Tabbing Chain Locker Bulkhead & the Port Forward Shroud Chain Plate

June 1, 2019

It's looking like another bountiful year for the plumeria!

I began the day by water-washing the chain locker bulkhead that I epoxy-coated the night before.  I coated all surfaces and suspended it by three nails secured through three blocks of wood.  With the epoxy cured, I walked the bulkhead over to the garden hose, and with a scotch brite pad scrubbed off the amine blush that formed on the surfaces.

I toweled off the bulkhead and then sanded all surfaces with 120-grit paper to prepare for further epoxy work (i.e. tabbing the bulkhead to the hull).

My first order of business was to measure for the tabbing material: 4" and 6" wide 1708 biaxial cloth known as "tape".  Given the triangular nature of the piece, I worked the forward and aft sides of the bulkhead in three sections.  Each section of the bulkhead would have a 4"-wide layer of tabbing laid down first, and then a 6"-wide layer laid over that one.  In all, the 4" tabbing material came to 10.65' and the 6" tabbing material came to 12.65'. 

I spent a few minutes knocking out the cutting of the material itself.

In the boat, I solvent-washed the surfaces once more and then placed the bulkhead into position, ensuring that it was plumb.  With the bulkhead in its proper position, I hot-glued a couple door skin strips to the bulkhead and to the hull itself to keep things in place throughout the tabbing process.

I once again checked for plumb.

I worked from the forward side of the bulkhead (within the chain plate itself) and then to the aft face of the bulkhead.  I attempted to place peel ply over the fiberglass tabbing....but $#*&!-%&@-$&#@*!!!  Yeah, that was near impossible, and I was nearly just challenging myself with the application of peel ply to see how far into madness I could go and still make it back!  In the end, I figured a quick water-wash and light sanding would just have to do.  The bulkhead is in place, and after tabbing the new v-berth tops to the hull, I can begin painting and completing the forward portion of the boat.

Total Time Today: 5.5 hrs