb is a lightweight , rot and chemical resistant product used in sandwich , or any other area where a honeycomb product with a high strength to weight ratio is required.

Anyone have an opinion?
Thanks

21-01-2015, 09:28
Boat: Bavaria 44	O'Brien Sent from my using Cruisers Sailing Forum

21-01-2015, 12:33

Boat: Nauticat

O'Brien

Sent from my using Cruisers Sailing Forum

21-01-2015, 16:16
	plywood I bought from Overtons. I may have an extra sheet, I will check if you are interested. I live in Hampton Va at the mouth of the Chesapeake.

23-01-2015, 11:28
Boat: 1979 Mariner Ketch 32-Hull 202	issues, it's happened because of leaking seams that weren't addressed. He was pouring into a"channel"or two that were in the liner, and directly onto and under them. Fix the , first. 3/4 marine ply is incredibly strong, to compressive loads, especially if the loads are on the edge of the ply. Sent from my iPad SV Cloud Duster

23-01-2015, 12:46
	Seabird, a hulled . accumulated in a vault containing the tank below the soles on the starboard side which was not drained properly ( as in not at all). The vault is: 3" of glass over ply on the forward side and down the centerline, the hull on the outside and a 3/4 ply wall glassed to the hull on the aft end which is the bottom of the bulkhead between the cabin and the engine room/ . The floor and soles rotted so I removed the , soles and floors, cut and fitted the floors and ply before I found the bottom of the bulkhead was (as wood is prone to do) trying to become humus again. This bulkhead is seriously important hence my concern about honeycomb materials. As much as I was interested in rot proof material, I will stick to marine ply for the . The leaks are being resolved but more importantly the limber holes that should have been there and a new forward and new well will keep water from accumulating. Thanks again

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Sailboat bulkhead material and Location

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I'm really using this forum to gear up for a project, thank you very much. Marine plywood versus standard pressure treated plywood as an alternative for a bulkhead material? Marine plywood needs to be shipped in from Seattle...I can grab a sheet of 3/4" pressure treated right off of the shelf. Any issues with this that folks can comment on? Follow up, I've been reading about some folks using a fiberglass G-10 panels in a West System write-up as well for an alternative. Also, Location....is there any reason not to remove a bulkhead while the boat is in the water....structurally or is this a boatyard repair. I can shore up the lateral as required, however without load...mast removed and shrouds not connected, cabin deck supported internally...is there a flex issue with the boat simply floating without a main bulkhead?

I replaced my starboard side bulkhead recently and used marine plywood because I had ready access to it for a fair price. In retrospect, I am not sure it was necessary because I ended up coating the piece with epoxy and strengthing areas with additional layers of fabric. The marine ply is clearly superior to the standard and I have a greater level of confidence in the repair. Also my boat is 7.3 meter and will not have the same load as your Cal. West Systems Epoxy Works had a good article on a bulkhead repair where an even more $$ and exotic material was used

Yes, I read that article and looked at the composite board material! $$ is right....but bulletproof. Thanks.

Thanks Sailingdog. Great point on the toxicity. I was thinking simply on durability and not that I'd have to be living next to it.

Marine plywood has a couple advantages ...extra ply and no voids..been told same glue is in exterior ply so thats no better...but for a bulkhead that will be reinforced anyway I would not pay special fright and or wait for it to arrive just to have it but would go with 3/4 inch cc plugged ex tier... Pressure treated ply also is not as stiff due to the impregnation process...it warps a lot easier under loads...so I would not use it for a bulk head...I wish Bayliner would have used it for transoms in their boats though...they would not have such a rot issue... You will be fine pulling your main bulk head under the conditions you listed still in the water...

My feeling on these type of questions is that the labor of the job (your time)is exponentially more expensive than the materials and often you are short changing yourself by choosing a less expensive material over the one you know is better. Just my two cents but I have found that after spending 80 or so hours (WAG) on a job like this it's easy to regret saving $50-75 or so bucks for cheaper materials. Good marine plywood cuts much cleaner, the plys are usually finer grain, is vastly stiffer as Stillraing points out, has no voids, and will provide the right answer for the next potential owners survey. Whichever way you go, good luck with the project

I can understand the difficulty you face, if the proper material is not available. Would your supplier be willing to put a few sheets of marine ply on his next shipment of material, and perhaps split the freight with you? Whatever you use, I would echo the others and say use the best you can get your hands on. It isn't an easy job to begin with, and it would be a shame to see first class labor with second rate materials. From my own expierience I would advise that once the piece is cut and test fit that you seal all the edges with thickened epoxy, two coats is best, and then tab to the hull well. Your bulkheads may never have rotted if the edges were sealed well. Wooden boats can funcion well indefinately with water inside, but plywood fairs poorly to being even damp for long periods. Do the job well and be pleased with the result. Feetup

Great stuff guys....thank you very much. Marine Ply it is an take my time.

