Bulkhead Replacement-Advice Needed

[rhr1956]

Boat- 1978 Pearson 26 One Design

The bulkhead where the port chainplate attaches has fatigued, allowing the chainplate to raise up nearly a half inch. I'm convinced the only proper fix is to replace the bulkhead. Anyone who has done this on a Pearson 26 I would love to hear any advice you may have to offer.

[sailpower]

This might help.

Pyxis - Pearson 26

[rhr1956]

I checked the Pyxis site and couldn't find anything about bulkheads. I remember seeing some pictures of a Pearson 26 with all the bulkheads removed during a refit, but I can't locate the article/blog/post. I can't remember where I saw it. Still hoping someone has some info

[roverhi]

Replacing a bulkhead is major work. Is there any way to save what's already there. When you say it's fatigued, have the bolt holes elongated or has it rotted from water intrusion. In any case can you scab on a piece plywood to fix the problem. Glue and screws will hold very well as long as there is enough area to bond to the old bulkhead.

[daddle]

Yeah, Roverhi has the good advice. If that is not possible just copy what is there. Same material, tabbing, everything. Sometimes there are gaps around the edges (FRP hulls) to reduce point loading on the hull. If there is cabinetry on both sides of the bulkhead you have a real big project.

[rhr1956]

The damage is elongated holes and the plywood seems to have "crushed" behind the chain plate. A few raps with a screwdriver indicates soft wood 2-3 inches around the plate. The bulkhead itself is a simple single-wall with no cabinetry associated. There is one area about 1 sq ft where fiberglass has been tabbed to the bulkhead and the hull of the boat.

[sailpower]

Originally Posted by rhr1956

I checked the Pyxis site and couldn't find anything about bulkheads. I

Sorry, guess I should have been more clear. The owner of that site, Dan Pfeiffer, is very knowledgeable about this model and would probably be able to steer you in the right direction.

He used to own the pearsoninfo.net site which is now down however most of it can still be accessed from here. Pearson Information site

I don't want to post his email here but it is on the Pyxis site at the bottom of the page.

Good luck.

[neilpride]

This link maybe help you to get the whole picture of the project.. WEST SYSTEM | Projects | Fiberglass Boat Repair and Restoration - Replacing damaged bulkheads

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by rhr1956

The damage is elongated holes and the plywood seems to have "crushed" behind the chain plate. A few raps with a screwdriver indicates soft wood 2-3 inches around the plate. The bulkhead itself is a simple single-wall with no cabinetry associated. There is one area about 1 sq ft where fiberglass has been tabbed to the bulkhead and the hull of the boat.

Likely had some water ingress to cause the wider soft wood - yer wanna make sure that it also fixed.

From the description does not sound like you need to replace the entire bulkhead (whilst DIYable - would be a pig of a job)........... if that is the case (i.e. the only damage) I would go for replacement / reinforcement of the affected area by cutting out back to good, simply plugging the hole (whether 3 inches or 12!) with wood and epoxy and then screwing or bolting through oversized wood backing plates (possibly both sides of the bulkhead) - remember that what you can't hide (to make invisible) you can instead make a feature of ......odds are that fix would be far beefier than the original and would at least see your ownership out - if not also the life of the boat!

[Celestialsailor]

Some pictures would take the guess work out of it.

[rhr1956]

I've poured over the Internet looking at the subject. I am now thinking of cutting out the bad wood, plugging the with new wood and epoxy and then installing a new chainplate. The new chainplate (and backing plate) would have a much larger footprint where it attaches to the bulkhead. The larger footprint will allow attachment to fresh wood in the existing bulkhead and allow the plug to be mechanically bridged in as well. Thoughts?

PS. Sorry for the lack of pictures. It's been too cold to mess with it the last few days.

[rhr1956]

Notice crushed wood.





Backing plate shifted up, tabbing cracked a little. I think the bolt may have kept the whole thing for pulling out.

[Cheechako]

You could just replace the under sidedeck portion of the bulkhead if the rest is solid. That's what's bearing most the chainplate load. Not sxure how it would look.....

[roverhi]

Looks like you will have to cut out the rotten pieces of the bulkhead after removing the chainplate. Cut a piece of identical thickness plywood to fit the cutout part and try to do it as neatly as possible. Cut a piece of plywood about 6" larger than the cutout. Sand off the paint or varnish and screw and glue this to the bulkhead and screw and glue your cut out patch to this. Carefully check the chainplate for corrosion cracking, replace if suspect. Bolt the chainplate back in place and refinish the bulkhead.

I'd pull all the other chainplates check to see if they have suffered any water ingress. Leaks from the deck are prime sources of electrolyte for crevice corrosion.

[rhr1956]

ok guys...seems to me that I really need to remove the entire bulkhead. Trying to cut a piece out of it seems more difficult that a removal. Once it's out, why not just make a new one piece bulkhead. Thoughts?