I have experienced damage just in front of (actually in back of) a solid okuome bulkhead. I have a Chesapeake 18 with 4 mm okuome standard hull built from a kit with single layer of 6 oz glass on the bottom.

The story goes, I was in Maine for Labor day last summer on a 4 day overnight trip on the western maine border on lake azicohos and we were paddling at the far nortn end of the lake which eventually deterorates into a nice failry swift and fairly shallow little stream. we hit a point where my SO decides to wait in a nice little eddy (her wood yak was newer than mine) and I forge ahead hitting a current that I can just stay in one place in because its flowing fast enough against me. so I'm paddling like crazy playing around and then I stop and let it drift back and as I'm backing up not looking I manage to hit a rock. The gash is maybe 3 inches from the centerline and starts about 6 inches behind the bulk. at the point it reaches the bulkhead, it turns into a puncture type wound most likely since the hull couldn't flex to take the damage like the area where the rest of the gash was.

The sound of the rock was pretty nasty. I flipped the boat though to check the damage and never saw the hull so paddled away. only discovered it later in camp after another hour or 2 of paddling. boat was relatively unloaded when I hit the rock. i ducttaped the hull and finished the trip no problem.

the kayak still has an ugly temp FG patch but I hope to reglass that spot after sanding flush this fall mybe when I don't have 2 yaks under construction in the workshop.

pete czerpak
albany, NY

: After taking flak from a local Seattle designer/manufacturer/retailer for
: using solid bulkheads, I got to wondering; how many of you have
: experienced hull damage just in front of or at the junction with a solid
: bulkhead? In other words, is it statistically significant enough to bother
: thinking about?

: I am now stripping the deck for my wife's new Silver, so it's time to
: complete my plans for internal structures like bulkheads, foot pegs, and
: foot pumps before the top and bottom come together for the last time.

: Ted Henry