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J22 Ives Knoll - Main Bulkhead Replacement project

Our club J22 fleet is aging and two boats required new main bulkheads. This page documents the replacement on the main bulkhead in J22 #6 Ives Knoll due to rot at the port side chainplate. There are also some other minor repairs documented here.

Ready for last glass work on a beautiful day

Bulkhead weakened at chainplate on port side

The first step was to create a template of the existing bulkhead. This was done using cardboard on the previous boat (J22 #5) and we had created pressboard templates for port and stbd halves of the bulkhead. These pieces were test fitted and some minor modifications made. Once we were happy the chainplates and all other hardware caps and fiddles were removed from the existing template and a proper test fitting was completed.

Templates aligned on the Coosa board to cut new bulkhead core.

Pink coloured pencil was the best contrast

New core pieces cut.

Test fitting the new core pieces

The templates were oriented on the coosa core material in a manner to produce the least wastage. Then they were traced in pink coloured pencil and cut using a jigsaw. Back in the boat they were placed against the existing bulkhead to ensure a proper fit. A minor modification and we were happy with the fit and ready to proceed with the demolition stage.

Old bulkhead mostly removed

Old bulkhead removed. Now cleaning up leftover edges

The last bits of the old bulkhead chiselled out. Ready for grinding

Grinding complete. A lot of mess!

Gelcoat removed for tabbing and the mess mostly cleaned up. Ready for new bulkhead.

With the templating process ccompleted it was time to remove the old bulkhead. Despite being rotted at port chainplate the rest of the bulkhead and the tabbing was very strong and difficult to remove. Tools of choice were Reciprocating saw, angle grinder with cutting disc, cordless drill, BFH (Big F...ing Hammer), prying tools, wood chisels.

Initially a 3/8 inch bit on cordless drill was used to make a hole for the saw. Then we cut around the edges of the bulkhead and applied liberal doses of bashing with the BFH and even some prying to get rid of the bulkhead. The process required frequent changing of blades in the reciprocating saw but eventually the old bulkhead was removed in three pieces. There was still some tabbing and some of the plywood from the old bulkhead attached at the hull. The cutting disc on the grinder took care of the tabbing material and a wood chisel and a lot of patience removed the wood residue.

With the bulkhead removed it was time to prep the surfaces. The interior of the J22 is gelcoat. This must be ground away for 5 inches on each side of the bulkhead to allow the new tabbing material to bond to the hull. The angle grinder once again used with a sanding disc. The process was not difficult but very messy. It is even worse due to the cramped and low ventilation conditions inside a J22. Following this process 30 minutes with a shop vac was required to cleanup the large amound of dust and gelcoat residue.

New bulkhead core joined with strip of Biax cloth

New bulkhead assembled and ready for installation

To say the interior of a J22 is cramped is an understatement. For Ives Knoll we decided to assemble the bulkhead outside of the boat where the working conditions are much more pleasant. Leaving approx four inches uncoated at the edges for the initial tabbing material both front and back sides of the bulkhead were covered with biaxial cloth. Following this process the exposed edges of the new bulkhead were covered with 6 oz cloth. These are the edges that will be exposed once the installation is complete so the 6 oz cloth makes for a more finished look. We are now ready to install the bulkhead in the boat.

New bulkhead in place and ready for tabbing

First layer tabbing applied. View from forward

With the bulkhead now assembled it is time to move back inside the boat. A bit more grinding and some minor persuasion with a rubber mallet and the new bulkhead was in place. It was a very snug fit which is great. With the bulkhead in place the next step was to apply the first layer of tabbing to the forward side of the bulkhead. For this we used 6 inch wide tabbing tape which is basically biaxial cloth that comes on a roll. The aft side will have any gaps around the edges filled with Polyfair and then will also have a layer of 6 inch tabbing. This will be followed by a layer of 8 inch tabbing (biaxial cloth) and then a full covering of forward and aft faces of bulkhead extending 5 inches out on to hull as the final tabbing.

Initial layer tabbing complete fore and aft

Polyfair applied around compression post step. Some cleanup required

One interesting side project involved a small gap between the mast compression post step and the new bulkhead. When cleaning up the area around the old bulkhead some edges of the forward tabbing were left in place as a guide to location of new bulkhead. With the new bulkhead tight against these edges there was a 1/4 inch gap between the step and the new bulkhead. One option was to tighten the bolts once bulkhead was complete, however it was decided that this would cause a bend in the bulkhead. Instead we opted to tighten two of the bolts to the point where the fit was tight but the bulkhead not bent prior to tabbing. Then the small gap between the compression step and bulkhead was filled with resin soaked fibreglass mat. With this done Polyfair was used to seal the edges of the gap. As seen in the above photo there will be a sanding required to clean this up after it cures. Cloth will then cover the polyfair up to the edge of the compression step.

