E25 Bulkhead Wet Rot

I attach four images of soft spots I found on the starboard bulkhead and scraped out today. The images are (from left to right) top cabin-side, bottom cabin-side, top head-side, and bottom head-side.

The remaining wood feels solid enough. The chainplate still seems to be attached solidly.

My questions are:

a) I assume it's probably safe to sail until season-end

b) Does past experiences provide any clues to the probable source of the water

c) How does one effect a permanent repair (there seems to be some rubber gasket material between the wood and the fibreglass)

Any insights and/or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Bulkhead Rot

Joe-First I have to say that I am not a marine structural engineer and have obviously not seen your issues first hand. But what I can say is that I have a e25 that has a similar spot of cancer as yours has. My issues were in the lower starboard corner of the bulkhead by the settee. It was there when I purchased the boat. I asked around about it and was told dont worry about, but find the leak. I found the leak and it was the actual chain plate directly above. My quick cure was a product called Captain Trolleys Creapy Crack Cure. It worked great, but I knew it to be only a temporary fix. I also took a knife and scraped the "punky" wood out and injected penetrating epoxy in the affected area. I also created many more leaks that first year all from being an idiot. I used a pressure washer to clean the top many times with no thoughts of bedding compound under all of my hardware. The "Sky was Falling" inside of my cabin, which promted action. I took 2 full days and pulled all my hardware, stanchions, winches, handrails, cleats, windows, chain plates, and misc stuff and rebedded it all. Well worth my time. I no longer have any water intusion whats so ever. Tools needed to accomplish this feat are as follows: Your whole toolbox of wrenches and sockets, a case of Mountain Dew Code Red, 3 tall, skinny, long armed, double jointed kids that think $7 bucks an hour is "phat", ability to listen to radio stations that claim to put on noice that kids call music. A bunch of 3M 4200, and ibuprofen.
Joe- The pictures show damage somewhat close to the attachment points. This is concerning and I am sure more folks will chime in for you. Keep this thread on the top so you have good exposure for the guys that had the long weekend. Rob Hessenius

Rob,

love your rebedding description, but you forgot the Gosling's


-David
Independence 31
Emerald

Rob Hessenius said:

...The pictures show damage somewhat close to the attachment points. This is concerning and I am sure more folks will chime in for you. Keep this thread on the top so you have good exposure for the guys that had the long weekend. Rob Hessenius

Click to expand...

What happened to the images, Rob?

//sse

Rob:

I greatly enjoyed your lively post on your rebedding project. I then embarked on the process of finding an online supplier of 'Captain Trolleys Creapy Crack Cure' -- without any luck (except in England).

Along the way I did find the following entry on Time's website for Monday, Oct. 18, 1937: A review of Gene Fowler's book, SALUTE TO YESTERDAY, which says "Captain James Job Trolley is a tall, leathery pioneer eccentric, complete with cape and beaver hat, whose 'monstrous antics' and windy wit have made him for half a century the liveliest landmark in Denver (called Goldtown). Nominally he is the mining editor of the Rocky Mountain Herald, at a life salary of $15 a week; in practice his daily pieces automatically go in the managing editor's wastebasket. His real mission in life is to fight the 20th Century. Tourists, those "fleas on the world's back." who always go for him with cameras, he always goes for with his swordcane. But tourists are small fry. His real enemy is 83-year-old Colonel Anthony Steele, who 50 years ago squeezed Captain Trolley out of a rich mine and married his girl."

Amazon had it for the princely sum of $1.78. I ordered it, of course.

I subsequently found and ordered 'Captain Tolleys Creapy Crack Cure' ( no 'r') from Online Marine.

(I already have Mountain Dew Code Red at hand but have no idea what David means by 'Gosling')

Thanks fot the advice.

-Joe
Ericson 25 cb

That can be found at West Marine. Search for "Crack" or "Crack Cure" and you should get it. I'll try to add the direct link:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...9884/0/0/crack/All_2/mode+matchallpartial/0/0


You should also look for Git Rot - it is a slightly different formula but the same principle - a low viscosity epoxy compound that is drawn into small areas due to caplillary/saturation action.

Gosling's is dark rum, best combined with strong ginger ale or ginger beer in a beverage called a "dark and stormy."

And regardless of the weather outside, the dark 'n stormy in your glass is always "just right" (and pain from bashed knuckles working in tight spaces doesn't seem to matter after a couple "storms" have passed)


-David
Independence 31
Emerald

salutory effects of the dark and stormy

Of course rum has long been the libation of choice for sailors. The ginger beer is said to be a calmative for the disturbed digestive tracts of sailors who are dealing with somewhat less than calm seas. If a slice of lime is added, you combat scruvy via the citric acid/vitamin c! All in all, a very civilized way to cloud one's mind!

Some folks are really obsessive/compulsive about their dark-and-stormy recipes, insisting upon Gosling's Black Seal Rum (Cruzan makes a very good dark rum, too, called Black Strap...you can almost taste the sulphur in the molasses!) and a specific make of ginger beer (of course, it's nearly impossible to locate) called Barritts...1.5 to 2.0 oz of rum, bottle of ginger beer, garnish with lime...I like mine "on the rocks."

Regards,

Ed