Moving a Bulkhead?

How big a deal is it to move bulkheads, say, to enlarge a stateroom at the expense of a hanging locker? Are there any special considerations beyond what a person with good carpentry/woodworking skills might expect?

Depends if it is a structural bulkhead or merely a non load bearing partition.

Sure, and my assumption is that it would be pretty easy to tell one from the other.

If it's load bearing, the boat was built with the current location assumed. Personally I'd want to consult an naval architect or very experienced boat yard for a second set of eyes. Even a partition usually imparts some stiffness.

Agree about getting advice. A GOOD shipwright may be able to help. I,ve known people
to move stuff but not a real bulkhead which usually go from hull to overhead and side to side.
If that is what you are looking at then BE CAREFULL as you may weaken the hull stiffness and strength.

Just a locker may not matter BUT advice on a matter like this should not be over internet as NONE of us can see. And FEW of are qualified.

Great advice, thanks. This kind of thing makes me as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs; I shall proceed with extreme caution.

TDunn said:

Basically if the bulkhead in question is tabbed to the hull with fiberglass then don't move it unless you plan to tab the replacement to the hull. If it isn't tabbed to the hull, you should be fine.
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As I have proven to myself many times, the road to hell is paved with "should be's"

Don't move it. Buy a bigger boat.

caltexflanc said:

As I have proven to myself many times, the road to hell is paved with "should be's"

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I agree completely.

If you can unscrew it then you'll be good to go.

A very popular modification to the Bayliner 4788 is to combine the master stateroom and the bunk stateroom into a "master suite" by removing a door, and a post, and other hardware similar as you describe.

TDunn said:

Basically if the bulkhead in question is tabbed to the hull with fiberglass then don't move it unless you plan to tab the replacement to the hull. If it isn't tabbed to the hull, you should be fine.
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TDunn,
Silly question but what does "tabbed" mean?? I've noticed comments in our surveys about "tabbed and bonded" as I recall.


Forky
1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

Tabed

Tabed means glassed in with glass mat or cloth and bonded refers to glued in with somethiñg like 3m 5200. Bulk heads that are not bondedl or tabed usually are not structural. That doesn't mean they may have some benefit like supporting the salon floor or in the case of bulkheads under side decks that help support the side decks. These may not have structural benefit to the hull but long term keep the salon roof from sagging. Fiberglass can be distorted over time. I have repaired boats whose salon roof had sagged because the bulkheads that fiñished off the sides of the salon had sagged when salon floor failed.

A structural bulkhead will probably be mounted on a piece of foam ((so it is nit a hard spot) and glassed in all around with a number of layers of GRP, to perhaps 3/16 or 1/4 inch thickness/

Frequently it will also have bolts to assure the bond to the usual ply bulkhead.

What dies your look like?

Pictures of existing bulkhead... from different sides/angles - top and bottom... at least some pictures are required to give clarity as to what you ask. Also - picts of the boat, mention of bulkhead position in boat; as well as year and brand/model of boat.

Happy Bulkhead Daze! - Art

PS: OldToby - 1964 I bought 1962 13'3" Whaler with 18 hp Johnson. Then went to 20 hp, then 40 hp. Great boats! And my son's name is Toby. We've items in common.

I had an old 40-horse Johnson on an equally elderly 13.3 Whaler. Too much engine, plus the steering linkage mounts had a discouraging habit of falling off at inopportune moments, a couple of times causing the boat to go broadside to the waves and flip over. My current Eastport has a 90-horse Evinrude, again too much motor for a 50 year-old hull design. But the steering doesn't come loose, which is good.

Aren't too many of us non-canine Tobys around....

OldToby said:

I had an old 40-horse Johnson on an equally elderly 13.3 Whaler. Too much engine, plus the steering linkage mounts had a discouraging habit of falling off at inopportune moments, a couple of times causing the boat to go broadside to the waves and flip over. My current Eastport has a 90-horse Evinrude, again too much motor for a 50 year-old hull design. But the steering doesn't come loose, which is good.

Aren't too many of us non-canine Tobys around....

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40 hp Johnson and 13.3' Whaler worked fine for me. Owned her for years. Yup - Tobias, aka, Toby is good name!