I replaced mine about 7 years ago. My step-father and I did not remove the compression post, I can't imagine why you would want to unless it is rotted at the bottom. There are A LOT of screws involved, we attached a small piece of masking tape to each one and numbered the tape and the holes with a Sharpie for ease of reference during reassembly. I would say the entire process of removal, cutting, and reinstallation took us about 5 hours.
Incidentally, the port bulkhead needed to be replaced on short notice before a race so it is made from a piece of furniture/project grade plywood. For the star board bulkhead I used true marine grade plywood that set me back about $150. I still have the marine grade port bulkhead cut out in the shed. In retrospect if I had to do this again, I probably would not use the marine grade plywood. I believe sealing the edges with epoxy and ensuring that the chain plates don't leak is more important. Dan Hardiman C27 #4149 Summer Skis Annapolis, MD --- On Thu, 5/20/10, Steve <[email protected]> wrote: From: Steve <[email protected]> Subject: [IC27A] Re: Bulkhead replacement To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, May 20, 2010, 9:36 AM Many thanks for the information. I'll try to document this task with a camera, it may prove helpful to someone else in the future. Won't be able to attempt this fix for a few weeks but will definetly repost when I tackle it. I was surprised when the tech told me that the interior was installed after the mating of the deck to the hull. I assumed the interior was fabricated and installed prior to the deck being mated. Didn't think there was any way to get that out without destroying it in the process. 2 to 3" sounds like a lot. Did the deck experience any damage from the jacking? Did you seal the edges of the new panel before installing it? Steve --- In [email protected], jwambo8...@... wrote: > > I remember being surprised when I received a call back from Catalina. The > day before I left a message stating that I was looking for information on > how to remove the bulkhead. I was told that someone would call me back. The > very next day I received a phone call from Gerry Douglas, vice president and > head engineer of Catalina. He was very nice and answered every question I > had. > > You have to raise the ceiling more than you would think. If I remember > right it was around 2-3 inches. The compression post needs to clear the > recesses on the ceiling. Once it was clear, I tilted the top of the post out > and > lifted the bottom out. Neither the compression post nor the bulkhead was > fastened to anything else or each other. Everything just fit tightly > together. > When removing the compression post, the small panel next to the head door > also just slips in and out. Sort of like fitting a puzzle together. You just > sort of have to figure the best way as you go along. > At the time, the only teak plywood that I could get was imported from > Greece and was metric. It seemed bigger that 1/2 inch but smaller than 3/4. > > Looking back, I'm still am amazed at the procedure and how much the boat > actually flexed. I can't emphasize enough about the care you must take around > the jack and the 2X4's. While under that much pressure, resting on a > curved floor, propped on a slippery top, when they slipped, they flew. Be > careful and take your time. The foam rubber in between sounds like a good > idea. > > Good Luck. > > John Wamboldt > C27 #6287 > ZuZu's Petals > Lake Michigan > > > > In a message dated 5/19/2010 9:11:54 P.M. Central Daylight Time, > scant...@... writes: > > > > > John, > > Funny, I talked to Catalina today and the tech I spoke to didn't have a > clue. His suggestion was to pose the question on this forum. > How much room did it require to slip the compression post out. Are we > talking an inch, 1/2" or less. It's hard to tell how much the recess is in > the > top and bottom pockets. > Did you lift up and out or simply pull it out once the cabin ceiling was > clear? > I mentioned the bungs on the table side of the compression post. Are there > screws anchoring the bulkhead inside the channel of the compression post? > Does the small panel attached 90 degrees to the comp. post get removed > separately. Talking about the side the head door closes to. > > 1/2" plywood is the correct thickness? > > Thank you for the information. > > Steve > > --- In [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) , > JWambo8566@ wrote: > > > > I did this job about 10 years ago on my 1986 C27. I spoke to Catalina > how > > to remove the bulkhead and followed their directions even though it > sounded > > crazy, and dangerous. > > > > The mast must be down. > > Remove everything that attaches to both sides of the bulkhead. Table, > > shroud plates, medicine cabinet; everything. Then comes the scary part. > Using a > > 2X4 placed on top of a small hydraulic jack, placed near the compression > > post, slowly jack up the cabin top, I placed a small piece of wood under > > the jack to spread out the load on he floor. When jacking, be very > careful > > because the 2X4 or the jack can slip very easily and it fly's out with a > lot > > of force. Trust me, it happened a couple of times until I got it > positioned > > just right. While jacking, the boat creeks and groans something fierce. > > Keep jacking until the fiberglass around the compression post is just > high > > enough to tilt the top of the compression post out. Once the post is > out, you > > can then slide the entire bulkhead out. Again, use a lot of care not to > jar > > the 2X4 while removing the bulkhead. Once the bulkhead is out, you can > let > > the jack down until the new bulkhead is ready to be put back in place. > > I took a piece of marine grade teak plywood and the old bulkhead to the > > cabinet maker that made my kitchen cabinets. He was able to cut the new > > bulkhead using the old one as a template. He also was able to match and > apply the > > laminate to the head side of the bulkhead. He matched it perfectly. He > > told me that the bulkhead has seven different compound miter cuts. That > alone > > made it worthwhile having him fabricate it. Very minor sanding made it > fit > > perfectly. You just jack up the cabin top and install everything in > > reverse. By the way, I used Cetol on the cabin side of the bulkhead and > it matched > > almost perfectly to the rest of the factory stained wood. Also, it's a > > good time to run any new wires you need up the compression post and out > the > > top. > > > > I know this whole thing sounds crazy, but trust me, it just took a lot > of > > guts, planning and care. I gave you the real quick explanation, let me > know > > if you need any more detail. > > > > > > John Wamboldt > > C27 #6287 > > ZuZu's Petals > > Lake Michigan > > > > > > > > > > In a message dated 5/19/2010 4:10:04 P.M. Central Daylight Time, > > scantino@ writes: > > > > > > > > > > I've search archives for information related to replacing the starboard > > bulkhead on a mid eighties catalina 27. > > I have an 87' that needs a new bulkhead. > > Has anyone documented their effort to replace a late model 27's > starboard > > bulkhead? > > I don't want to quess and start removing parts randomly. > > It appears that a least a portion of the compression post might have to > be > > removed in order to slide the bulkhead out. > > The post looks to be four pieces of solid wood lamenated together. There > > are four bungs visible on the side of the post next to the drop down > table. > > I'm assuming these hide the screws that anchor the bulkhead to the post. > > Can the post be removed to allow access to the bulkhead? Looking for > some > > help! > > > > Steve > > >
