10.12.2009

The Aft Bulkhead


The aft bulkhead get's built up as a major structural member of this ship. It is essentially an "I" beam with the shear web being the bulkhead itself and the flanges being made up of the deck and lower bridge deck sections;  both of which are sheathed with ten layers of uni directional glass. Once this "I" beam is in place, it then gets boxed in from the front by the aft portion of the cockpit and then the aft section of the boat. Since it is not possible to tape the seams of these sections from the inside, tape flanges are being formed to allow these pieces to be bonded onto the lips of flanges.  In the photograph, you can see both top and bottom horizontal foam pieces that are covered with clear packing tape as a release. I'll tape these removable flange pieces in place then once cured, I'll remove the temporary foam pieces to reveal the glass flanges.  Then, I'll rough sand the flanges, trim the bridge deck "transom" piece and bond it in place.....then I'll perform the same dance when installing the aft cockpit piece.

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