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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Bulkhead replacement

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DaveC25
Navigator

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USA
152 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/29/2006 : 16:05:42

Does anyone who has replaced thier bulkheads have any photos of the operation. I'm trying to get an idea of what's invloved.

-DaveC25

1979 Catalina 25 "Pretty Penny" #1166
Palm Bay, Florida

Edited by - on

crcalhoon
Captain

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USA
303 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 17:03:31

Dave--I just replaced all four of mine, finished about two weeks ago. I don't have pictures nor the capability, although I guess I could snail mail some old fashioned ones. I just started a verbal response to your query and it got so long that I was getting embarrassed so I zeroed it out and sent this. If you or anybody else is interested in the long version, let me know and I'll write it up. In short, it's a job, but it ain't as tough as you think it is at first.

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existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 18:08:47

Sounds like an excellent tech aricle and I suspect one that will become more needed as these boats age. The same discussion about bulkheads just took place in the Yahoo Capri 25 group and although no pictures, just questions, a good reference site came up of someone doing the job on an Evelyn.

[url="http://www.nbayracing.com/bulkhead.htm"]bulkhead fun[/url]

[url="http://westsystem.com/ewmag/20/Replacing_bulkheads.html"]Another good one[/url]

I'll be doing at least the rears in Swimmer this winter. My forward ones are still in very good shape.

Good luck!

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mashedcat
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USA
194 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 20:40:44

this guy has done the job and posted pics in his website
http://home.wmis.net/~dhapp/page1.html

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 21:06:13

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by crcalhoon
 Dave--I just replaced all four of mine, finished about two weeks ago. I don't have pictures nor the capability, although I guess I could snail mail some old fashioned ones. I just started a verbal response to your query and it got so long that I was getting embarrassed so I zeroed it out and sent this. If you or anybody else is interested in the long version, let me know and I'll write it up. In short, it's a job, but it ain't as tough as you think it is at first.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Charles,

If you wind up writing everything up, and have some spare photos we could probably get someone to scan them. It sound like we have the makings of a great tech tip!

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 21:49:36

It's not really that difficult. It is basically a matter of removing the existing bulkheads and then copying the old onto the new. My web site does not do a real good job of describing it.
A few things to watch for are,
1, You need to get the same thickness material for the two main bulkheads. The main bulkheads are fastened on their aft face to the liner and the chainplates are fastened on the forward face. A thicker piece of wood will not work well. You'll need 1/2" plywood.
2, Catalina did not cut the edge where the bulkhead meets the boat at a close tolerance. The fit on the existing panels is sloppy. Cut the panels large and then trim them t fit. I used a little piece of wood to trace a line on the face of the panels so I could transpose a line on the new panel that was a much closer fit.
3, The edge where the panel meets the bulkhead is not at a right angle. It is a compound curve. I scribed the panel with a pencil and then sanded it to a nice fit.
4, Drilling the holes for the chainplates, I drilled the bottom hole for the chainplate first. Then with the panel installed, I scribed the other three holes. This way the holes lined up perfect, creating a precise fit.
5, I used a brad point drill for all the holes. Drill almost all the way through until the tip of the drill just pokes through. Then finish the hole from the other side. This makes a really nice hole with no tear out.
6, I bought all new screws and finish washers. I drilled all new screw holes instead of trying to hit the existing holes. I drilled pilot holes in the fiberglass so the new screws fit nice and tight. #10 screws x 1 1/4" I think.
I bought teak plywood. It’s terribly expensive. John V used some birch plywood in a restoration he's doing and it s really pretty. What wood you choose is a matter of personal choice. Seal the edges of whatever wood you use, with epoxy or varnish so it can’t rot.
http://www.geocities.com/neebish1904/projectboat3.html

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 11/30/2006 : 07:11:59

Dan, your web site is a wonder of dedication and skill. I would never have tackled that boat, I scrub and bolt on and that doesn't take any skills at all, you have shown what real effort can do. Thanks for sharing it with everyone. I don't remember, did you toss the saildrive and go OB?

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crcalhoon
Captain

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USA
303 Posts

Response Posted - 11/30/2006 : 08:41:51

Duane--I must admit that I am barely computer lliterate and have no convenient grandchild to keep me straight. I tried to write this process up, but ran out of room in the box. What am I missing?

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Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 11/30/2006 : 19:21:05

Thanks for the kind words Frank. I decided to keep the saildrive for a few reasons.
It is 15 HP. More than enough for this boat but since I'm a novice sailor; the extra HP might get me out of trouble.
The second reason was that the big hole was already in the bottom of the boat.
It is also low in the boat and on the centerline but doesn't take up much room. It will also be pretty tough to steal this motor. It has both a 35amp alternator for the house bank and a 5amp flywheel alternator for the starting battery.
The engine has almost no corrosion on it. After re-assembling it, I have run it twice in a tank of water. It runs great.

A smart person would have stopped at the landfill on the way home and dumped this boat off the trailer. If I would have done that I could have tripled my investment before I got home. But that was not the idea. I figure if I spend $12,000 to $15,000 on this boat I will have essentially a new 25' sailboat, on a trailer, for a fraction of the cost of a new boat.

I will have to paint the boat, but almost all boats that are this age will need to be painted. More and more boats of this vintage are being painted every day. The gelcoat is 30 years old and there is just no going back. Re-gelcoating the boat is just way over the top.
One of these days I’ll actually get to sail it.

Charles, the little box at the bottom of the posts are for quick posts. To write a novel, click the " Reply to Topic" link at the top of the page and it brings up more options.
If you do use the little box at the bottom, just keep typing, it'll take it

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crcalhoon
Captain

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USA
303 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2006 : 14:35:00

Sorry this has taken so long. It's terrible for an old english major to learn that he can't write a simple theme anymore.

