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 C25 Dumpster Bulkhead Crack		  New Topic  Reply to Topic
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RobLes
Deckhand

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USA
8 Posts
Initially Posted - 10/03/2021 :  16:50:15  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
In my Catalina 25 in the dumpster there is a crack in the bulkhead. It doesn't go near the outside gelcoat. It's not seeable from anywhere else and doesn't seem to cause any problem.

I was wondering if it is worth adding some fiberglass and resin to the area to reinforce it?

This photo is in the port dumpster, aka large cockpit locker, looking forward, just behind this bulkhead is the galley area.
Edited by - RobLes on 10/04/2021 18:22:16

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5231 Posts
Response Posted - 10/04/2021 :  16:10:17  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
On the image, it’s great that you were able to follow the instructions to get an image to show. Congratulations! Usta be that you could ask the photo-sharing service to provide a 640x480, 720x480 or 1280x960 size picture to the Catalina website, but not any more. I typically leave the full-sized picture up on the photo sharing site but also provide a lower-resolution version for posts like this. Paint in an OLD standby but windows picture tool and iOS tools also help create a lower resolution version.

Hmmm, so the crack is in the bulkhead beneath the port cockpit seat, only viewable from inside the fender locker (aka dumpster) or behind the galley drawers? So is your boat a swing keel, fin keel or winged keel? If it’s a swing keel then perhaps the damage originated with an accident with the keel cable snapping and crashing into the hull at some point? This could have damaged the bottom which may have been repaired as well as other structural members of the boat, possibly including this bulkhead. This is all speculation of course, but unless the defect was built-in, what else could have damaged this portion of the boat? Do you get any flexing whenever a passenger boards the boat standing above this section? Do you ever hear unexplained creaks and groaning when the boat is hard over in strong winds on a heel?

If you have any inkling that there’s some flex there, then it’s a wise choice to reinforce the cracked area with fiberglass and epoxy or polyester resin. It wouldn’t hurt the look any and you’d definitely rest easier knowing that there’s no question about the strength of your boat. What’s to lose except some time investment and the cost of the materials? You might want to clean the surfaces really well then apply the materials. It’s amazing how much gunk accumulates over time!
Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain — Milford, CT
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RobLes
Deckhand

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USA
8 Posts
Response Posted - 10/04/2021 :  18:19:26  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Voyager

On the image, it’s great that you were able to follow the instructions to get an image to show. Congratulations! Usta be that you could ask the photo-sharing service to provide a 640x480, 720x480 or 1280x960 size picture to the Catalina website, but not any more. I typically leave the full-sized picture up on the photo sharing site but also provide a lower-resolution version for posts like this. Paint in an OLD standby but windows picture tool and iOS tools also help create a lower resolution version.

Hmmm, so the crack is in the bulkhead beneath the port cockpit seat, only viewable from inside the fender locker (aka dumpster) or behind the galley drawers? So is your boat a swing keel, fin keel or winged keel? If it’s a swing keel then perhaps the damage originated with an accident with the keel cable snapping and crashing into the hull at some point? This could have damaged the bottom which may have been repaired as well as other structural members of the boat, possibly including this bulkhead. This is all speculation of course, but unless the defect was built-in, what else could have damaged this portion of the boat? Do you get any flexing whenever a passenger boards the boat standing above this section? Do you ever hear unexplained creaks and groaning when the boat is hard over in strong winds on a heel?

If you have any inkling that there’s some flex there, then it’s a wise choice to reinforce the cracked area with fiberglass and epoxy or polyester resin. It wouldn’t hurt the look any and you’d definitely rest easier knowing that there’s no question about the strength of your boat. What’s to lose except some time investment and the cost of the materials? You might want to clean the surfaces really well then apply the materials. It’s amazing how much gunk accumulates over time!




So yeah it's the bulkhead to the aft of the galley. And it was there when I bought the boat.

And thanks for the advice, I was able to adjust the picture size.

I have the dinette layout, swing keel, tall rig. I don't know if the keel was ever "dropped" by a previous owner but I serviced the keel raising system and everything looked good, just the brass bearing had a wear spot.

I personally never noticed anything off, but I am a new sailor.

Here's a diagram.



Edited by - RobLes on 10/04/2021 18:29:58
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Lee Panza
Captain

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USA
465 Posts
Response Posted - 10/06/2021 :  02:51:15  Show Profile  Visit Lee Panza's Homepage  Reply with Quote

I can assure you that the crack you've noticed is nothing to worry about. To set your mind at ease, I'm including a photo of what I had done in that area in my boat.





