Double post (again) sorry about that. This new software is giving me challenges
Well, I am at the end of this project and thought to take some time to reflect . . .
1) It all started out with a higher than normal moisture level reading in the main bulkhead, which separates the fuel bay and the engine room. This bulkhead is also a major junction point for the major stringers in the boat.
2) That lead to some diagnostic and remediation efforts to understand the propagation of moisture to joining areas.
3) There was some moisture found in the lower portions of the foam in the fuel bay by drilling some test holes and core samples.
4) Based on the diagnostics done, a decision was made (by me) to remove & replace the center section of the main bulkhead.
5) Upon removal of the bulkhead, an additional issue was noticed, in that the fuel tank was no longer adhering to the foam. This was the most probable cause for the collection of moisture in the fuel bay and the bulkhead.
(these problems usually go further than you think . . . )
6) Upon removal of the fuel tank and related foam, moisture was also noted in the forward bulkhead. It was not too bad, but it warranted looking further forward into the mid cabin storage area.
7) The storage area floor was in a progressed stage of moisture absorption and partial rotting, so that extended the scope of the repairs to the mid-section of the boat.
8) Along the way, I looked at the structure of the boat in terms of stiffening the structure. . . since I felt the boat was a bit 'wobbly' on the open water. Bonding the cockpit sole to the stringer grid would be a way of adding some rigidity to the boat. Correcting the fuel tank/foam bonding would help a lot, but I felt that I had the opportunity to do more.
I contacted Formula Tech Support about this idea. They indicated that although it would add some strength it was not really necessary and may result in some crazing of the gelcoat in some areas of the cockpit sole. I decided to go ahead and bond the cockpit sole to the stringer grid, figuring that this would be my only chance. In my research, a few boat manufacturers advertise the fact that they bond the cockpit sole to the stringer grid . . . mostly higher end center console boats, as I recall.
9) Additionally, I had asked Formula about the built-in flotation that is used in the structure. I was interested to know if the boat had enough flotation to remain afloat in an 'unplanned event'. I also did my own estimations and calculations to determine if the boat could barely stay afloat. It turned out that I should probably add some flotation to insure that the boat would remain on the surface if it ever became flooded/mostly submerged. So, I added approximately 24 cubic feet of flotation to the boat.
10) Then it was a matter of putting it all back together . . .
So, what started out as a wet bulkhead, expanded in scope based on both what I found as the underlying cause of the moisture as well as some improvements made along the way.
Total time for the work was about 6 months from the first cut into the bulkhead . . . my hopes are that this boat will be good for a very long time, probably the rest of its useful life.
