On Bluster, between the companionway bulkhead and the main bulkhead the side deck and blister were joined without any reinforcement other than the quarter round on the outside. This led to separation, water ingress, rot, and my son putting his foot through the deck, It was patched up and reinforced with a steel bar under the deck join.
As part of the deck was found to still have rot, it was stripped back. The top part of the frame by the companionway was also rotten in parts so this was cut out. The opportunity was then taken to insert two additional deck stringers supported at the aft end by the new frame (solid mahogany instead of laminated) and at the forward end by being let in to the main bulkhead.
I will make the same modification to the starboard side. Once the deck is rebuilt and the blister is back on, I will add a thin vertical strip covering the inside of the deck/blister join, as in the main cabin. This will stiffen the joint still further.
P1010709
New frame.
P1010710
Main bulkhead.
Jonathan
Your additions are well worth the effort (and nicely executed from your photos!)
On Helene I did a lot of work on the fore and aft decks, including scarfing in a new blister quadrant over the main cabin but initially overlooking this same section of deck. As a result there were occasional sounds and signs of cracking when heavy crew (oh, alright, I mean me) stepped on the inner edge of the sidedeck. The issue was the same with an over-reliance on the external quadrant to hold the deck ‘up’ to the blister. I added a lightweight reinforcement under the edge of the blister but your stringers are a much better idea. You have started a chain of thought about me adding one to Helene………
And its great to see the work you are doing on Bluster – thanks for the update. Keep them coming!
Cheers
Nick