Project #1, Part - 3

So now it is time to cut the new bulkheads out and get them installed.

Everything is out.

Cut bulkhead.

As I said in my last post, I was kind of smart in one regard, I kept the old stuff to make the new stuff with. Sometimes, I kinda get it right. After all poly and paint had set I laid the existing bulkhead on the new plywood, did the paint side, and traced out the outline of the bulkhead. I used my jigsaw to cut them out and then I routed the edge that goes in to the slot in the headliner. I had to dry fit, cut, dry fit, and cut a bit again a few times but I got them in and screwed in to place. 

Deck penetration.

Chainplate and cap.

Next I cleaned up the slots in the deck where the chainplates go through the deck and installed and sealed the chainplates. I used Life-Caulk generously to do this and then screwed the caps down. I then rebolted the chainplates in to the bulkheads. I did have to use the metal blade on my Dremel to slightly increase the size of the slot in the caps as they would not fit over the chainplates for some reason. 

I then fiber-glassed the bulkheads to the hull using West System Epoxy. Some of you folks from AS know how well my first two attempts at this went so no need to re-hash that….. *cough* One = One right?

Port bulkhead installed.

Starboard bulkhead installed.

Bolted in.

After the epoxy cured I painted the interior of the head area and set about rebuilding the vanity and wet locker. All in all this went pretty well, I learned a lot and there are things that I now know that if I did this again, I could probably do a much better and faster job of it. 

On to rebuilding the vanity and wet locker….. oh and putting in that thru-hull.