2nd layer of Tabbing cloth applied. Ready for final layer cloth

Final layer of cloth fitted and ready for resin

Final layer of cloth complete

Ran out of gelcoat!

Now that the bulkhead was tabbed in place it was time to apply a second wider layer of tabbing. The first layer was 6 inch wide and the second 8 inch wide to provide an overlap. 24 hours later we were ready for the final full layer of glass. This was a full covering of the bulkhead and extended its tabbing 5 inches on to the hull. After sanding the bulkhead was still tacky so held the new cloth in place while a genourous amount of resin was applied. Following this was a 24 hour wait for curing, a final light sanding and then gelcoat was brushed on rather than paint. Unfortunately there was only enough to coat the forward face of the bulkhead and a small bit around the chainplates port and starboard. Project on hold pending the arrival of more gelcoat.

Four bolt holes drilled for mast compression post step and 2 limber holes

Port chainplate re-installed

Stbd chainplate re-bedded. Needs screws for cap

While waiting for more gelcoat to arrive some final steps of the bulkhead replacement task were undertaken. Most of this involved drilling holes. First the chainplates had to be reinstalled. The temporary caulking was removed at the deck and then using a cordless drill the bulkhead slots were re-shaped thru the fibreglass tabbing. Then the chainplates were put in place, bolt holes drilled and bolted in place. Once that was complete on deck the chainplates and covers were bedded using 3M 4200 adhesive sealant. Thankfully we had enough gelcoat the previous day to apply a coat where the chainplated would sit on the bulkheads and where the chainplates would come thru the tabbing on underside of deck. A final task was to prepare for rebolting the mast compression post step to the bulkhead and to drill limber holes for drainage. Once the final coat of gelcoat is applied the step will be bolted in place.

Port bulkhead with slight bump out for chainplate

Bulkhead installation complete. Just requires hardware bolted in place

Bulkhead complete with chainplates and mast compression step bolted in place. Some cleanup required

The gelcoat supply had been replenished and we were ready to complete the bulkhead. However we did notice an odd thing. This J22 had a bulkhead that was thicker than the previous one and we were using the same stock for bulkhead core. This resulted in a finished biulkhead whose aft side was approx 1/8 inch forward of the chainplate holes in the deck. Due to this there was a gap between chainplate and bulkhead where bulkhead meets deck. The chainplates were removed, the painted on gelcoat was sanded off and a patch four layers thick of biaxial cloth was built at chainplate locations port and stbd. In the picture above you can just see this bumpout that removes the gap. With this complete the aft side of the bulkhead was brushed with gelcoat and the bulkhead installation is now complete. The chainplate needed to once again be installed and bedded and the mast compression step bolted to the new bulkhead.

Gunwhale Repair

Aft section was in the worst state

Forward the damage was less severe

There had been some damage to the port gunwhale in four separate places. Two places were simply cracked gelcoat while the other two were through to the layup material. The section that was aft actually was cracked completely through with the fairing material beneath crumbling while the forward section was surface only. The two small sections with cracked gelcoat need only to be ground faired and new gelcoat applied.

Aft section with damaged material ground out. Nasty

Forward section cleaned up and 3 layers 6oz cloth in place

Aft section with 5 layers cloth

The two main areas were ground to remove the damaged material. The one aft had crumbly fairing material inside a hole. This was dug out and replaced with polyfair and then five layers of 6oz cloth were applied. We could not get biaxial cloth to lay flat over this bend so 6 oz cloth was used. The forward area had 3 layers of cloth applied and looks ready for sanding and fairing. The aft section needs to be built up with bit more cloth before it is faired. The other two minor sections require fairing material only. This will be faired using coloidal silica mixed with polyester resin for added adhesion, strength and for its white colour.

First fairing coat applied. It is not white

Port Aft Gunwhale area faired and sanded

Port Fwd gunwhale area faired and sanded

One more layer of cloth forward and another aft was applied. Next West 406 coloidal silica was mixed with the polyester resin as a thickener. The intent was that it would be white but instead the colour of the resin won out and the result was an aqua colour. The thickened resin was applied to the four repair areas to fill any hollows and then sanded. A second very thin layer of fairing compound was then applied almost as a skim coat. Once this is sanded the areas will be coated with white gelcoat and sanded with 220 then 400 and 600 grit. Following that rubbing compound. It is our hope that this will blend in with the hull more or less.

Fairing coats complete. Gelcoat brushed on

Closeup shot of repaired area. Close but not exact colour match

Another shot this time from aft. All four repaired areas are visible in this picture

Miscellaneous smaller repairs

With the major problems addressed we now had to turn to some smaller tasks that needed to be done prior to using the boat. These included rebedding stbd jib track, relpacing stbd cam cleat and drilling and refilling the many holes on deck, in cockpit and on sea hood where hardware had at one time been installed. Once this is complete the bottom will be cleaned and painted and then the boat will be ready for the water.

