UNSEALED LIMBER HOLE

What you’re seeing here is the result of failure to seal around the limber hole in a bulkhead belowdecks between the stringers—a definite no-no. This particular bulkhead used plywood as the core material. It was fiberglassed solidly in place when the boat was built. However, the wood around the limber hole at the bottom of the bulkhead—which allows water to drain from inside the bilge—was not glassed or, at the very least, sealed with resin.

This allowed water to percolate upward, soaking, rotting and swelling the wood, as you can see in the photo. This compromised the fiberglass tabs that held the bulkhead in place, and weakened the structural integrity of the hull. We cut away this old bulkhead and fiberglassed in a replacement, making sure the wood around the limber hole was sealed this time.

Here’s the takeaway: Before you decide to buy a boat—particularly a used one—check to ensure the perimeters of the limber holes in the bilge bulkheads and stringers are fiberglassed and sealed to prevent water from soaking the core material. —J.H.