Bertram33 User Forum

I need to rebuild the inside and outside of the entrance bulkhead on my '77 FBC, which has a standard slideing door. I have had two opinions about the material on the outside of the bulkhead both say it is formica I think that is correct but does anyone know for sure? Formica or not,is there a better material to use? I will use mica on the interior but I am just not sure about using it on the outside. I also well redue the windows at the same time. I have a local wiondw place that will put new glass in the original frames, unless some one has a better idea. Any thoughts?

Jeff, You forgot to mention the inside of the bulkhead between the inside & outside skins. Assuming that is the same as every other older 33 FBC, then that is mush at the bottom. Those skins are laminate, but I think they are Wilsonart, not Formica brand. The slight problem you will run into is since our sliding doors are more centered, it will take 5' sheets of laminate to cover the stb side without a seam. That is easily solved with money. You just custom order 5 x 10' sheets for about $400 per sheet. You could also just cut off where solid plywood starts. Then, glass in new sealed ply & fair it off on the outside & then spray paint it. Good Luck Al

Thanks for the input, the short wall Port side is not mush I fixed it a few years ago. The long side is soft towards the outboard side and will need some work. Do you think Formica will hold up? I am good with motors and mechanical componets but not construction materials.

Jeff, I have a similar problem on my newly acquired 38. The rear bulkhead is soft behind the laminate for about the lower twelve inches. As the boat is currently at Glass-Tech in Miami to reinstall the flybridge, I am going to let them take care of it. They say the problem is common and easily repaired. They indicate that their first choice will be to try to keep the exterior laminate intact and perform the repair from the inside. That will keep them from having to replace the exterior laminate. I will try to keep you posted as to what they find and how they fix it if you would like. Robert

Just an FYI for some of you.. When I bought "Phoenix" there was an obvious seperation of the inner and outer layers of laminate from the aft bulkhead core plywood on both the port and stbd sides of the door. When I cut into it I expected to find rotted plywood mush. Instead I found the core plywood was sound, but the glue applied when the bulkhead was built had given way. There was no rot at all.

Thanks for the input guys...yes Robert if you would keep me posted that would help. I still am not sure if Formica will work or not.

Jeff, GlassTech was able to fix the rear bulkhead from the inside only. They cut out the lower 15 inches or so, from the cabin side and replaced it with new wood. They left the exterior intact making the job considerably easier. Below the cabin sole they added a strip of new wood to replace some of the damaged bulkhead in the engine compartment. Now I just need to figure out what I am going to use for wall coverings where the repair was made and the rest of the cabin and galley, etc. Good luck with you project and let me know if you need a picture. Robert

Robert, Make sure they fix the outside portion of the bulkhead that caused the initial problem.

Guys... I am presently rebuilding the interior of my cabin.. the stbd side cabinets came out earlier this week, the port side panel is out and a new one with recessed drawers and lockers is made up and ready for veneering. I am using teak veneer with solid teak trim for most of the interior surfaces, and possibly some light colored Formica. I am no expert, but I suspect Formica, Wilsonart and other similar laminates are all pretty much interchangeable. The inside surface of the aft bulkhead is stripped to bare plywood.. no rot, but the glue had let go on the inner and outer sides.. I stripped all the inside laminate off in two hours, it was not difficult.

Doug, I will check with them about that. The boat is still in there yard. We have had too many hurricanes, too much wind and too much rain to finish the bottom stripping and repaint. Robert