E37 Bulkhead
Date: May 30, 2000
From: Dave & Karen Somers somersd@erols.com
Paul, I wish Karen and I had discovered your site long ago. During the past 7 years I could have supplied about a million questions and probably as many answers as my experience with the boat evolved.We are anxiously trying to organize the repair of a forward below decks bulkhead in our 1978 E37 Ketch. Right now the pressing issue is a semi rotted bulkhead just forward of the water tank and aft of the mast. This is apparently a common issue with the E37. Probably a design flaw in failing to fully encapsulate the bulkhead during construction. It is also becoming a somewhat notorious issue.
I am competent in extraordinary repairs and feel certain I can tackle this being savvy in the ways of epoxy, wood, and carpentry. The biggest issue is time. I have to begin buying materials this week in preparation for working the repair next week. My job is not the most flexible so next week is my repair window. HELP. Can anyone give me a lead into this repair. Thanks in advance.
Date: June 2, 2000
From: Grant Ziebell Capt-Grant.Ziebell@CNET.NAVY.MIL
Dave,
Read your post in the Endeavour Owners Forum. (For Paul, I was unable to enter a response via the REPLY button on the site so, if worthwhile, could you post this response there for me? thanks.)
I am about 93% completed on the exact same task you are about to undertake. I had to replace the bulkhead aft and forward of the mast as well as the box around the mast step itself. I can try to tell you what I did here but it may be worth discussing it over the phone. My number is (850) 455-7030. Feel free to call if you like. I am in Pensacola, FL. Usually at the house after 5pm. Call if you would like! I am sending this from work so I will not be checking my email until Monday.
I have an A-Plan. If yours is a B-plan the approach may be a little different. You will need to remove the decking to permit fair access to the bulkhead. I started by removing the settee wood pieces. It is just plywood screwed to a fiberglass form. I removed these to allow me to remove the parquet flooring a square at a time. Once the parquet is removed you will need to cut the plywood decking. Locate the 2x4 stringers (look for the screws!!) so you don't cut through them. The hard part is behind the settees where the deck is tabbed to the hull with fiberglass. I elected to cut the deck along the edge of the tabbing rather that risk cutting right up against the hull.
Once the deck is out you can make a pattern of the bulkhead. I did mine by cutting and piecing poster board together until I got a reasonable fit. The bulkhead is actual made up of two pieces of 3/4 inch plywood. Aft section goes all the way into the water tank sump while the forward section is only about half as deep. You will see what I mean when you get there. I made the bulkhead with a port and starboard section joined with a 3 inch half lap joint. This was necessary to allow positioning the bulkhead without removing all the deck and cabinets aft of the mast. After cutting the new bulkhead pieces out of marine grade ply there was a good bit of cut and fit to get it installed just right. I coated each piece with West System epoxy. Installation consisted of epoxy glue using West Systems epoxy and their high density filler.
I was able to reuse much of the deck. (be sure to look for rot at the aft edge of the deck). While doing this I noticed all the empty space beneath the deck and am installing several extra hatches to get access to this great storage space.
The job is not easy but looks harder than it really is. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.
Date: June 7, 2000
From: Carl Hibbard Chgypsy@aol.com
Hello Dave and Karen,
You didn't say what the problem was with your bulkhead, so I'm guessing that you have some soft wood, perhaps combined with some tabbing popped loose. So the following is a sorta wordy response. If your problem is a totally rotted out wooden base for the metal base of the mast you are in for a bunch of work but it can be done.
The mast step (metal) sits in its own self contained 'raised shallow' pocket with a step that sits about 2.5 " higher than that. I do not know if you have the access panel between the two table legs into the floor (mine didn't, I put it in) but if so you will note that its about 1.5' deep the width of the hull (ergo shallower on the sides), with a doubled (3/4 ply) bulkhead to the rear.
