J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Bulkhead

You may never be able to stop chainplate leaks forever but you can reduce or eliminate the problems related to leaking chainplates. The first thing to do is to protect the deck coring by picking out some and filling it in with an epoxy filler. Then protect the bulkhead with epoxy in the bolt holes and varnish on the surface.

There's lots of speculation as to which sealant is best for sealing the chainplate at the deck. I used 3M 5200 in and around the hole. Then I lightly pressed the chainplate covers down on the sealant. After the sealant cured, I screwed the plates down tight to compress the seal. Seems to have worked just fine (2 years now).

Good Luck.

A revision to my description of the structure of my bulkhead. I took my chainplates off yesterday and in the chainplate area the bulkehad is (from aft foreward) veneer, approximately 1" fiberglass (maybe thicker), 1/4" plywood, liner. I do not know where the balsa starts but we'll be discovering that over the next few months. There is balsa outboard of the chainplate with what seems to be 1/4" or so of glass on the aft side.

Also, I am coming to believe that at some point the aft portion of the bulkhead under the veneer is actually 1/4" plywood not veneer. We'll be finding out about that too. I'll report back.