When I wanted to route a 2" hose aft from my 4,000 GPH bilge pump, I determined that there would be no harm in cutting a hole (greater than 2" diam.) through at that point. I'm an Engineer, and I believe I had considered this sufficiently carefully.

By the way, I can't get over how CLEAN that area is in your boat!
The trouble with a destination - any destination, really - is that it interrupts The Journey.

Lee Panza
SR/SK #2134
San Francisco Bay
(Brisbane, CA)
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RobLes
Deckhand

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USA
8 Posts
Response Posted - 10/07/2021 :  10:28:23  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Lee Panza


I can assure you that the crack you've noticed is nothing to worry about. To set your mind at ease, I'm including a photo of what I had done in that area in my boat.


When I wanted to route a 2" hose aft from my 4,000 GPH bilge pump, I determined that there would be no harm in cutting a hole (greater than 2" diam.) through at that point. I'm an Engineer, and I believe I had considered this sufficiently carefully.


Thanks, good to know. I'm selling the boat and I was debating whether I should patch it up with some glass. But then people might ask what the repair was for and be suspicious when I tell them it was just a superficial crack. So I might leave it as is.

quote:

By the way, I can't get over how CLEAN that area is in your boat!


Haha, thanks. I crawled down there and cleaned it out really well when I bought it. That was a delicate procedure.
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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1889 Posts
Response Posted - 10/07/2021 :  10:57:52  Show Profile  Visit Leon Sisson's Homepage  Reply with Quote
RobLes,
 
I'm inclined to agree with Lee Panza about that crack being no big deal.  As for how it might have occurred, I'd rule out swing keel forces.
 
If you want to know if your boat ever had an uncontrolled swing keel incident, check the fwd wall of the dinette foot well at the center line of the boat, from both inside and outside that locker.  That's where the force would be concentrated.  If a partially raised swing keel has ridden up over a submerged obstacle, then dropped back down shock loading the cable, there may be hairline cracks where the ladder meets the cabin sole.

Re:  "This is all speculation of course, but unless the defect was built-in,..."

Let's not be too quick to rule out a factory defect here.  Having owned and worked on several brands of fiberglass boats, I get the impression Catalina has put above average effort into molding their fiberglass parts to fit each other.  However, that doesn't rule out a one time oops during layup and assembly.  On my Catalina 25 I've found voids under gelcoat, poorly cured resin, resin rich or starved areas, fiberglass tabbing wrinkled or lifted prior to cure, minor distortion in flat areas of the hull liner, etc.
 
Catalina builds affordable mass produced boats.  Few buyers would be willing to pay the cost of building each one perfectly.  (As I recall, high production cost was one of the reasons for discontinuing the Catalina 25.)
 
Re:  "...what else could have damaged this portion of the boat?"
 
Cracks anywhere near the hull-to-deck seam could be the result of having been bashed against a piling, dock, another boat, etc.  Cracks on or near a horizontal deck surface can be caused by vertical impacts, such a large person jumping down onto the boat from a dock at low tide, or a bump from a hard, heavy object like the skeg on an outboard motor during installation or removal with the boat in the water.  In such cases there will often be at least minor damage visible from the outside, such as a dent in the rub rail, or spiderweb pattern of hairline cracks.  (Or evidence of such damage having been repaired.)
 
In conclusion, don't worry, go sailing!
 
— Leon Sisson
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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts
Response Posted - 10/08/2021 :  06:48:28  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I agree with all above... Another thing that can cause a midships crack like that is the flexing of the hull as a boat is lifted, is set on stands, is cranked down on a trailer that doesn't fit quite right, the trailer hits a pot-hole, etc. I had one in the coaming of a different boat, probably from its trailer. It doesn't look like yours has any structural significance or would allow water intrusion, and nobody's gonna see it except when you show off that strikingly pristine dumpster!
Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
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bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1736 Posts
Response Posted - 10/09/2021 :  05:39:39  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
First, I agree with Lee -- the finish of your dumpster is far and away better than mine, so much better that I bet I could not even find the type of crack you have identified. Almost makes me wonder if some work had to once be done in there and whoever did it went over the top with the gel coat, and does make me want to do a thorough cleaning job in mine. That said, I agree that it does not appear to be a serious issue, However, I would keep an eye on it to see if it expands over time. If so it will need some attention.
Peter Bigelow
C-25 TR/FK #2092 Limerick
Rowayton, Ct
Port Captain: Rowayton/Norwalk/Darien CT
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