Some people say Bulwark while others say Coaming when referring to the raised wall above a deck. My dictionary defines a Bulwark as a "hastily prepared defensive wall", but the wall on this fireboat was definitely not hastily prepared! It is a very substantial structure, and I´m sure it took many hours to fabricate.
	The Bulwark/Coaming for the Aft Main Deck is curved and angled inward at the stern. The port/starboard sides are not curved, but they are angled inward slightly. Because of this, and not wanting to waste Celtec material through trial and error, I decided to use cardboard first. The material I used was from a manila folder. I drew the outline of the Aft Main Deck onto the cardboard and then used measurements from my drawing to complete the template. Because of lessons learned manufacturing the Forward Main Deck Bulwark, it only took one try to get it right. Having the cardboard template in hand, I drew the pieces onto 2mm Celtec and then cut them out using a band saw.
The port side was first. I began by first gluing the forward piece and then continued gluing the Bulwark/Coaming to the Aft Main Deck.
	Whoops! I almost forgot to tell you that I cutout the space for the double cross bollards first. It was much easier to cut these on the band saw instead of doing it by hand after gluing.
The glue I used was Bondene by Plastruct (see their web site link on my Links page). It is very thin, brushed on and sets very quickly. It is a very good substance to use for bonding similar plastics together!
	After both port and starboard Bulwarks/Coamings were attached, it was time to install the bracing ribs. There are over forty (40) of these, and they will also be used to brace the handrail support at the stern later on.
Finally, it was time to manufacture the Bulwark doors before quitting for the day. These were also manufactured from Celtec.

If you have any suggestions or comments about this site or construction, please send me an email by clicking here!

Copyright © 2003 - 2008 John T. VanderHeiden
Last Updated Friday, January 30, 2004 2:52:27 PM