Tahiti Bulkhead and bracing

[BiggusJimbus]

Question for Old Rigger or any other knowledgable peeps out there...
My old '76 Tahiti 20'6" Mini DC is pretty flexi flyer. Maybe too much so. Certainly, the front deck could use some bracing.
My question is, what is the correct bracing for this hull and the best way to go about it? There was at one time a front bulkhead 3 or 4 feet back from the bow. Should this be glassed in? I'm considering some 2 part expanding foam up here for both stiffness and floatation. Is this a good idea, or a perilous one?
There are also some gussets in front of the gas tanks on the gunnels.
What is enough bracing? What is too much? I'm considering pulling up the floor this winter and making sure that the bottom is straight.
This is not the hull to drop a lot of money into, but I would like it to be correctly setup.
Thanks for the feedback.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/795My_first_slip.jpg

[victorfb]

think of it the same way as the stringers, they are there to help strengthen and stiffin the hull bottom. same thing can be done for the deck. though glassing them in will be a pain. very messy especially if you plan on doing it without turning the boat over. maybe you can wait till you do the bottom.
the foam may work, but i would think to make it stiff enough you will need alot of it and thats tricky to not put too much. it can expand too far and ruin the deck.
OldRigger would definatly be a good guy to talk to about that. unfortunatly he will be away for the rest of the weekend. im sure he will be happy to help ya.
by the way, the boat looks nice. id put a few bucks in it. but then again, im not the sharpest tool in the shed. :D

[BiggusJimbus]

Thanks Victor,
I am thinking more and more about flipping it this winter. Pulling the floor and all that. I am definitely going to wait to get the appropriate input before doing the glasswork (which I hate more than almost anything else I can think of.
I want to make sure that I have the guidance to not put strength where it is not wanted and potentially crack something or add unnecessary weight.
thanks for the reply. I guess I need to crawl up under a few decks this winter.

[victorfb]

thats a good idea to look under a bunch of other decks. i have an 18" tahiti with a bow tank, and it has a glassed wood brace going down the middle of the deck. but it is not attached all the way down. what i mean is, there is some space between the wood and deck and just a couple spots were it is glassed to the deck along the way. kind of like welding a long section of steel, just a bead every few inches with gaps between. maybe the reasoning for this is to not get a crack down the center of the deck.

[Mohavekid]

My Sanger has 4 bulkheads glassed in at various points.
Two just in front of the side tanks. Two on either side of the dash. One about 5 feet up under the deck, just where the deck goes flat and then another about 3 feet in front of that.
The full width ones are glassed in just as Victor described.
All I can say is it's solid as hell. I'm a big guy, 225 lbs, and I can jump up and down on the deck and it feels like cement. No give at all.
It should'nt be to hard to glass those in, and they should'nt weigh too much either. Sounds like a good winter project.
Good luck
Rich

[BiggusJimbus]

Thanks for the info guys.
I'll take some pics when I get a chance. Still looking for some input from Old Rigger, if he's around.
Jimbus.

[corlish]

Jim,
I ran across this picture a while back and thought it looked like a well made deck.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/showphoto.php?photo=17622&password=&sort=2&thecat=500
I would definitely talk to someone knowledgeble like OR, Barney, etc 'cause a brace in the wrong place will create stress cracks.
Good luck
Corey