[Paddlewise] Bulkhead Pressure Relief

From: <Seakayakerjb_at_aol.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 10:55:15 EDT
I seem to recall reading here sometime in the past that some have drilled a 
small hole in their bulkheads to aid in relieving pressure that sometimes 
builds up, particularily while transporting to and from put-in/take-out.

What's the experience with leakage from cockpit into "dry" compartment?

What size hole was drilled?

Where was hole positioned--top-center; middle-center; etc?

I paddle British boats and am concerned with "popping" a hatch cover, or 
worse--blowing a bulkhead.  On my Romany I have a lot of cracks in the gel coat on 
the deck and the hull where the bulkheads are.  Might this be from pressure 
build up inside, or just quality issues?

Finally, if leakage is a problem, I would cover the hole (small hole) with a 
piece of Gore-tex on the wet side to allow pressue to pass, but not water  
(electronics manufacturers use this technique--seems to make sense here too).

Appreciate any thoughts PaddleWisers have on this..

Regards.

John Browning
Milwaukee, WI--warm air, cold water changing to cold air and warm water in a 
few months
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Received on Sun Jul 20 2003 - 09:36:46 PDT

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