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

Has anyone had any problems with the bulkhead getting rotten? I have a 1979 J30, which had been raced hard, and very neglected. The bulkhead seems to be pretty wet. If anyone has had any problems, what did you do to fix/replace. I am considering drilling out the holes and putting in West epoxy, then re-drilling.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you may have a fairly big job on your hands. When I bought my 1984 J-30 three years ago, it also had a wet bulkhead on the port side due to leaking chainplates. The bulkhead is structural, supporting the rig and also stiffening the hull. I negotiated the repair as part of the deal-they basically rebuilt the entire port side of the bulkhead. New plywood, new balsa core all installed from the head side (no damage to finish veneer in main cabin). Be sure to clean out and West System the hole in the deck for the chainplates-if your bulkhead is wet, you can be fairly sure your deck is wet in the same area. Good luck, I hope yours is not as bad as mine was.

I recently purchased hull #62. She has clear evidence of bulkhead rot on the port side; water stains where the chainplate leaked at one time (The other J30 here in Carlyle ILL has the same water stains. I suppose they are common.) and you can actually feel dry, rotten core by feeling behind the seat where the water line runs foreward to the sink. The previous owner said the water stains were there when he bought her 10 years ago. He has kept the chainplates sealed as long as he's owned her and does not know of leaks during that time (as I said the rot is bone dry). Therefore, I think what rot has been there a long time. Further, the previous owner raced her very hard apparently with a somewhat rotten main bulkhead all along.

Now for the questions:

1. Does anyone know of a J30 loosing a chainplate due to bulkhead rot?

2. The bulkhead seems to have a substantial fiberglass component. What is this thing made of?

3. While I don't like the idea of rot in my main bulkhead (I am a previous owner of a J24 where bulkhead rot is a common cause of lost masts) is this a major issue for a J30?

Mine also had some stains. I was concerned and asked a local repair expert, who has extensive experience with cored hulls/decks. He looked at mine and said it wasn't a problem. He said J29s and J30s bulkheads are built very solid with lots of glass. He gave me the impression that I should not be overly concerned, but should keep the chainplates from leaking.

The bulkhead on my boat #25 is two layers of glass on the aft side with 3/4" plywood on the forward side. The plywood on my bulkhead was rotted at the chainplates on the starboard side. I had my yard remove the plywood and replace it with new plywood and lots of West system epoxy. They did an excellent job.
The key to the status of your bulkhead is the tabbing at the hull and the moisture content in the plywood. Check the the tabbing closely with a flashlight and a small rubber mallet. Check for delamination and or cracking. Check the plywood with a moisture meter and an awl. If there is moisture, then you have the potential for a problem. Stab the plywood with the awl. This will tell you if you have significant rot.

I assume that this problem is quite common. The old J30 forum had a lot of entries regarding this problem.

I also had a leak at one of my chainplates. However, when I took it out and examined the bulkhead, it appeared that the bulkhead was solid fiberglass with a thin wood veneer. My hull number is #129. Were there differences in construction technique or was I mistaken?

Mine (#62 above) is most definitely not solid glass. I have now drilled "core samples." There is a nice wet balsa core on the port side. (Interestingly, while it is very wet, it doesn't seem to be rotten wet. I've taken apart wet balsa core before. My bulkhead seems to be "clean" wet?? Something I haven't seen before.) Given the minor amount of water stain there is A LOT of water in this bulkhead! (Brad, I'd drill a few core samples if I were you.)

There seems to be five layers to my bulkhead starting from aft: veneer, fiberglass, balsa, plywood (apparently a bit less than 1/4"), liner. Both the fiberglass and plywood layers are tabbed into the hull.

I think the reason we don't hear of disaters like with wet bulkheads in J24s is because the plywood and balsa are just stiffeners. In the J24 the plywood in the bulkhead (no balsa) holds the pressure from the chainplate. The glass portion is just a liner on the J24. It looks like the glass in the J30 bulkhead is the "meat." I can not see how 1/4" if plywood and 1/2" of balsa can do much to hold the pressure of the chainplate bolts on a J30.

At any rate, I am considering building the area where the chainplate is bolted out of solid glass and coring the rest with plywood when I do my rebuild. The idea being to isolate the new core from any future potential leaks. I am planning to similarly seal off the areas where wires and waterlines run through the bulkhead. I also think I will substitute glass for the pywood on the foreward side over the area that I rebuild. I suspect if the boat was built like this in the first place I wouldn't have this problem.

Richard, Has the bulkhead on #129 been rebuilt? Or do you think "not all bulkheads were created equal?"

Sounds like I need to take a closer look at my bulkhead in the vicinity of the chainplates. My bulkhead is definitely balsa cored away from the chainplates, as I have mounted stuff on the bulkhead closer to the centre of the boat. My assumption was that the chainplate area was more strongly built to take the chainplate loads. It certainly looked solid there when I took the chainplate off, and it does not look like it was ever rebuilt.

I remember reading something about this in the Practical Sailor review of the J/30. The stated something to the effect that "the bulkhead on the J/30 was re-engineered to prevent the problems that were common to the J/24" The two problems that I know of in the J/24 are the bulkhead coming loose from the hull and rot in the bulkhead itself. On a related note, I was part of the group that toured the TPI plant during the J/30 North Americans. They have a new material from Pennske (I believe) that is used in the deck molding in the area of the chainplate perforations. This material is much stronger than the balsa to resist deformation and also is waterproof.

What is the best way to stop the chainplate from leaking. Mine is just starting again after a hiatus? Do I just cover it with caulk of choice?
Thanks,
Harry