1971 Seafari cabin bulkhead replacement

[pianewman]

Hey guys,
Bought this boat from Matt Rice (CSC member, not terribly active here) in March in West Palm. Denny (bushwacker) checked it out for me, helped enormoustly with a test on the water, and then spent the rest of the afternoon helping me customize the fit on a virtually new Peterson single axle trailer. I towed it to Arlington, VA. Now I'm trying to get things in order, as it needs some work before I put it in the water.

Both cabin bulkheads need to be replaced. I've removed the port side, and tried to use it as a template for the replacement (3/4" marine ply). The problem is, the bottom edge was so badly rotted, I'm not able to get an accurate measurement of the height of the bulkhead.

Question: Does the bulkhead actually touch the horizontal surfaces top and bottom, and provide real support for the cabin, or does it "float", and just provide torsional stiffness, relying on the 4 upper and 4 lower bolts?

Thanks.
Ed in Arlington, VA