The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction - WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

324 Later Production Steps
Bulkheads and Partitions
Bulkheads are considered structural parts of the hull,
but in some boats, where they serve as partitions to
separate accommodations, they are also functional parts
of the interior. Because they usually contribute structurally,
bulkheads are often of very sound construction.
<strong>The</strong>y are typically bonded to the hull in such a way as
to be able to transfer considerable load to the skin.
To become interior partitions, bulkheads need little
more than trim around exposed edges, as would appear
in the walk-through. Installing trim on these edges
improves their appearance and makes them safer than
sharp plywood. Generally, all cutouts in bulkheads have
rounded corners because sharp corners become points
of stress concentration. All cutouts in a bulkhead
theoretically have some weakening effect, so we often
rely on the trim to strengthen and stiffen the weakened
cutout area. Whenever we build what we consider
structural trim, we laminate curves and corners instead
of sawing them out of solid stock. We always scarf
joints in structural trim, although butt joints are more
standard with most trim.
To insure privacy, the designer may specify a door in
the bulkhead. With a small adjustment in the design of
the trim, you can incorporate an adequate door frame
system into the bulkhead opening. This only leaves the
difficulty of building a door to fit this opening and
frame system. <strong>The</strong> main problem with doors is that it is
difficult to get light ones that will stay perfectly flat. A
1 ⁄2" (12mm) plywood door, if it is perfectly flat to begin
Figure 26-12 A major structural bulkhead for Golden Dazy is
constructed with a framework sandwiched between two 1 ⁄2"
(12mm) thick panels of utile plywood.
Figure 26-13 A bulkhead showing laminated hardwood trim
on the walk-through.
Figure 26-14 An opening in a structural bulkhead on Rogue
Wave. <strong>The</strong> daggerboard trunk to the right is bonded to this
bulkhead.
with, will probably not stay that way forever. Like doors
that are constructed for houses, the most successful
doors for boats are laminated of two thinner sheets of
plywood with a core material in between. <strong>The</strong>se doors
are light, strong, and very stable, with an excellent
chance of maintaining their original dimensions. (See
Chapter 11 for details on cored laminating procedure.)
Partition walls, such as those that might be used to
enclose a head, are generally non-structural. <strong>The</strong>y need
only be strong enough to survive the rigors of hard