Lots of time spent planning and measuring since the introductory post. Work is underway. Fortunately, the boat heat is not impacted – daytime outdoor temperatures are 30-50 degrees F, but this Winter has been windy at Kent Narrows, MD USA.
The bottom edge of the new bulkhead will set on a new athwart (across) floor beam. This laminated epoxy beam will extend from the starboard to the port chine logs and will rest on those chine log stringers, the port and starboard main stringers, and the port and starboard intermediate longitudinal stringers. The good news is that this beam can be laminated up in place, and the six contact points provide a suitable base for the (currently unsupported) weight of the aft cabin/cockpit and for any jacking forces needed to move the components back up to their design height.
The bad news is that the new bulkhead location will require removal of substantial existing equipment and cabinetry and reinstallation in alternate locations and/or configurations. The aft cabin berth, the water tanks beneath, and port and starboard cabinets housing the 3KW sine wave 120 VAC inverter/charger and the twelve golf cart batteries that provide energy storage for the inverter will be moved aside for later reinstallation. The shore power (2 x 30A) line breaker panel (to port, not shown) will have to be relocated, too. The berth, tanks, inverter, and batteries have been moved aside – the cabinetry will soon follow.
The existing aft partition shown here (blue covering boards) looks like a bulkhead, but is set back 18″ away from the cabin aft side (to permit the former berth to be almost (72″) long enough), rests on only a small, not continuous floor beam, and does not contact the deck stringers above it. It will not be retained. One of the two SS water tanks is shown. The aft lazarette will be larger fore and aft by about 18″ and dry. The new berthing arrangements in the aft cabin will differ from the original.