Story by Andrew Holland / August 10, 2018
One potential issue that may arise in a survey is called a cracked bulkhead. When this happens there is some confusion as to what this means for buyers and sellers alike, so our clients often ask this featured “Question of the Week.”
A bulkhead is a layer inserted into the hulls of a catamaran in order to prevent the hulls from cracking or compressing and are added after the hulls are molded to increase stability. Regardless of the material or build quality, all hulls are subjected to the forces of water working against them.
Waves and water under sail apply pressure to the hulls that may eventually cause cracking and require a bulkhead to be repaired so if the topic arises in survey, pay attention to the details a surveyor has to say. This is often a costly repair job because the veneer of the hulls must be removed, the bulkheads need to be re-laminated, and sometimes the ends of the hulls have to be re-banded.
However, a cracked bulkhead does not mean that the boat’s condition is too disastrous to sail or defines the boat as having a structural problem. It only means that over time this particular bulkhead has been under enough stress to be in need of repair, and that is cause for a conversation post-survey.
Have a question you want answered by our expert brokers? Drop an email to in**@**************ny.com today!
A sale well handled. No inflated expectations and an honest opinion throughout. Highly recommended.
Absolutely THE ONLY company to use for buying or selling a catamaran! Our Broker Andrew Hodgdon, was excellent to work with, an experienced catamaran captain with extensive knowledge of sailing catamarans, the ins and outs of the construction, performance, systems, everything involved and life on board catamarans. All of which is invaluable in looking for the right boat for someone to buy or helping market your boat when selling. The Multihull Company is so connected in the catamaran world and used by so many catamaran sailors and searchers that we had an interested buyer before our boat was even listed and a completed sale 60 days after her first showing!!! Thanks Andrew and all of the Multihull team who worked diligently to make it happen so smoothly!
We had a great experience working with Andrew! He was extremely knowledgeable and listened to our needs of what we wanted our next boat to be. He responded quickly to all of our requests and got us to the finish line. Working with Multihull was seamless and we highly recommend using Andrew and Multihull.
Chris Block was our broker. He was great. He went above and beyond what we thought we needed. His expertise helped us get our dream boat for way less than expected. I will use TMC and Chris Block in the future. Definitely recommend.
Chris Rundlett in Grenada was my buyers broker for a catamaran I purchased in Tortola.
The buying process was problematic with numerous mechanical issues needing attention. Throughout the process he was fantastic. I would highly recommend him if you’re looking to buy a boat in the Caribbean.
Successful relationships cannot exist without it. At The Multihull Company we base every relationship on a firm commitment to earning and retaining our client’s trust.
Advice of any kind is valuable only when grounded in hard-won expertise. It too, must be trustworthy. Trust and expertise define the heart and soul of The Multihull Company. We are a team of skilled professionals who thrive on providing expert, trustworthy advice and service to catamaran and trimaran sailors around the globe.
More About Multihull
