J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Need to dry out my deck

If you are looking for an easy way to fill the bulkhead instrument holes, here is what I did when my compasses died:

Get 2 of these for each hole: http://www.beckson.com/cvr.html

They are sized just right; I got the light grey plates.

After cleaning/sealing the area where the hole was, I mounted one of these places on the inside, and one on the outside. I had to file and reseal the bulkhead a bit for bolt clearance.

Then I just through-bolted the plates like a sandwich with the bulkhead in the middle, using 3M sealant.

Finally, I mounted my new Tacktick micronet instruments to the outside plate directly. It looks great and only took half a day to complete. The plates are so cheap that I bought extras so if they ever start looking weathered, I will just change them out. With the Micronet instruments in place, it almost looks like it was meant to be.

-dan

I glassed mine, and so did "rattle and hum"

http://mangomadnessj30.blogspot.com/2008/04/dirt-and-holes.html

http://sailrattleandhum.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

I cut nice pieces of teak, vanished them and then used 3m 4200 to mount them. Did the same for the inside.

Really depends on how much the POs butchered the bulkheads. Given a second choice i think I would have cut out one big piece of starboard for insides and outsides and bolted it together.

But I had budgeted this into the Vee Jay 2 project boat rehab ... and it took as many hours for the two bulkheads as to rehab the entire transom. Had a pro do it and they just love to do BIG patches ... cut out pieces to fill big holes and reglassed one thin layer if I remember right.

Now I am acting paranoid about having to cut one hole for one compass [small]

Vic, just a thought before you start cutting new holes. Why not mount displays on the mast where everyone can see them?

Vee Jay 2 has a swing out arm with radio, gps/sounder. But am working around the OD requirement of a fixed mounted compass in this age when we don't rely on real compasses anymore. In prior thread the "boys" agreed that I probably could velcro mount something to satisfy that requirement for the 2010 NAs. I am not overly instrument oriented, more of a social racer and had a great time at Westport.

I cut 3/4" marine plywood just slighty larger than the opening,then sanded until it was a snug fit using the handle of a hammer to lightly tap it in. Then covered it with mat and pure west marine epoxy. Dewaxed, sanded then another layer of mat and west marine epoxy with microfibers in it. Dewaxed, sanded and primed and painted.
Here is a link to pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?page=1&aid=2441&id=100000080723823

starboard cabin bulkhead? 3/4?

too thick for companionway bulkhead.?

Vic - I think 3/4" is about right from when I filled the instrument holes on Rhapsody. I know that when I recored the hull it was 3/4" balsa.

It's definitely 3/4, I filled mine with balsa core, then glass over the top.