Sea hood holes drilled and ready for fill

Sea hood holes filled with thickened resin

All the holes filled and ready for sanding

The deck, cockpit and sea hood of this boat had a larger number of holes from previously installed hardware. Most of the holes had been sealed with resin but were not flush with the deck while those on the sea hood and cockpit seats had been filled with silicon and had some water intrusion. Our plan was to drill all holes slightly larger, fill with thickened resin and then sand flush. Any water in the core and associated rot would be addressed at a later date. The good news is that all of the holes in the deck were filled with resin and water tight leaving only the sea hood and some areas of the cockpit with possible wet core. In the above pictures you can see holes on the poop deck, cockpit seats forward of the traveller and less visible near the toerail and on bow. This boat at one time had stanchions, pulpit, pushpit and lifelines. When added to the sea hood that makes for a lot of possible places for water intrusion.

Starbord jib cleat needed to be replaced

New jib cleat in place

J boats usually have a cam cleat on a bulkhead or coaming beneath the winches for sheets and halyards. The J22 is no exception. The starboard jib cleat was broken and missing parts so was replaced with a shiney new cam cleat.

Fasteners for starbord jibtrack. 2nd bolt from front broken. The aft ones we had removed for bolt sizing

Jib track holes drilled larger and wet core dug out

Holes filled with thickened epoxy and sandy flush

Holes redrilled for installation of track

The starbord jib track had one bolt broken and showed obvious signs of leakage. The track was removed, holes drilled larger, wet core dug out around edge of hole using an allen key. Once this was completed the holes were filled with thickened epoxy, sanded flush with deck, redrilled for fasteners and the track rebedded. Water can no longer get into core around these bolt holes

Ives Knoll washed, waxed, bottom painted and ready to go back in service

Frers 33 Persistence

J27 Nut Case

Building a Skerry
New Sail Cover
Building a SCAMP

Replacing the Bulkheads in my Tanzer 22

Why replace the bulkheads.

When I had my Tanzer 22 surveyed, the report noted that there was some delamination of the plywood of the bulkhead due to moisture. Both sides have had water dripping in from the chainplates and both sides have had some water damage at the base.

Since the bulkhead support the chainplate which can put alot of tension on the wood, it's better to be safe than sorry, so I need to replace the bulkheads, and the bent chainplates.

The bulkheads also support a wood beam inside the fiberglass. This supports the mast and can have a lot of weight put on it when the boat is underway.

There is some damage on the bulkhead at the very left. The drips from the chainplate are also visible. My Tanzer has wood veneer not the plastic I've seen on some of the other boats.

There are 3 slot head bolts at the very top that need to be removed. As well there are some bolts inside the locker just back of the bulkhead.

There is also a moulding that run from the ceiling to the floor, 4 screws hold it against the bulkhead. it's strong enough to have some part in supporting the deck and mast above.

port bulkhead of my Tanzer 22 Bolts in locker

Nice easy to access nuts and bolts in the locker behind the bulkhead.

On the starbord side these bolts are under the sink and will be a tight fit to remove.

Small Mystery: Why is there a notch cut into the bulkhead on both sides of the boat. For curtains? Wiring? There is no structural reason that I can see.

Some damage to the outside layer of the veneer is visible in the corner. On the right the chainplate is clearly bent. This photo is of the starboard chainplate. The bottom image is of the slot where the chainplate goes into the interior. it's easy to see how it could allow water to get in if it's not perfectly well caulked and bedded. There was probably some water coming in after the chainplates were bent.

Bent Chainplate from outside of Tanzer22

The chainplates get bent when the mast is lowered without loosening the side stays. If the metal is bent back it can cause metal fatigue so it's better to leave the chainplate bent than to try and straighten it back.

View from the front of the boat shows the fasteners. There is also some wiring to be removed, the lightning rod wire, and light fixture wire.

The chainplate backing plate is still in place. It has 4 nuts and bolts. (I took this photo before removing the chainplate)

Once all the screws were removed including the ones holding the wooden moulding in place it was simple to slide the bulkhead out. I wedged the moulding so it pushed up on the roof slightly. This allowed the bulkhead to slide out without any trouble.

Since the mast has been taken down for the winter storage there is no weight on the top of the cabin. I avoided walking on the top while I was doing this repair. I don't know if it matters.

I was worried that the roof might sag when the bulkhead was removed but that did not happen. I left the moulding in place to support it just in case.

I was also worried that the bulkhead would be wedged in place by a sagging deck but that is not the case. The good guys are winning again.

The plywood I removed was not in terrible shape. The chainplate holes were dry and the wood was not delaminated except for the thin veneer on the top. There was also slight discolouration on the very bottom where it had at one time stood in water. It is 3 layers thick with 2 very thin outside veneers.