Now reference the access plate, where the shut off valves for the head intake and head sink are located, and you will note the angle of the hull slant would give you the same 1.5'. Looking through the hand opening to the mast step pocket you should note the much shallower floor with the same construction of a doubled bulkhead. There is a another hand opening on starboard but you can't get at it with out cutting a hole in the parquet under the reefer, or pulling the water tank.
Water coming through and down the mast will enter this pocket with no real way to drain. Until you get into some heavy seas that perhaps roll you from one side to the other where it splashes out of the hand holes and into the water tank area (ergo to the bilge. The hose you see in front of your water tank at the bottom of its cavity drains all of the pockets forward of the forward table post bulkhead, hope someone hasn't pulled the tank and when reinstalling blocked it off.
What I'm saying is if your problem is in this pocket you probably will have to cut through the parquet and 3/4 ply unless its in the immediate area of the mast opening pop outs, (where mine was).
I had some soft on both back edges of the 3/4 ply in the mast pocket. Use a motorized (drill ?) wire brush to clean off the gray epoxy paint around the area to be repaired first, then sand to the wood. Cut it out with a sabre saw, filled in with some new pieces (oh yeah ! my water tank was out at the time which made things a lot easier). hand cut the pieces to fit. Drilled them edgewise vertically including the bulkhead edges, epoxied the pieces all over including the bulkhead edges, used galvanized finishing nails to hold them into place with a good mechanical bond. Finishing up with three layers of epoxied on cloth. Repainted with Interlux 2 part bottom sealing paint. (Blister repair stuff)
Next I installed two drain tubes (Plastic 3/8") one on each side of the raised platform for the metal mast step at the bottom of the cavity. Had to do some wild guess work at drilling from the water tank side at about a 30 deg slant ,dry fit the tubes and cut the angles on the ends etc ,then totally epoxied them in. The pocket used to fill to say 1.5 inches, now its literally zip.....
Tabbing pop off? Watch your fingers they used staples to hold it in place when wet. Bare wood under tabbing. Keep the piece. Use the wire brush on the surround (painted) drill a hole through the popped off tab (each side), epoxy the original tab, slam it back into place and install a couple of ss screws to hold it in place. On critical big bulkhead tabbing....when repaired tab dry, use the wire brush (gently) get the paint off of the tab. Now pull out the screws. Put another layer of epoxied cloth glass over and when dry rescrew.
This response has been long enough. If your situation is ?? , please let me know by Email. Leaving on 6-8, I will be gone through 6-18 and back for two days for any response then gone through Sept 5. Hope this helps a little, or at least gives you some ideas.
Date: July 18, 2000
From: Greg Brazier gbrazier@srclarke.com
Does anyone have experience with dry rot on the E35 bulkheads that hold the chain plates. I just purchased the boat and this repair is a top priority project. I expect I'm in for a lot of joinery removal. Any clews?
Date: July 18, 2000
From: Steve Glick BOATSRI@cyberzone.net
Same thing happened to me. The surveyor missed it. I had it replaced professionally-$1800. I then rebedded all the chainplates and keep after them.
Date: July 18, 2000
From: Ed Mahoney ed.mahoney@us.abb.com
Greg,
I had a problem with dry rot on my E42, and ended up replacing the majority of a bulkhead.
The most difficult situation I had was trying to maintain the "Formica" veneer. The bulkhead consisted of two layers of 3/4 inch plywood, and then a 3/4 plywood veneered with white Formica.
The rot covered a one foot high by two foot wide section, on the lower part of the bulkhead.
I also had a large area, 7 inch radius of core material affected on the deck.
Without much guidance, so I am open for comment and criticism, I proceeded as follows.
I removed the rotted area plus about 3 inches on the outer 3/4 inch plywood area. This took the area completely to the outer hull glass. I removed the rotted area plus about 2 inches of the middle plywood piece leaving about 1 inch of good wood bonded to the hull. I removed only the rotted area of the veneered ply. To do the above, I bought a small battery powered circular saw, about $50.00, up to a 3 inch cut, it is slow speed, so there is minimum dust.
