Anti Collision Bulkhead

[CQR25]

Does anyone tell me about the European rules for the anti collision bulkhead in the aluminium hull (sail yachts LFT < 20 m.)?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by CQR25

Does anyone tell me about the European rules for the anti collision bulkhead in the aluminium hull (sail yachts LFT < 20 m.)?

There arnt any

[CQR25]

Well, there aren't any european rule. But usually I know that the main shipyard and disegner plans this bulkhead in their yacht.
Does any one think that is better to built an anti-collision bulkhead in a 44 ft sail alu/steel yacht? Or is it useless?
.

[Juniper]

Anti collision? Do you just install a bulkhead and it keeps you from collisions? If so how do you install one?

[Pete7]

You might find that a water tight bulkhead is a requirement for commercially coded vessels operating offshore. Here are the UK regulations:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mgn_280-2.pdf

We have a watertight half height bulkhead which forms the V berth. It is probably high enough to completely flood and not pour over the top but I have no intention of trying it.


Pete

[S/V Alchemy]

We have a full collision bulkhead on our steel cutter. It's not watertight unless we put rubber stoppers in the limber holes. Forward of the bulkhead is a triangular space I use as a workshop and place to store sails. I intend to put a fold-down berth in there for crew (when there's no crew...it's a sailbag shelf!)

I am considering putting a hatch in this bulkhead so I can a) avoid going on deck when it's stormy just to get to the workshop), b) work on long objects by running them from the workshop to the saloon (picture repairing a gooseneck or bail on a boom), and c) so I can communicate with family while in there working and get more air and light when it's too wet to open the forepeak hatch.

Good luck!

[noelex 77]

Collision bulkheads are less necessary on metal boat., but following the belt and braces philosophy my aluminum yacht has one a bit over a meter from the bow and another about 3m from the stern. It also has a dam around the rudder post that goes above the waterline.

[44'cruisingcat]

It would be nice if you could install a bulkead that prevents collisions.

[psk125]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

It would be nice if you could install a bulkead that prevents collisions.

There is one- it's the bulkhead that your boat could tie up to. If you don't cast off, there's no chance of hitting or being hit by much. (Put out a bumper if you're worried about hitting the bulkhead.)

[David_Old_Jersey]

I am (gradually!) working towards compartmentalising my boat - into 6 (main) compartments (leaving aside cupboards / lockers). A mix of bilge runs that can be easily closed off, and removable bulkheads / doors (doubling for other uses on board). Also on the list is a movable bilge pump - and a couple of portholes Main things I want to cope with is the engine compartment flooding. or the rudder post fracturing without compromising the rest of the boat.

Still deciding how high to go (and how to do so in stages, so even with "only" 3 foot of water inside a compartment I can still access) - I am leaning towards "only" chest height for pre-fit, on the basis that by then the decks would be awash.......and I'd probably have already lost the battle......

She's a 30 footer

But main anti-collision plan is to look where I am going. and when solo to keep my fingers crossed

[Billy Higgins]

I like David_Old_Jersey's thinking, and as I am planning a 10 metre aluminum junk yawl, it will have two bulkheads fore and aft which will divide the interior volume into (aprox.) 19%, 60%, and 21% spaces, respectively. The forward bulkhead is too far aft to be called a "collision bulkhead"; these are conventionally no more than 10% of the LWL abaft the cutwater. Any two of the three compartments if unflooded will easily be able to keep her afloat and more or less in trim to either affect a bailout, or make a jury rig and keep moving.

For the smaller boats, Roger Taylor's junk 'Ming Ming' offers some good of advice on WT bulkeads and their relationship to minimalist sailing. He has two books on this subject, "Ming Ming and the Art of Minimal Ocean Sailing" was published just this year. I am nearly through it, and can recommend it. Its biggest fault is a near lack of detailed drawings of the boat, none on the WT bulheads, nor any interior plans for that matter. Of course "Ming Ming" is only 23 feet LOA, so it's almost moot what value they'd have.

Final comment - partial height WT bulkheads may not in practice be better than nothing, other than buying a little time. The "Titanic" had a lot of them. The motion of a vessel in a seaway will have a tendency to slosh water over the top almost as fast as the water enters the breach in the hull. Additionally, the surge of free-surface water in a sinking boat has enormous power to destroy partial bulkheads that may not be engineered very carefully.

[Strait Shooter]

I had a rotting bulkhead (leaking Sampson posts) that I replaced and when I did I made it waterproof. I installed 2 Freeman waterproof hatches, one on the bulkhead and one under the v-berth that I made into the all chain anchor locker. I plugged the lumber hole and am installing a small maintenance pump and a deck wash down for the anchor.

Next on my list is doing the same thing to the engine compartment, again with waterproof hatch for entry.

Badass.......

[CFR]

i have a 44 feet aluminium saiing boat with a closed forward section of approx 3 m. The section can only be reached from the deck BUT is a very nice storage area for 3-4 sails, 300 yard 24mm rope, 100 m anchor chain, a inflatable and 5 fenders. I like to have this closed section / collision bulkhead because you can throw in also wet sails for a moment. Normally they are lying on the forward berth in most noats and soaking the whole salon.