I took the piece home where I have a piece of Meranti nice and flat on my dinner table waiting to be shaped. I had kept it from the Apple Pie Dinghy build.

The port bulkhead of my tanzer 22 has been removed.

The space looks very large and empty now that the bulkhead has been removed. I've left the moulding up to keep the roof from caving in! I'm joking, but I want to avoid any distortion that would make it harder to replace the new bulkhead.

Here is a link to my page about Marine Grade Plywood. There are very stringent requirements to be met if it's to be true marine plywood.

Now I need some information. Can I get a chainplate from Tanzer Parts, or do I just go to a metal shop and have them make me a replacement? I would like to know what the funny little cut out in the side of the bulkhead is for.

Since I hate slot screws with a passion, I will see if I can replace the original ones with Robertson head. It might be difficult since it looks like the originals were cut to fit. Maybe it's not a standard size.

Marking the bulkhead shape on meranti Plywood

I carefully aligned the old bulkhead onto the Meranti Plywood. it's 12mm I think, It always feel a bit silly to order a 4 feet x 8 feet x12 mm. sheet of plywood. Talk about mixed up units. The outer edge that is covered by the moulding is the only non beveled edge except for the little cut out. Every other edge has a slight angle. The sides are not straight either. It looks like someone took a sander or a grinder to fit it in the original Tanzer shop.

Marking the the screw holes on the bulkhead shape.

After marking the perimeter and all the bolt holes marked I asked Winston to inspect the piece before cutting. I then clamped the wood to the table. I drilled 2 of the marked holes at each corner of the bulkhead, to have a way of aligning the pieces after they are cut so that I can re align them with no shifting.

I used a jig saw with fine teeth blade. It cuts without leaving a burr. I guess it's slower than a regular blade but this plywood is brittle and the edges chip and tear out if the blade is coarser. On the Skerry build I used metal blades sometimes. It was slow but clean.

To make the bevels I used a combination of my random orbital sander, a file and sandpaper on a block and my hand plane. it's tedious to shape. My little plane worked in some places but others it was too hard and on end grain and the sander was faster.

New bulkhead piece is cut out and beveled. Tomorrow I will take it to the boat and spend a happy afternoon fiddling to fit it. I have no illusions that it will just slide in. After the fitting I know I will need to make it slightly smaller because I plan to epoxy and varnish the bulkhead and this will thicken it up again.

I've located a few machine shops nearby and I will now call them and see if they can fabricate new Tanzer Chainplates. I will not make it bigger. There was no sign of stress on the bulkhead and no distortion of the screwholes so I don't see the need. I will also not use thicker and thus stronger metal because I think I prefer to see damage on the chainplate where it is easy to spot than on the mast fitting or the stays, where damage might not be so obvious and more expensive to fix. When there is a lot of stress something has to give, I prefer to know what.

Should the chainplate fail there is always a chance of grabbing the end and tying it down to something on deck. There is no chance of doing this if it fails from the top of the mast.

The colour of the Meranti Plywood looks grayish but comes up a rich brown colour once finished as on my Apple Pie tender transom. I painted over the epoxy but the colour was very nice.

My day job interfered with my life and I did not get to the boat. I did get the chainplates made though.

I had left the original damaged chainplate at a machine shop near my home.

The shop is quite high end but so conveniently close that if I count even a fraction of my time it's worth paying a slightly higher price.

They did a fabulous job and the new Tanzer chainplates are absolutely identical except for the finish. They put a bit of a satin sheen on. They look very classy!

When I brought it in the owner said that there would be no problem making the part and that most of the time would be spent drawing the part in a CAD program. The actual machining is very fast and automated.

The shop is immaculate and the floor is full of huge automated cutters, lathes and tempering gismos. They also have a hands on room with more recognizable equipment and men who actually get dirty hands.

checking the fit of the new tanzer bulkhead, a bit tight.

After drilling the various holes, I wrapped the new part in an old sheet and took it to the boat to check the fit. It was almost right. I need to allow for the slight curve of the angles of the fiberglass and cut a bit off the edge.

I also checked the mast head to see if the stays or the mast connection was damaged at all. I was worried that the wire might have pulled out of the connector. There was no damage and the stay was in good shape.

I still need to round the edge to accommodate the radius on the fiberglass.

The top edge also needs trimming to fit against the fiberglass rounded corner. Since these 2 edges won't be showing it's not too stressful.

The boat cover makes a tent and it's surprisingly warm and cosy inside. I can sit on the seat without touching the roof. When it gets cold and I want to work on the boat, I can set up a small heater.

I took the bulkhead home and sanded it slightly smaller and rounded the inside edges. After testing it for fit I'm happy. The bulkhead is quite tight but fits. I took it home and did a final adjustment to allow for the epoxy thickness and some varnish.