I drilled some very small holes in the remaining plywood veneer backing, angled downward, and filled the edges with WEST system. I then built up the backing on the veneer with plywood, and filled the gaps with a mixture of WEST system and their high density filler. I used some small pieces of wood, covered with Waxed paper and all thread rod through the Chainplate holes to compress the assembly for drying. I then cut separate pieces of plywood, for the next two layers, and bonded them in place with WEST system. Compressed them with bolts, wood and waxed paper as before. We have a local suppliers of specialized wood products that was able to get me teak veneer plywood. I had to buy a 4 X** sheet, so I used it for all surfaces.
On the outer layer were I was against the hull, I used 3M 5200 as a shock absorbing area, about 1/8 inch. Then I glassed in the outermost layer with 6 layers of glass, starting with about a 6 inch band on both the bulkhead and hull. ending with a 3 inch band.
Next, I started on the deck,
I was able to find a stiff blade and work out the rotten core. I made a core piece for the chainplate hole out of wood, wrapped it in waxed paper, and stuck it in the hole. I then did the classic drill and fill, first with WEST System, and then with WEST system and their high density filler. Let dry, removed the core piece, and put in the chain plate.
It has been dry and appears strong for two seasons. The boat was recently surveyed by my insurance company, with no adverse comment. The whole project, including removing and replacing the cabinets and ceiling took me about 5 evenings. 25 hours.
Date: July 18, 2000
From: Peter Gradeff gradina@innet.com
Mine is a '83 E37 plan A. I read about rotted bulkheads but no mention about the condition of the Maststep. This is puzzling me since mine bulkheads seem to be OK but the plywood base where the mast is seated is completely rotted; I am surprised that they did not use SS or Al plate. Now I may have to unstep the mast about 6 inches,clean the base and install probably a strong fiberglass pan to reposition the mast into. Another related problem I am dealing with is to find the source of water that always finds a way to invade the surface around the mast when it rains - about 3/4 of a gallon ! Any comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.Thank you
Date: July 19, 2000
From: Bill Fritz fritz@intrstar.net
The water comes down the sail track in the mast.
Date: July 19, 2000
From: Bill Woodroffe Whwboat@aol.com
I too would like to know where the water comes from on my E37. It seems like gallons that come down the mast.
Date: April 27, 2015
From: Paul Mazza
Paul, I'd like to reopen the discussion of repairing the below deck bulkhead aft of the mast on the A-Plan E37. I've read the year 2000 discussions, and found them very helpful. Especially the one from Grant Zielbell. Grant mentioned the need to remove the "settee wood pieces" so you can remove the parquet flooring. Was he referring to the wood facing, that house the drawers? Also, has anyone done this job recently. I'd love to hear from some more folks who have tackled it. I'm sure there are lots of E37's out there with this problem, as my bulkhead is almost completely rotted away, and it's obviously a design/build flaw.
Date: June 14, 2018
From: Richard Barton
I second the 2015 request from Paul Mazza, to reopen this thread.
Does any one have a sketch of the support and structure below the mast??? Or original drawing.
I too have some soft wood under the fiberglass pan at the front of the mast base.
I call it a pan but it is has only three sides. So I installed a 1x2 across the forward side to detain the rain water that appears during every rain. So far, my procedure above deck has been to divert any water from the sail track just above the boom.
Also I checked the mast boot. Not the problem as evidenced by the outside of the mast staying dry (below deck).
Still…. Every rain leaves the pan flooded.
Reaching forward and below the pan there is soft wood. Although the bulkhead appears rot-free.
There is no apparent way for water to drain back to the bilge.
A second “rain leak" reveals itself through the light fixture above drawers in "owners stateroom”. I have done the following… Starting in a localized area and working up I spent hours with a hose looking for an ingress point but found none. So a large frying pan remains on the dresser top.
