Bulkheads- bolts or just the same skimpy screws?

[Indysailor]

I'll be putting my new bulkheads in next week and have been wondering whether I should attach the bottom portion with bolts or use the same method as original.

The factory install on my 23 attached the bulkheads to the sole with wood screws into the port and starboard settee bases.
Since I've owned the boat, I have tightened the screws numerous times and I'm sure they work loose from the movement caused by the tension and sheering forces applied to the bulkheads. So, I'm thinking of using bolts.

It occurs to me though that my bulkheads are really sort of floating- no tabs hold them to the sides and those screws don't really provide much more than to keep the bulkheads in their place against the settees. I'm wondering if they may have been designed to have a little play, or should they be rock solid, secure?

Any thoughts on that?

 

[Joe11688]

I'll be putting my new bulkheads in next week and have been wondering whether I should attach the bottom portion with bolts or use the same method as original.

The factory install on my 23 attached the bulkheads to the sole with wood screws into the port and starboard settee bases.
Since I've owned the boat, I have tightened the screws numerous times and I'm sure they work loose from the movement caused by the tension and sheering forces applied to the bulkheads. So, I'm thinking of using bolts.

It occurs to me though that my bulkheads are really sort of floating- no tabs hold them to the sides and those screws don't really provide much more than to keep the bulkheads in their place against the settees. I'm wondering if they may have been designed to have a little play, or should they be rock solid, secure?

Any thoughts on that?

I've never had to replace my bulkheads on my boat but I did remove them several years ago. In fact I removed ever piece of wood from the cabin and refinished it.
Prior to that though, I replaced my side stay chainplates a few years before that with O'Day 25 chainplates and I added oak boards and bolted them to the settees against the bulkhead. I used 5/16" stainless steel bolts with washers. I beefed up the bulkhead good in the V birth section.

Later on, I had water seeping in around the chainplates so I had some stainless steel covers made up and welded to my chainplates with four bolts to each cover going through the decks. I never had another problem after that.

 

[Indysailor]

Thanks Joe- that helps a lot.

 

[Joe11688]

Thanks Joe- that helps a lot.

I don't know what type of side stay chainplates that are on the O'Day 23 but if you adopt this chainplate cover idea, you need to take into consideration the thickness of the bulkhead in the V birth section for the clearance of bolts coming through the deck on that side. What this means is that the plates may need to be longer toward the bow for the bolt clearances inside in relation to thickness of the bulkhead. It's just something to take into consideration if you go that route. A guy on the forum named Mitch adopted this idea for his O'Day 222 last year and it came out great.