filled bilge in Tiki 38

[luis]

hi,
as shown in the atached pic, kaimiloa has part (not all her length) of her bilges (basically in the main cabins) filled and i cannot have access to see if all is ok inside there.
is this similar in other T38's? or does anyone know the reason for this? (or someone who know the builder can ask him about this)
i'm tempted to make a hole with the jig saw to see what is going on below.
any comment?
thanks
rds

[Björn]

Not a good idea, they should be open per plan. maybe the previous owner put some buoyancy in there. However I would not trust it and put large inspection hatches in there.
they are also a good sowage place for beer and wine.

[Ann and Neville Clement]

I think some early builders sealed some parts of the bilges for water tanks and in some cases it was not a good idea because some boats got rot from the inside. I agree with Bjorn that you might want to open and inspect these areas and put the large size access hatches. On Peace we have very deep bilges which were deeper than I could reach, so we filled the lowest sections with empty but closed plastic soda pop bottles which became extra buoyancy. Above this we put removable floors and that is our main storage for canned foods etc. Everything is dry, air can circulate, and there is no problem. In some other bilge sections Nev stores heavy spare parts and in those areas we have placed bits of carpet to protect the hulls from any scrapes or scratches but we can remove these bits of carpet for inspection. Our bilges are epoxy coated but not painted so we can inspect through the clear coating. It is reassuring. Wooden boats need to be ventilated and inspected. Epoxy is good stuff.

Nev says you can easily cut out large areas with a jig saw and glue some strips to support the boards when you put them back. On Peace the back bone helps bear weight in the middle of the removable hatch sections, the edges of the stringer bears weight at the inboard and outboard edges, and strips of wood glued ahead and astern of the hatch bear weight there. Can anyone look at their Tiki 38 plans for Luis to see how it is done in that design? Perhaps take a photo for him? Everything Wharram is pretty straight forward, after all.

Ann and Nev

[luis]

Bjorn, Ann-Nev: thanks for your replies.
i'll let you know what happens/appears...
rds

[Budget Boater]

Luis,

In some countries, or if the boat were to be for paid charters, there are certain requirements for watertight compartments, and this could have been the reason for this sealed area - a required flotation compartment. These sealed compartments are also mentioned in the plans.

Provided the boat was properly built, and no fresh water can get into that space, it will be fine. I have seen plenty of rotted Wharrams in my days, but I have never seen one with rot below the water line.

If you want to get access, then you will want to cut ROUND inspection ports on each side of the centerline. I would suggest purchasing a 4" or 5" hole saw (or find one you can borrow) and cutting two holes, which can then be closed off with Beckson screw-in hatches. It is likely that that entire floor has been epoxied down to the stringers, backbone, and cross supports, and will be near impossible to create the rectangular lifting hatch detailed in the plans without destroying something you do not want to destroy.