It may be of interest to some other Catalina owners to see the end story to the captioned threat.
Catalina were really quite helpful in the end and have now provided me with an insulated panel insert – free of charge. It is teak veneered on one side (unfortunately, this, which is also running vertically, does not match the existing grain, as the bulkhead grain seems the only one on the boat to run horizontally – however being in the rear cabin it is hardly noticeable) and has an insulation pad on the other side – about 1/4 “ thick, giving not only insulation but also more vent space from the exhaust elbow. It came with an installation drawing.
Installation involved cutting out the insulation area and then screwing on the panel to the rear bulkhead (matching screws supplied by Catalina).
Tested it with a 3 – 4 hour run under power at 21 – 2400 revs. : The panel still became quite hot, but one could still touch it, which was not possible before. Therefore, there should be no more danger of the bulkhead igniting.
The first 4 attached pictures show the panel’s veneer, insulation before installation and after. (Cutout shows slip with saw that needs to be tidied up yet.)
The next two show the severe scorching on the facing of the cut out bulkhead piece and its penetration via a cut section.
Catalina were really quite helpful in the end and have now provided me with an insulated panel insert – free of charge. It is teak veneered on one side (unfortunately, this, which is also running vertically, does not match the existing grain, as the bulkhead grain seems the only one on the boat to run horizontally – however being in the rear cabin it is hardly noticeable) and has an insulation pad on the other side – about 1/4 “ thick, giving not only insulation but also more vent space from the exhaust elbow. It came with an installation drawing.
Installation involved cutting out the insulation area and then screwing on the panel to the rear bulkhead (matching screws supplied by Catalina).
Tested it with a 3 – 4 hour run under power at 21 – 2400 revs. : The panel still became quite hot, but one could still touch it, which was not possible before. Therefore, there should be no more danger of the bulkhead igniting.
The first 4 attached pictures show the panel’s veneer, insulation before installation and after. (Cutout shows slip with saw that needs to be tidied up yet.)
The next two show the severe scorching on the facing of the cut out bulkhead piece and its penetration via a cut section.
