1977 O'Day 27 - Water damaged bulkhead / Chainplate Repair

[MarionAdele]

Hello! My wife and I just picked up an O'Day 27 and we're aiming to get the bulkhead repaired so we can get her on the water. I'm interested in any tips, links, direction, or advice from anyone who has been down the road with this bulkhead repair.

I am also wondering if there has been any known issues with water or soft deck on the 2 additional shroud anchor points on either side (forward and aft) of the main chainplate anchor. It doesn't seem as though there is an issue, but I haven't been able to spend much time with her yet. She's up north and I've got to get up there with some tools to get this project going.

She's been on the hard for 10 years and it's time to bring her back. This is going to be a work in progress for awhile, but we'd like to splash her this season yet, if possible.

Thanks for any help or thoughts in advance. I will get a few pics uploaded here as well.

-Skipper K

 

[jssailem]

Hello K. Welcome to the SBO forums. Congrats on your new to you boat.

While it is natural to shout out to owners of the specific boat you have, you will learn that the type of question you asked is not a boat or brand specific issue. All boat owners of preowned boats can experience the challenges of water ingress, bulkhead damage, and soft decks due to water damage. It is either there or it is not. If there we all address it pretty much the same way.

1. Identify the existence.
2. Clarify the extent of damage
3. Repair the damage based on where it is and how much of it exists.
4. Dress up the repaired area to look like the surrounding area of the boat
5. Take the boat sailing.

10 years on the hard, can be a challenge for your boat. Usually while at rest no one is caring for the boat. Winter cold and summer heat play nasty on the hull. Leaks occur and go unresolved.

You have a project ahead. Bulkheads test your carpentry skills. Questions and pictures of the areas of concern are a great way to start here on the forum.

Suggest you broaden your network and post your query in the "Ask All Sailors" forum. That way you get responses from all members who have patched, repaired, or rebuilt bulkheads on boats.

The same for your query about " soft deck on the 2 additional shroud anchor points on either side (forward and aft) of the main chainplate anchor"

You sound like you are doing a complete job to make your boat seaworthy and safe for your family.

One of the important tasks an owner does is to examine the standing rigging that keeps the mast in place. You start the discussion about that with the chainplates. That is a great start. Now carefully examine all the other elements of the mast and the wires (shrouds) that hold the rig in place. Being out on the water is not the time to discover that a turn buckle or spreader is failing. Putting the mast at risk of crashing down on you and your crew. Rigging ages. It is a replaceable item.

We here are SBO enjoy helping answer questions. We also encourage sailors to search the the site for answers. Over the years many queries have been addressed, just like the one you posed.

Good luck with your new adventure.

 

[dmax]

O'Days can/do have issues with moisture in the deck core - they didn't seal the core at the openings and used silicone as a sealant - if the deck hardware hasn't been re-bedded since new, it's leaking by now. Use a moisture meter to check the deck, this should tell you what you're up against. The core is end-grain balsa (I believe that's true for the 27 as well) - water migrates slowly through it so that helps.

 

[MarionAdele]

Hello K. Welcome to the SBO forums. Congrats on your new to you boat.

While it is natural to shout out to owners of the specific boat you have, you will learn that the type of question you asked is not a boat or brand specific issue. All boat owners of preowned boats can experience the challenges of water ingress, bulkhead damage, and soft decks due to water damage. It is either there or it is not. If there we all address it pretty much the same way.

1. Identify the existence.
2. Clarify the extent of damage
3. Repair the damage based on where it is and how much of it exists.
4. Dress up the repaired area to look like the surrounding area of the boat
5. Take the boat sailing.

10 years on the hard, can be a challenge for your boat. Usually while at rest no one is caring for the boat. Winter cold and summer heat play nasty on the hull. Leaks occur and go unresolved.

You have a project ahead. Bulkheads test your carpentry skills. Questions and pictures of the areas of concern are a great way to start here on the forum.