Sanded all the holes smooth. There was some burr left over after the drilling. Used a small file and rolled up sandpaper.

Sanded the whole surface and erased any pencil mark still on the edges.

I thinned the edge that has the trim so it will still fit in after the epoxy and varnish. Dusted everyting and I think I'm ready for epoxy.

Put the epoxy in warm water to warm it up after coming in from the cold garage. I'm using slow set to let it penetrate as much as possible. I like having lots of time to apply the epoxy without worrying.

Used a small paintbrush to coat all the drilled holes with epoxy. In particular the chainplate holes were saturated. If water ever comes in it won't ever get wet.

The bulkhead is coated with its first coat of epoxy

The Tanzer bulkhead now has a coat of epoxy on both sides (I used small nails stuck in the table to support the back side)

I paid particular attention to the edges to make sure they were saturated. I love to see the wood come alive after the first coat of finish. it's a lovely rich brown. Photo is a bit blotchy but it's quite even.

This is the point in the project where if I had to I could put the boat back together and it would work just fine. The rest is for appearances.

I was calculating how long I had spent so far. Take the bulkhead off the boat: 1 hr Mark it and cut 1.5 hrs Bevel the edges and fine tune the edge 1.5 hrs 2 tests on the boat and adjustments 2 hrs final sand and epoxy coat 1 hour So far a total of 7 hours, but no rushing involved. So this job takes about 12 hours at a leisurly rate completely re-assembled not counting getting the materials. I had all that from the floor repair. If I had done the 2 sides at the same time it would have saved time but I prefer to have some support on the bulkhead in case there is some sagging.

I've had enough of sanding epoxy. it's pretty smooth now. I've re-drilled the holes where epoxy had thickened the opening too much. I've tested the fit in the boat again and it's good.

it's interesting that the top had settled very slightly. I will be able to push it up but it had come down about 2 mm. I'm glad I left one bulkhead up and a support as well.

The bulkhead is coated with it's first coat of varnish

I'm using Behr spar varnish on the carefully dusted bulkhead. The colour is slightly browner than the original but it's a lovely colour. I'm planning to put several thin coats. I'm in no rush to finish.

First coat is on and drying. it's going to look nice on my little boat.

After several coats of varnish, I dulled it with extra fine steel wool and waxed it. The bulkhead feels lovely and has a nice dull shine. it's far from perfect but will pass the 4 feet rule. If you can't see a flaw at 4 feet it's good enough!

Finally a lovely sunny day and I brought the bulkhead and starting installing it on the Tanzer. I had to push up the top a small amount but there was no real difficulty. My port navigation lights have little screws protruding and one was digging into the bulkhead. I had to go unwrap the boat and unscrew it. I'll replace it with a slightly fatter and shorter screw that does not extend into the bulkhead.

aligning the screwholes in the tanzer 22 bulkhead

I used an awl to line up the screw holes. It worked well and I got all my bolts in place. They all lined up perfectly. Beginners luck!! I though I would have to re-drill some but I got lucky. I intend to replace some of the bolts. The originals were slightly bent and seemed to have been cut to size from longer bolts. The chainplate hole was gummed up with old silicone. It took a long time to clean it up. When I can access the outside more easily I will clean up on deck and put 3M 4200 to seal the chainplate and the hole.

The lower nuts and bolts are in place as are the top ones. I plan to replace the top ones. The chainplate is loosely bolted in. All the holes lined up perfectly and the bulkhead fits. I tapped in the edge moulding but I plan to refinish it after the 2 bulkheads are installed. Right now I prefer to have it supporting the deck

The Starboard bulkhead is more damaged but I did not realize the extent of the rot.

Starboard Bulkhead

From the outside there seems to be minimal damage but once I took the bulkhead off the inside was quite rotten. The delamination is not severe except for the thin top veneer. There is rot for about 2 inches around the corner. The rest of the wood is quite strong. I'm wondering if some of the water came from the sink along with the leaky chainplate.

It was a bit trickier to remove this side because the sink is in the way and it's awkward not being able to stand nor sit. The nuts live under the counter too. The worst was my mistake. The outside moulding from the port side was held on only by screws. The starboard one is held by screws AND a nut and bolt. It took a while to figure this out. sigh!!! I thought the screw was not catching and just turning freely.

Spring is almost here and there is still lots to do with with boat. I'll get this bulkhead done more quickly now that I know how.

Launch looms closer now. I have completed the starboard bulkhead and sanded and varnished the vertical wood strips that trim the edges. Everything fits.

Everything went together quite well. I had to do a couple of fittings to get the bulkhead to slide in but nothing major. The trickiest part was putting the nuts on the bottom. There is not a lot of space between the sink and the bulkhead to hold the nuts. It's not hard particularly just fiddly and I kept dropping washers and having to hunt for them.

I removed the chainplate deck fittings and found that they had been seated with silicone. it's always difficult to remove all the old stuff and I had to scrape and sand the deck and the slot. I'm sure I left some inside the slot.

