Deconstruction (Part 2)

October 21, 2018

I picked up today where I left off yesterday...tearing out the bad.  As you can see below, the bulkheads are in great need of replacement - the starboard sidestay chainplate.  The starboard bulkhead could be pulled apart by hand around the chainplate.  So, on to the bulkheads...

I began by marking vertical lines on the molded fiberglass furniture just aft of the v-berth.  The area just forward of the bulkheads, on both the port and starboard side, between the bulkhead and v-berth, was open and undefined space.  For now, I planned to seal off the v-berth with a small bulkhead, both port and starboard, and meet with the owner to decide the what is to become of this unused space.

I ran a vertical line down both the port and starboard side.

Opening up this space allowed me to get access to the bulkhead tabbing, necessary for removal of the bulkhead, but also to prep for the new bulkhead installation and proper tabbing.  There is still some detail work to do on the molded fiberglass v-berth, and that will come as I progress in the rebuild.

I removed the port chainplate cover - a piece of wood with a hollowed-out backside, allowing it to sit over the chainplate.

I then removed a 1/4" piece of panel that apparently was placed onto the aft side of the port bulkhead in order to seal up the hole that visible in the picture below.  There was a panel on the forward side as well, and both came off by hand.

Just before I used a reciprocating saw to halve the port bulkhead,  I ran an oscillating tool along the tabbing both forward and aft of the bulkhead to release the bond.  I then pried the upper half from the cabin side and the overhead.  I then pried the lower half from the hull.

The tabbing literally came off the hull by hand - never a good sign.

With the port bulkhead removed, I could see more clearly what I was dealing with and the plan going forward for a support system that would eliminate deck deflection caused by the previous attempt to correct.

I repeated the process for the starboard bulkhead.  Opening things up will also allow for better access while sanding the interior, prepping for the installation of the new bulkheads, modification of the furniture and paint.

I moved forward to remove the chain locker  / collision bulkhead.  The tabbing was only on the forward face of the bulkhead, making removal a bit more difficult.  Like I had done with the primary bulkheads, I removed the chain  locker bulkhead in two piece, allowing better access during the removal.

With the chain locker bulkhead out, I moved up onto the deck to lay out the cut line for removal of an attempted core repair.  The previous owner had installed plywood to a flange of bottom skin running around the opening and then glassed over the plywood.  Over time, the plywood increasingly flexed and deformed with weight and water penetration.  Time for a better repair.

I cut along my laid out lines, and with some finer cuts here and there, removed the plywood.

Back on the ground, I snapped a picture showing the concave surface of the foredeck repair. 

I gathered up of the material removed from the boat, the foredeck plywood panel...

...and all of the interior structure, for disposal.

My last task for the day was to remove the core in the forward part of the cockpit sole.  There was something, at some point, installed in this location, and it had allowed water ingress.  The water, over time, damaged the core and now requires replacement.   I marked the area for core removal, and then cut a small test section.  I immediately saw the damaged core, and the top skin came up easily.  For some reason I did not follow up with a photo of the top skin removal covering the total cut area...but it was done.  The only removal left on the Allied 24 is the old ice box, per the owner's instruction.  That will come later in the week.

Total Time Today:  3.5 hrs