Bulkheads

[julianna39]

Hi guys!

I have a question about "bulkheads" (whatever they are).
A sailor told me that without bulkheads a fiberglass boat would collapse on itself. Is this true?
Julianna39

[Tar34]

Originally Posted by julianna39

Hi guys!

I have a question about "bulkheads" (whatever they are).
A sailor told me that without bulkheads a fiberglass boat would collapse on itself. Is this true?
Julianna39

Like a house needs walls or supports, so does a boat. A bulkhead is like a wall
sometimes all the way across the interior of just half walls. Keeps the boat rigid like a wall in a house.

[psk125]

Depends upon the design and how it's built. If you build the fiberglass thick enough, you don't need a bulkhead; the skin of the hull is strong enough without it. Building the 'glass that thick makes the whole thing really heavy, however. Adding a bullkhead adds strength to the design with less weight, so most boats have bulkheads and need them to maintain their structural integrity (as your friend says). Everything in a boat is a balancing act.

[daddle]

I had a fiberglass race boat. An 11:Meter. Zero bulkheads. Very stiff, very light cored laminate and plenty tough. This boat has some frames, no proper bulkheads: you can see the anchor windlass from the transom portlights... Has not collapsed yet .