Due to previously leaking chain plates, the interior bulkheads on my C22mkII are in need of replacement. I plan to remove them and use them as a template to make new ones during the winter. So, two questions. First, does anyone know where to get marine plywood in the NYC metro area? Second, if I remove the old ones at the end of the season, will it be OK to leave them out until spring. I keep the boat on the hard with the mast up during the winter. Any advice will be appreciated.
Bulkhead Replacement
- Thread starter docon48
- Start date
Sorry to hear about the damage to the bulkheads. I recently removed and re-finished the bulkheads on our MK-II while the boat was in her slip with the mast up. The compression post on the MK-II is independent of the bulkheads, and the lower forward and aft stays supported the mast fine, so I would say at least I didn't have any problems. While I was at it, I removed the chain plates and resealed them when everything was re-installed. I was pleased to find out that the upper chain plates passed through solid fiberglass. Hopefully your boat is the same, if not, it would be a good time to grind out the wood core and re-fill with epoxy. Then re-open the hole for the chain plates to pass through.
Don
Don
I don't have a mkII, but on my new generation I used pretty plywood. I couldn't tell you what it was because my neighbor (cabinet shop guy) got it all for me at no cost. I can tell you that whatever I took out was terrible. It appeared to be just regular plywood with a thin veneer that was de-laminating in several places, on several pieces. We ended up replacing every piece of plywood in the boat, then refinishing all the solid teak pieces to match. It is beautiful and I'm not worried about the quality of the plywood. It shouldn't get wet and if it does, I'd expect my current plywood would perform at least as well and probably better than the factory stuff. We sealed and sanded several times before sanding and top coating several times. I believe that the sealing part is more important than the kind of wood you use.
I mail ordered teak-veneer plywood from this place: http://www.buckwoodcraft.com/teak-veneer-plywood.html.
Good stuff, I was happy with it.
Good stuff, I was happy with it.
I need to replace the bulkheads in my 1973 C22, I plan to use a good quality cabinet grade plywood. The most important things when you replace the bulkheads are:
1) The thickness of the plys the thiner the plys means more plys for a given thickness and that means higher strength for a given thickness of plywood, which is important when you attach the chain plate straps to it.
2) Make sure after fitting the bulkhead, marking, and drilling the holes for the bulkhead seal it very well paying special attention to the inside of the screw and bolt holes, and your new bulkheads should last you a long time.
1) The thickness of the plys the thiner the plys means more plys for a given thickness and that means higher strength for a given thickness of plywood, which is important when you attach the chain plate straps to it.
2) Make sure after fitting the bulkhead, marking, and drilling the holes for the bulkhead seal it very well paying special attention to the inside of the screw and bolt holes, and your new bulkheads should last you a long time.
I had to replace the starboard bulkhead on "Kellie Marie" and like Chris and Barry stated above, I agree that the construction of the plywood and sealing is more important than the exterior veneers. I used 1/2" Mahogany plywood with an 8 ply construction as opposed to the 5 play that came off the boat. I replaced every bit of the stained and rotten original teak veneered plywood and re finished the solid teak trim at the same time. All my wood was sealed with about 5 coats of Cetol with a light sanding between coats. Everything matched well enough that most people don't spot the difference.
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Wow, Slim, yours was way worse than mine when I replaced it. Looks great now though!
I lost the pics of mine is a recent computer crash. This is what the teak veneer plywood looks like though, with three coats of Cetol. I think it's five ply, plus the veneer on each side of course:
I lost the pics of mine is a recent computer crash. This is what the teak veneer plywood looks like though, with three coats of Cetol. I think it's five ply, plus the veneer on each side of course:
Hey Slim, did the trim come off yours easily, or did it break into umpteen pieces like mine did? The long straight piece in particular just shattered into toothpicks no matter how hard I tried to make it come off intact (or even in large pieces)! I was determined to put Humpty Dumpty back together though, and it did come out 99% perfect in the end.
I didn't take pictures, but I could have taken the same one above. I used zip ties to hold mine while the glue dried just like yours. I can't believe how well it turned out. I ditched all the vinyl trim. It looks much cleaner. I have some gaps that the the vinyl hid from the factory and my replacement's. I thought about caulking the gap to hide it and make it more solid to the top and sides.
I was really careful and used a couple of blocks of wood and a small brass guns mithing hammer to gently remove the trim on my bulkhead. I can't recall any splintering problems with it, looks like you figured out a great way to salvage yours, nice work!! I may run into trouble if I ever have to replace the port side bulkhead but luckily for me, the chainplate there was well sealed and I re sealed it with butyl just to be safe. Of course, I'll sit around here looking at it one day, the wheels will start turning again and I'll be tearing it out in order to make it better. Check the photos out on my profile here for more pictures of the restoration.Hey Slim, did the trim come off yours easily, or did it break into umpteen pieces like mine did? The long straight piece in particular just shattered into toothpicks no matter how hard I tried to make it come off intact (or even in large pieces)! I was determined to put Humpty Dumpty back together though, and it did come out 99% perfect in the end.
Slim, Your Bulkhead turned out beautifully, the contrast of the two colors of the wood really set it off. I was going to try to stain mine to match the trim, but now I will do mine like yours. Many thanks for the pics !!! By the way love the zipties as clamps and they won't wont stick to epoxy.
Thank you Barry, I've been following your progress on "Brighteyes" for a while now and look forward to seeing how everything comes together. I can't take any credit for the zip tie idea but I will now think about it next time I run out of clamps for a project.