thedonz

I am helping my nephew (theDonz, Jr.) reconfigure the cockpit in his Magnum 27 to allow two seats and a bench seat. We need to remove the wood used for the bulkhead to the engine compartment ( It is simply a wood board screwed into place against a frame) and make another bulkhead. Other than Starboard, what materials exist that can be used instead of starboard or wood? We do not plan on glassing the bulkhead material, rather we will screw it into place. Also, I need to make a bench seat out of the material.

Thanks for any help.

KNOT-RIGHT

Out of curiosity why not starboard? It would work perfect
for this.

Acrylic sheets would also work well. McMaster-carr.com
has these in all sizes.

I have some samples of Baltek Contorkore coming this
may also be a canidate but would require some glasswork
however the weight savings is where its at.



Gerry

thedonz

Thanks, Gerry,

I do not oppose starboard, it is only that I do not have any experience with any other materials or the existence thereof. I would like to know what options exist as far as materials. I do not do fiberglass work, but I am handy with carpentry and want to help my nephew out with the cockpit by removing wet wood and replacing with something with newer technology that will last.

FX10

Hire a professional to do the job. The Bulkhead you speak of should have been encapsulated with fiberglass. If it was'nt it will(would) rot out in a few years. Spend the few bucks and have the job done right.
Here's a few pictures of how a PROPER glass job is done

Rick

PS
I'll enclose a pis of how a BULKHEAD should be glassed

FX10

If you never did marine fabrications before, I would leave it to a professional. I 'm sure you could screw some boxes together with Starboard. But...............................Will they last ???? I doubt it.

viol8or

To the donz- I will check what the industry name is for the material I have use, and have used in the past. This is the same material as used in Cruisers and Carver yachts to make up the hull joisting/stringers to support the flooring. I have used this material for alot of rebuilds and it is as easy to work with as wood- with the exception of screws- the hole must be tapped somewhat and the screws should be dipped in resin to set them- good luck getting them out however after. This is foamed spun fiberglass board with 2 layers of biaxle cloth running through it. I have used the 1/2" and 3/4" for practically everything. It is best through bolted if possible for attatchment. Full transoms, bulkheads and stringers have been made with great results- wood working joinery is preferred to strengthen the joints all the more, as this material can be dovetailed and routered. It is inert and can be glassed over with some prep sanding. It is also about 10-20% lighter than marine Plywood and floats to boot. This sounds like the material you are looking for. I purchase mine in standard sheets and is a little more than marine plywood. My supplier makes commercial Dairy/ Cheese making vats and troughs- some cover 100's of Sq. ft, and in a high moisture environment, so this material has a strong track record between commercial and recreational use. I will post the materials name when I talk to him- By the way, it is black in color- easy to see any trapped air bubbles if capped by glass. - Viol8or

viol8or

Hey Donz- there is a bunch of industry names for the material from what I gather, and it is being used extensively by Carver Yachts- Genmar, for the flooring structure, and now even the transoms ! I think you would be farther ahead by talking with my supplier on the uses and applications of this material personally, and you will most likely get the bast pricing from him.- Fiberglass Solutions Inc., the one to talk to is Ken at (920)468-6261. This is some great stuff and I'm sure you will be very happy with the results. - Viol8or

waterbum

I did some major rework in the cabin of my boat. Needed 4 sheets of 4x8 plywood to replace all of the rot. I used marine plywood and then encapsulated all pieces with fiberglass cloth. I used both 3/4 and 1/2 sheets which ran about 70 - 85 bucks a sheet.

I also replaced the entire floor of our pontoon about 8 years ago with marine plywood. The bottom side (which is always getting wet) still looks new. It's easy to work with and fairly easy to find. In my opinion it is good stuff.

Good luck.

thedonz

thanks to everyone for their input.....I will call for some information on the materials.......