Suggest you broaden your network and post your query in the "Ask All Sailors" forum. That way you get responses from all members who have patched, repaired, or rebuilt bulkheads on boats.

The same for your query about " soft deck on the 2 additional shroud anchor points on either side (forward and aft) of the main chainplate anchor"

You sound like you are doing a complete job to make your boat seaworthy and safe for your family.

One of the important tasks an owner does is to examine the standing rigging that keeps the mast in place. You start the discussion about that with the chainplates. That is a great start. Now carefully examine all the other elements of the mast and the wires (shrouds) that hold the rig in place. Being out on the water is not the time to discover that a turn buckle or spreader is failing. Putting the mast at risk of crashing down on you and your crew. Rigging ages. It is a replaceable item.

We here are SBO enjoy helping answer questions. We also encourage sailors to search the the site for answers. Over the years many queries have been addressed, just like the one you posed.

Good luck with your new adventure.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply! I appreciate this and will take your advice in terms of looking for answers in the broader community. I know this issue has been tackled before, but I am still trying to get used to the forum and haven't been able to find the particular threads where the coveted information resides.

I hope to acquire some direct links at some point...Thanks again!

 

[MarionAdele]

O'Days can/do have issues with moisture in the deck core - they didn't seal the core at the openings and used silicone as a sealant - if the deck hardware hasn't been re-bedded since new, it's leaking by now. Use a moisture meter to check the deck, this should tell you what you're up against. The core is end-grain balsa (I believe that's true for the 27 as well) - water migrates slowly through it so that helps.

Thank you! I appreciate the response. I'm sure it's leaking in a few places and I suspect it is leaking in a few others. Moisture meter sounds like a great idea. Definitely feel that my work is cut out for me...

 

[Tally Ho]

Almost any boat can have moisture in the deck, particularly around anything that penetrates the deck.
Careful inspection around chain plates, under winches and cleats and stanchions is a good place to start.

Discoloration from water is a quick thing to look for on wood bulkheads, or stains on carpet on the hull sides can give you clues to leaky stanchion, cleats, etc.

Greg

 

[MarionAdele]

Almost any boat can have moisture in the deck, particularly around anything that penetrates the deck.
Careful inspection around chain plates, under winches and cleats and stanchions is a good place to start.

Discoloration from water is a quick thing to look for on wood bulkheads, or stains on carpet on the hull sides can give you clues to leaky stanchion, cleats, etc.

Greg

Appreciate it, Greg! Thanks for the response. -K

 

[Ritdog]

I have a 25, and have replaced the bulkheads twice on 2 boats (wife got the first one in the divorce....) . They are usually 1/2" plywood , and fit tightly- I used a floor jack and used a 2x4 to jack the overhead up a little to get it all to fit. Also check the transom. The 25 has a plywood panel to stiffen the motor mount side , along with the king plank. Not sure what yours has. Those panels are notorious for rotting out due to insufficient sealing of the through holes. If you have to replace any of that it's a JOB... you have to use a grinder to get it out, then rebuild it all. I used 3 sheets of 1/4 ply with mat between them and mat to cover, then drilled out the holes and epoxied the holes, and redrilled. All of this is elsewhere on this site, about 5 years back.

 

[MarionAdele]

I have a 25, and have replaced the bulkheads twice on 2 boats (wife got the first one in the divorce....) . They are usually 1/2" plywood , and fit tightly- I used a floor jack and used a 2x4 to jack the overhead up a little to get it all to fit. Also check the transom. The 25 has a plywood panel to stiffen the motor mount side , along with the king plank. Not sure what yours has. Those panels are notorious for rotting out due to insufficient sealing of the through holes. If you have to replace any of that it's a JOB... you have to use a grinder to get it out, then rebuild it all. I used 3 sheets of 1/4 ply with mat between them and mat to cover, then drilled out the holes and epoxied the holes, and redrilled. All of this is elsewhere on this site, about 5 years back.

Thanks for that. I’ll see if I can find your previous posts. We’re going to tackle it in the spring.

Appreciate the advice! -K