Irwin 43 bulkhead

[Noahu26]

Hi, first post here!

I just bought a 1988 Irwin 43 Mk III!

(I know what people say about Irwin's, please don't pile on here. The price was right and I want the space. The hull exterior is in great shape, and the spars were recently redone. I'm willing to put in the work.)

That said, I got into the boat yesterday and cleaned everything out. There was some rot in the aft shower wall, which I assumed was from the shower, it isn't. The propane tank locker has a leak and that transferred rainwater into the bulkhead between shower and the galley.

Being an Irwin, it doesn't seem like the wood was tabbed in, so I'm thinking about making a clean cut above all the rot, sliding in new marine ply, bonding it to the remaining wall, and putting in a new, waterproof veneer for the shower.

What do you all think?

[capt jgw]

That would probably be my approach too. If the bulkheads aren't tabbed, I'd consider fixing that too if/where possible.

[Noahu26]

Would you cut straight across or follow the diagonal? I'm not sure it's really structural, but I'm going to treat it like it is.

[psk125]

Cutting on a diagonal might be best. If you're bonding/glassing the existing and the new piece together, that joint provides the strength of the bulkhead. A longer joint will be stronger than a short one, just as a scarf joint is stronger than a butt joint.

[Noahu26]

Thank you. I'll post updates.