: Hi Ryan. What you are seeing is just the fillet bonding the bulkhead to the
: hull and deck. I have never found any problems with distortion or hard
: points. I think this is an over-rated concern with ply or strip boats.

: I also don't bother glassing over the fillets. They are bombproof all on
: their own. We are not building ice-breakers.

: Also, I insert and fillet the bulkheads before I add the deck. Careful
: fitting and a 16th of an inch leeway under the deck with a bead of
: thickened epoxy on top of the bulkhead. I add the fillets to the top of
: the bulkheads after I have cut the hatches etc, except for the fillet
: behind the fore bulkhead which I cannot reach from an ocean cockpit. That
: is just filleted at the front.

: I am not a professional builder, but I have never had any regrets doing this.
: I figure our boats are often overbuilt and generally a LOT more robust
: than mass-manufactured ones.

: I hope that makes sense

: Etienne

Hi Et,

I agree. I think the concern comes from single skin fiberglass boats where in older, usually poorly built boats, the bulkheads are easily seen thru the hull. Now days it can often be seen on brand new fiberglass boats too, but that's usually because the building process is rushed to keep the costs down.

(fiberglass parts need to "age" for awile for the resin to cure properly before they are finished into completed boats, with todays costs, this is often not done, causing the distortion)

Bill H.