I put an extra large dollop of 3M 4200 and replaced the chainplate and secured it from the inside. I then gooped up around the chainplate and replaced the now cleaned fitting. I made a mess but I think I got the plate down and I don't think this will ever leak for as long as I'm alive. I was using compounds that had just began setting off so it was slightly thicker than when it's fresh so it resisted coming out of the tube. My inside caulking is not so very nice. It was setting quite quickly so I did not have lots of time to fiddle and clean as I went.

I finally got everything back together. The new bulkheads, the new chainplates waterproofed, all the screws and nuts tightened and the wood trim glued and screwed back in position.

I guess I will go back and tidy the caulking after it has set, but for now, I'm done! The good guys win again!

Small Print

This information is for general knowledge. I don't suggest that this is the only way or the best way to fix your bulkheads. Use your head and do your research.

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Bulkhead Replacement?

Thread starter Fly_H23
Start date Jun 28, 2012
Oday Owner Forums
Ask An Oday Owner

Ok, might sound stupid but is it possible to replace the bulkheads on an O'day 26 while it's still in the water? And with the mast still up? I'm thinking, do one side at a time and use the halyards as safety lines while I re-bed each sides chain plates? If the stays are slightly slackened so no excess compression forces other than weight of the mast on the compression post..? Am I crazy or just ignorant? I have access to a trailer so I can haul out. Dropping the mast I'd like to do only if it's advisable and prudent. The seller (not my boat yet) appears to have covered the original bulkheads or possibly a thinner replacement with cedar siding! It smells good but adds no structural support.

Attachments

I would drop the mast and stow it on land and do all the bulkheads.

You Need To Drop The Mast

Drop the Mast. Better yet wait for winter.

bria46 said: Drop the Mast. Better yet wait for winter. Click to expand

Gonna take one more look at the bulkheads this week before we make a decision to buy or not. The PO had a "carpenter" replace a lot of the woodwork inside, me thinks they either covered up the old bulkheads with cedar siding. The bulkheads may have been replaced with some sort of plywood then covered they covered it. PO has no knowledge of how the repairs were done, he just paid the carpenter to "fix" it. Makes me worry alrighty! Price is very very realistic given the condition. On the good side, she has a new roller furler, 140% genoa and new cushion covers throughout. I will defiantly pull her out if the bulkheads need done and do a bottom job as well. Will update as the saga continues.

Most everything can be fixed. If it's decent shape and the price is right. I spent 18 mo rebuilding mine.

True, but by the time I'm done I could probably buy a well maintained boat, right? I don't mind a repair or three but don't want to spend months on it.

Fly_H23 said: True, but by the time I'm done I could probably buy a well maintained boat, right? I don't mind a repair or three but don't want to spend months on it. Click to expand

