friz–when i got home yesterday i was able to better assess what happened. When the shell was upside down, we needed to apply thickened epoxy to the outboard edges of the galley flat (where it mates with the “legs” of the bulkhead) and the bottom edge of the galley flat where it mates with the edge of the bulkhead. then we needed to weight down the assembly while the joint cured.
either i didn’t properly weight the joint, or too much epoxy squeezed out, because the failure was of the epoxy, not the delamination of the galley flat plywood (except one area of a couple of inches length, where the epoxy joint held but after the rest of the joint failed that couple of inches of solid joint gave way). just about the entire length of the span between the legs gave way. also the fillet on the galley side cleanly broke away from the galley flat.
my initial inclination was to re-glue the joint, then use a 1×1 hardwood stiffener the length of the opening screwed through the galley flat and into the bulkhead. i realize the bulkhead is only 3/8″, and i’d need to get the screws in the center of the plywood and perfectly plumb so they don’t protrude out of one or the other side of the bulkhead.
dillon at CLC recommends re-gluing the joint (i’ll also reglue the fillet that broke loose), then as you said you were planning on doing, apply fiberglass tape to the cabin side of the joint. while i still like the idea of lots of screws, i’ll do what he recommends. i thought i should also put a strip of fiberglass tape on the galley side of the joint.
in addition, i’ll fashion some kind of floor in the galley module which will help distribute the battery weight, plus i need to install a hold-down which i hadn’t thought about.
any thoughts/recommendations?
thanks
ps–i know you have a northern tool trailer. i bought the same one. i just got back from a 600-mile round trip to see the eclipse. the aluminum piece that holds the tail lights into the “boxes” stress cracked on both sides of one taillight, and it fell out. it cracked on one side of the other tail light. just a heads-up for you. i bought 2 6×6 1-wide 1/4 inch thick corner braces at the hardware store and will replace the pretty diamond plate aluminum boxes.