I haave a 1979 FK SR, #1435. Of the four internal bulkheads, the two forward ones were structurally sound, just nasty and uncared for. The two main bulkheads were another story. They were both rotted out to powder at the top where the chainplates leaked, and at the bottom, where they stood in water. PO had sandwiched up plywood backing plates firmly bolted to hold chainplates, but since these things depend for their strength on the bottom bolts, that area is crucial.

Anyway, that effectively necessitated two separate procedures. The forward bulkheads were simple enough. I used 1/2" birch ply; it takes two sheets. Owing to the shape and size of the bulkhead, you get two out of each sheet, ($50.00 each in my area)with considerable scrap left over. I was able to use the forward bulkheads as patterns and trace them off onto the new plywood. I then rough cut them with a jigsaw. Next, I clamped the old bulkhead inplace on the new ones as templates and used a hand held router with a roller bearing bit for the final cut. A few licks with the sander and they were done. These are simply screwed in and removing and re-installing them is a one man job. I don't suppose it matters, but I stained and finished these at this point are went ahead and re-installed them. Since they are not structural, you could as well wait and do it at the same time as the starboard one if you wanted. I am 15 minutes from my boat.

The main bulkheads were a little more difficult. Begin with the starboard one. It is the easier of the two and it will give you practice for the port one. Take a halyard or two down and hook them to the stanchion bases on the starboard side. I put the jib halyard on the stanchion immediately forward of the chainplate, and the main halyard on the one aft. Harden them up and go below and mark with a pencil the chainplate where it exits the deck on the inside, so that you will later know the exact depth to which to return it. Loosen the turnbuckle on the starboard upper shroud. Go below and unbolt the chainplate. Return on deck and remove the chainplate by simply pulling up on it. You will now understand why all these things leak. Note the size of the opening as compared to the size of the chainplate. That little crack is sufficient to permit oodles of water if it goes or becomes uncaulked. Now is the time to inspect the opening and the fitting, but I would not re-bed it or re-caulk it until you are finishing up. However, you'd better protect it with some tape or something, because it may be awhile before you get back to the boat. Take a really good look at this bulkhead before removing it. You will question yourself upon re-installation. I larned that mine, from the factory, had about 1/2 as many screws as the 1982 model on the next dock. I suspect it all had to do with who was doing the installation on that particular day.

If your bulkhead is not rotted out, you may treat it exactly as the forward ones were, i.e., with a piloted router bit. In my case, mine were so rotted that I had to guess at and extend the lines as best I could. Here you have a decision to make. I cut mine a little oversize and took my Workmate table and the belt sander and the DA sander to the dock. I crawled on and off the boat about 50 times, no kidding, trying for a really good fit. I then looked at Catalina's fit on the port side and stopped because mine was already about 1000% better. If I had it to do again, I would just cut it as close as I could with the jigsaw. leave my rotted spots a little oversize and cut my work in half.

Unless distance is a really significant factor, you need to return to the boat for a test fit before finishing the product and going to re-install. You can also re-install this one single handed, but a helper would make it a lot easier. I like Dan's description above about re-installing the chainplates. I did it exactly the same way, with a brad-point bit and a little care, starting at the bottom. (remember the pencil mark?) You have to be careful to get the chainplate in to the right depth, because if you install it a little high, the bolthead will foul on the extrusion on the cabin side. A little low, you could recover from, but with the pencil mark you should have no trouble. Re-install the chainplate bedding and caulking.

Transfer the halyards to the port side and repeat the process. This one is a little more trouble for two reasons. 1: it's bigger. 2: on my boat the extrusions that you screw to did not line up properly and it caused a lot of sanding and grinding on my part to get it to fit. There is a pretty bad spot where I had to grind away on the new bulkhead, but fortunately it will be coavered up by the cushions if I ever get them finished. Most of this sanding I did with the DA sander right in the cabin and then vacuumed up. I couldn't face another 50 trips on and off the boat. Re-installing this one is a two man job, or at least mine was. I simply couldn't reach around to hold the screw heads and turn the nuts by myself. There probably is a way to do it with enough vice grips and screwdrivers, but a helper would be better.

I bought one yard of vinyl, from Hancock fabrics, $13.99 and some cording to stuff it with for another couple of bucks, My wife sewed up tubing similar to what was on the boat. She said ugly things at first but finally learned that it is best to sew it about 1/2"oversize the first time, then come back and sew it closer to the cording. Before installing, you can trim off the excess with scissors. Install with stainless steel or monel staples.

I made up plywood chips of every stain in my cabinet and took them to the boat for trial. Settled on MinwaxColonial Maple. It is a little redder than some would like, but it suits me and everybody who has seen it likes it. It lightened up the cabin a lot. I put three coats of semi-gloss spar varnish on all the pieces. Then mixed upsome epoxy resin (Wal-Mart, $10.00) and painted the edges with it. You don't need very much, but the quart size was the smallest I could find.

I was able to re-use all of the trim pieces on the bulkheads. They were attached with a tiny bit of glue and about 4 staples each. One split and I was able to glue it back. Brace the bulkhead, or have somebody hold it, and place a small wood block up against it and tap with a hammer. Mine came right off.

I'm sorry that this is so long, but I wanted to be as complete as I could and was way too lazy to go back and edit for brevity. Any specific questions, ask me.

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 12/05/2006 : 21:54:14

Dennis was kind enough to add his editing skills to this and I'll be forwarding it to Paul to add to the cabin section of the 25 tech tips as well as the overall 25 tips.

Thanks,
Duane

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