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COMMENTS

Replacing Damaged Bulkheads
By Dan Witucki Above: With her damaged bulkheads replaced, the Evelyn 32-2 sailboat RUSH is back in action. Several weeks later, the new bulkheads proved they could handle the stress of a heavy knockdown and a major storm during the infamous 2002 Chicago to Mackinac race. ... Although this bulkhead replacement job had looked rather intimidating ...
Replacing a Major Structural Bulkhead in our Bluewater Sailboat
Want to help support our video productions? Join our One Life Crew here:https://www.patreon.com/SailingOneLifeBig thanks to TotalBoat for all their amazing s...
How to replace bulkheads (Boat building) part 1
In this video im working on my hunter 30 getting it ready for the sailing season. I noticed two of my chain plates where being pulled out of the deck. upon f...
Bulkhead replacement
Apr 30, 2014. #12. If you go to the Catalina factory website, and look up the chain plate replacement kit, you'll find that now it is U bolts. They are mounted with an aluminum 90 degree "angle iron" plate. Another plate anchors the bulkhead to the bottom of the fiberglass shelf. This continues in the Stb side.
Sailing Sailboat Bulkhead Replacement
In this episode, we replaced the greywater bulkhead and continue preparing the keel bilge area.Hope you enjoy our new season.Please Subscribe: https://www.yo...
Bulkhead replacement
A far better way to do it is to leave a gap, 1/4 is nice but at least 1/8, between the bulkhead and hull. Tab one side. Fill the gap from the other side with a polyurethane adhesive. I would recommend the loctite marine sealant from home dopey for $12 a tube. Same stuff as 3m 5200 but reasonably priced.
BULKHEAD REPLACEMENT
Replace what you have, the 1/2", but protect it. The most stressed part of a boat is the bulkhead that the chainplate is bolted to. This is a dynamic. Dynamic meaning that it moves. The bulkhead is a solid stucture that can take a vertical load with no problem. That is great if the bulkhead doesn't move. I will in as few words ask possible ...
Bulkhead Replacement Questions for a Cabo Rico 34
Bulkhead Replacement Questions for a Cabo Rico 34. Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by jkenan, Jan 10, 2020 ... on materials, tabbing (including number of layers of tabbing), and overall approach to this job would be appreciated. Boat is mostly gutted at this point, with a couple more BH's to remove, and existing tabbing ground out. Then the ...
Specific Bulkhead replacement Qs
BTW, you could always cut the bulkhead in half, and epoxy the halves back together once you got it in the boat... One of my friends did essentially that... the area adjacent to the cut was routed down to 3/8" thick, for 2" on either side of the cut and a piece of 3/8" plywood was scarfed in with thickened epoxy and a a couple layers of ...
replacement for ply bulkhead
On bulkhead construction, including composite bulkheads. Bulkhead repair - Fix It Anarchy - Sailing Anarchy Forums = On Nida-Core Nida-Core: Looking 4 Thoughts & Feedback - Boat Design Forums The thing is, unless you Really need to save weight on the boat , using this stuff for one part, is likely both going to cost you more, & be a heck of a ...
Ranger 23 Bulkhead Replacement
Ranger 23 Milwaukee. Nov 25, 2020. #1. I have just taken ownership of a Ranger 23. It is in pretty good shape, but it does need a bulkhead replacement on the Starboard side. I am interested in anyone's experience replacing a bulkhead (both in general and specific to the Ranger 23). Would love people's opinion on a replacement versus reinforcing.
Repairing Loose Bulkheads
Using a disposable brush and putty knife, force the mixed resin into the gap between the bulkhead and fiberglass tabbing. Protect your hands with throwaway gloves as this is a messy job. A chemical respirator is recommended in the confined spaces of a boat bilge. Work quickly as the resin in the mixing pot will be "cooking."
Sailboat bulkhead material and Location
54 posts · Joined 2006. #2 · May 5, 2008. I replaced my starboard side bulkhead recently and used marine plywood because I had ready access to it for a fair price. In retrospect, I am not sure it was necessary because I ended up coating the piece with epoxy and strengthing areas with additional layers of fabric.
WHAT IS YOUR CHAINPLATE ATTACHED TO? (Bulkhead Rebuild ...
Fixing bulkheads and chainplates, on a sailboat, using Formica, a laminate trimmer and a multi-tool ; from walls, to bulkheads, shelves to headliners; why n...
A Scribe's Scribe or How to Make Replacement Bulkheads
Sand the fiberglass flush to the hull so it provides a mechanical bond for the replacement tabbing to hold the new bulkheads. The job of scribing the exact shape is next. First, make an exact template of the bulkhead in cardboard. To make the cardboard template you will need an architect's drawing compass, duct tape, cardboard, and a box ...
Bulkhead replacement
It a full day of work to pull and put the replacement back in. No matter how well you template the new bulkhead, there will need to be adjustments made that you'll discover upon installation. So bring a chisel and a good rasp as well as a belt sander. Total cost if I remember was about $250 with everything.
O'day 26 sailboat- Installing the bulkheads
In this episode do some prep work, setting conditions to install the bulkheads. By the end, both port side bulkheads are in place
J22 Number 6 Ives Knoll
J22 Ives Knoll - Main Bulkhead Replacement project. Our club J22 fleet is aging and two boats required new main bulkheads. This page documents the replacement on the main bulkhead in J22 #6 Ives Knoll due to rot at the port side chainplate. There are also some other minor repairs documented here. Ready for last glass work on a beautiful day.
Bulkhead Replacement
Feb 28, 2005. 184. Catalina 22 1909 North East, Md. Oct 4, 2014. #6. I need to replace the bulkheads in my 1973 C22, I plan to use a good quality cabinet grade plywood. The most important things when you replace the bulkheads are: 1) The thickness of the plys the thiner the plys means more plys for a given thickness and that means higher ...
Replacing the water damaged bulkheads and bent chainplates in my Tanzer
Since the bulkhead support the chainplate which can put alot of tension on the wood, it's better to be safe than sorry, so I need to replace the bulkheads, and the bent chainplates. The bulkheads also support a wood beam inside the fiberglass. This supports the mast and can have a lot of weight put on it when the boat is underway.
Cabin bulkhead replacement
Aug 17, 2005. 97. - - Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dec 31, 2006. #3. Been there - O'Day 25. I replaces the port bulkhead on my O'Day 25 last spring. Used marine plywood, cut to fit then epoxied the whole piece including all edges (after a test fit). I figured worst case if I get another leak this thing won't rot again.
Bulkhead Replacement?
489. Compac 14 Charleston, SC. Jul 1, 2012. #6. Gonna take one more look at the bulkheads this week before we make a decision to buy or not. The PO had a "carpenter" replace a lot of the woodwork inside, me thinks they either covered up the old bulkheads with cedar siding.