Advice on bulkhead repair

fruitta55 · 06-20-2005, 06:19 PM

This is mainly for TB and Chatim but the rest of you banana's can reply to if you have any advise. This is the bulkhead I've been talking about needing to replace since the "wood" in it is mush. How should I go about this?

Chatim Racing · 06-21-2005, 02:54 PM

OUCH! That cross-brace for the two main stringers doesn't look good... Unfortunately it looks as though you'll have to cut it out and reglass in a replacement soon. Luckily it looks like it's just the cross-brace of the stringer and you can easily get at it. More importantly how does the main cabin bulkhead look in front of the tank? Does that have the same problem?

PS - Check this site out for some good tips & pics etc. :www.capndsboatshed.com

fruitta55 · 06-21-2005, 08:13 PM

The Main bulkhead looks and feels ok. It has a piece of pvc pipe that is glassed in and lines the hole. Just wasn't one in this brace so the wood inside the glass is mush if you stick your finger in it. So you don't think this will be a very difficult repair?

And is it normal to have these drainage holes this far up in the boat? most of the other boats I've seen are step downs here so I assume that the water passages are sealed off in those boats?

Chatim Racing · 06-22-2005, 10:36 AM

Great - the PVC pipe is supposed to be there and the area around the pipe seems ok - good. In my boat, I have a plug inside the pvc pipe just inside the cabin to prevent the water from sloshing up into the cabin - works great.

Just as you suspected it looks like someone forgot to seal the inside of that drainage hole. My boat has the exact same drainage hole in that front bulkhead but no problems as it stays dry in there. I even have carpet in my cabin (picture attached).

Yes I think that will be an easy repair. Again it is just the cross brace and not your main stringers. I'd check out how extensive the rot is (?)- maybe the rotted area can just be cut out and a new section glassed in without having to remove the whole piece?? If it's not too bad I'd live with it for a while and make a winter project out of it....but get that plug and keep it dry asap!

Pictures are of cabin of one being built and one of my boat's cabin...

fruitta55 · 07-12-2005, 05:08 PM

Tell me it's not as bad as I think??!! Did some poking into the main bulkhead and found it was totaly rotten!

I'm thinking this may be getting out of my scope of tallent! It appears to run into the stringers as well,

and all the foam under the tank is all saturated. oh yeah the tank is full too. Can someone tell me how much it holds? I think it will need to be drained and removed in order to fix the problem?

heatbuzz · 07-12-2005, 07:51 PM

The tank is either 50 or 60. Did you ever find out the reason why you were taking on water last year?.......Thats probably why you have trouble now

fruitta55 · 07-12-2005, 09:24 PM

Lets see in order. No not really, and I would say so. But with the extent of it I would say that its been going on for a while now!

I'll try and get some pics of it and post them soon.

Air Dog · 07-13-2005, 12:20 PM

Whats up Banana Heads!!!

I have been working to much to even get to a computer. Only used the boat once this year.

Adam,

Just put it back together until October. The summer is too short to be waisting warm sunny days covered in fiberglass and throwing tools.

Your tank under the cockpit holds 55 gallons, unless it protrudes past the aft bulkhead, then it may be 70 gallons, but I don't think that is the case since you have the aft tank option.

Easiest way is to remove the cockpit hatch and read it off the tank since it must be written on there.

When are you dragging your Banana to Portsmouth?

Air Dog · 07-13-2005, 12:22 PM

Adam,

If you think you have a leak, then pull the boat out of the water, leave the plug in and let the bottom of the hull dry.

Take a garden hose and fill the boat with water, climb underneath it and look for leaks...

fruitta55 · 07-13-2005, 02:27 PM

I definitely understand about the summer being to short but I'm already half way there. Both bulkheads are cut out but I think it needs the stringers repaired now too. and since it will take forever to get the water out of the foam around the tank I might as well just take it out. Then remove all the old foam and repair the stringers. Put the tank back in , pour in new foam and be done with it. We still have a small put put boat to get around on the lake with.