Hi all,
I have a 2005 C34 MKII and lately been bugged by the creaking of the forward bulkhead caused by movement between the top of the bulkhead and the ceiling.

Close inspection reveals that the retaining screws along the outer edge of the bulkhead have been cut to length such that they only protrude around 5mm beyond the thickness of the bulkhead ply.
This seems to suggest the screws are cosmetic and the top of the bulkhead is intended to be floating.

So, to my questions.
Is the top of the bulkhead intended to be floating?
If so, any suggestions to resolve the creaking issue?
Why shouldn't I (by appropriate means) permanently attach the bulkhead to the ceiling?

Best regards,
Allan

Thanks Jode, good to know I'm not the only one.
I take your point about not rigidly fixing it and I'm inclined to agree.
I would be interested in what others think tho'
regards,
allan

garymalmgren said..
Alan
From you explanation it seems that there is a flange of some sort glassed to the underneath of the cabin top.
This would have been done when the deck/cabin top was still in the mold.
If I am reading you correctly , the bulkhead is fixed (not to securely) to the flange with screws.
Could it be that over the years the screws have enlargened the holes in the flange or in the bulkhead thereby allowing movement and your noise?
Would larger screws or machine screws with dome nuts fitted tightly to new hole fix it?
I may be right off the mark with that suggestion.


Bulkheads fully glassed to hull and underneath deck/ cabin top are not unusual at all and would enhance the strength of a boat by compartmentalizing the construction.

gary

Thanks Gary - you're right, there is a sort of flange in the cabin top into which the screws were embedded. But as I said, the self tappers used had been intentionally shortened so they were only about 5mm longer than the bulkhead width (about 18mm) - why, I don't know.
This is why I thought maybe the screws were just cosmetic.

Even so, I decided to replace the screws with the correct length so that they rigidly fixed the bulkhead to the flange. This cured the creaking for a while - but it started creaking again after a few weeks!
This led me to think maybe it WAS meant to be floating and what I needed to do was to insert some sort of spacer to silence any movement between the bulkhead and flange.

so, any thoughts very much appreciated
regards,
allan

Thanks Gary, that sounds good.
I'll give it a go & report back.
regards,
allan