Bulkhead and Compression post Rebuild Almost done

[jkandris]

After a long weekend I have the new bulkheads installed but not glassed in. Just ran out of steam. It can be done in a weekend I believe this now.
Compression post was cut from rough White Oak to a true 2x4 size and reduced in size to fit the keel spot
Did use 3/4 Marine ply for the bulkheads, purchased from Siewers lumber in Richmond,VA
3 sheets total so far.
Lessons learned.
New Favorite tool Dewalt Oscillating saw, saved me so much trouble with the small corrections to my my templates.
Second new favorite tool electric planer, made fitting them in place so much easier and faster.

Bring your patience , move slow, think slower and it will all come together.

Also shot a video of unstepping the mast, hopefully I can upload it tomorrow, The O'day system is unbelievable, three of us lowered the mast in just over 5 minutes, nice and easy. I believe with enough practice two people are all it takes to do it safely. Definitely need to pay attention to the mast once it is down and you start to unhook the side stays the mast wants to roll big time. One more thing use the mainsail halyard instead of the topping lift It just made me feel more comfortable. Make sure the mainsheet is extra long, I ended up on the top of the boat feeding it back through the block one handed to get it down to the deck..
Thats all for now. Ive got enough leftover wood to rebuild the head and countertop in the galley. Looks like Im replacing all the wood in the boat, Ive gone down this far might as well do it all..

Cheers

 

[Will Gilmore]

move slow, think slower .

I get those two confused. That must be why my projects take forever.

Nice work. Interested in the video.

Thanks for the post.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Nice work! I'm in the process of replacing the bulkhead myself. Just waiting for the weather to warm up right now. Do you have any recommended methods to help find the "high spot" that needs to be cut/grinded away when fitting the new plywood or is there enough visibility on the fore side of the bulkhead?

 

[jkandris]

Honestly I used the old bulkheads and ground down a little at a time did a test fit and repeated till it fit nice.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I was planning on using an angle grinder with a flap disc to grind when fitting. Do you think the oscillating saw would have any significant advantage?

 

[jkandris]

Maybe maybe not. If I had brought my angle grinder that would have been my plan as well. But I grabbed the planer instead. Also ended up using the oscillating saw with a sander attachment for the curves
To clarify I used the oscillating saw for the fine last minute adjustments once the bulkheads were semi installed, Since my old bulkheads were pretty much trashed i ended up guestimating the bottom edges so they needed some refinement for better fit

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Thanks for the info. I traced the old bulkhead out and the plywood is awaiting cutting and staining. Do you have any other tips or advice for this job?

 

[jkandris]

Jacking up the top of the boat helped a ton in getting the new bulkheads in. I did mine roughly 1 inch, your results may vary. Be careful not to crack anything. There were lots of scary creaks and groans as we moved the bulkheads into place. scared the crap out of me a couple of times lol. Good Luck. Post pics please we all want to see

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I have another thread on this topic. The other posters strongly urged me to support the deck so I drove an hour and a half to the marina and screwed the old bulkhead back in. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a lot of extra room above and below the bulkhead. Perhaps I got luckier than other O'Day owners. Heres a link to the thread: https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/oday-25-bulkhead-replacement.194286/
@cb32863 Has answered a ton of my questions. I owe him a beer or three

 

[jkandris]

Absolutely a killer thread I read it as well. Tons of information.. I love this community.