The delaminated bulkhead.

Not sure why I ever thought that squishing glue into the delaminated bit at the top was going to solve this. Every place where a hole had been put through the bulkhead, there was delamination. This is where the hiking straps went through,...
This is the drain hole. It is like this on both sides of the boat and forward and aft on the bulk head.
I tried just chipping these bits away so I could fill them but found the delamination extended a long way in every direction from the holes.
So it was back to plan A - replace the bulkhead completely. I'm pretty sure this is a bad idea. When the boat was built, this was probably one of the first bits, with everything then attached to it. I was a little concerned that the boat might change shape when I took it out so screwed a couple of bits of wood across the boat just in case but it doesn't look like anything has moved.

Getting it out should have been a problem. I was figuring that this was going to be my excuse to buy an angle grinder!

Turns out, this was another bit of the boat that was held in by the paint. It resisted only where it met one side and at the centre case. The old glue is the dark colored bits in the photos. It stuck to the bottom of the boat or to the bulkhead but rarely both. There was evidence of a couple of screws through the stringers into the bulkhead but one was completed corroded away the other broke off.

I cut the bulk of it away with a jigsaw. Some of it was pretty good but in other places, the ply just fell apart.


I've made a template for the replacement with card. Now just need to find where to get marine ply - and hoping I can by just a half sheet...
(Still haven't gotten brave enough to do anything with the centre case...)

 

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