RE: [Paddlewise] Installing a new bulkhead

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of Product
> Information Department
> Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 1998 4:46 PM
> To: PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Subject: [Paddlewise] Installing a new bulkhead
>
>
> Hi fellow paddle fiends,
> I know the general pros and cons of bulkheads were discussed awhile back:
> foolishly I did not save the postings. I'm considering removing a existing
> forward bulkhead in my fibreglass/Kevlar vinylester resin kayak, and
> installing a new one further aft. The advantages I see are two-fold: more
> usable cargo space, and reduced cockpit flooding in the event of a wet
> exit. Neither of these benefits will materialise unless the new
> bulkhead is
> as solid and watertight as the existing, factory-installed one is.
> So suggestions welcomed on:
>
> 1. Materials for the bulkhead itself. The existing bulkhead is a moulded
> plastic, and I would prefer a somewhat flexible material so that
> there some
> "give" lest the bulkhead lever itself loose and/or act as a "stress riser"
> that weakens the hull. I'm considering the flexible Minicell foam used in
> some plastic boats, but wondering whether it gets gouged by loose cargo.

I put polyfoam bulkheads in my double, and they have worked great. Polyfoam
is that fairly dense white foam that computer stuff is often shipped in. Not
styrofoam! A foam store will sell it cheap- I paid $30 for 4 bulkheads plus
leftovers. An old boogie board can be used, and they come in quite
fahionable colors. It should be around 2", so that it's nice and rigid, and
adds flotation.

> 2. Suggestions on how to make a template for the bulkhead and getting the
> tightest fit possible.

I like the idea about heavy-gauge solder. Polyfoam compresses, so that the
bulhead should be about 1/2" bigger all around. If you put your kayak up
sideways (the shear on top/bottom) on saw horses, it's a lot easier to reach
in to work. Doesn't look as ridiculous as a grown man flopping around on the
floor, either!

If you screw it up, and cut off too much, you can always get a can of spray
foam from the hardware store and foam the biulkhead in place.

> 3. Appropriate glues/sealants to hold the bulkhead in place. For the same
> reasons of flex discussed in part 1 above, I'm not keen on glassing it in.
> I've used Sika-Flex sealant very successfully on smaller through-deck and
> through-hull fittings. Any ideas or experience with this or other
> products?

Lexel is king! After putting in my bulkheads behind the seats, I decided
that glaringly white foam didn't look so good next to my stripped wood hull
and deck. So I tore them out, and covered them with veneer. What a job! It
wasn't easy.

> 4. Reputable, reasonable sources in the Vancouver, BC, area who might do
> the whole thing for me?

Yellow Pages under foam?

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