I took a good look at an Alberg-designed Cape Dory 26 yesterday, checking out how the strongback was engineered in a very similar boat to ours, 20 some years after our boats were in production.
The CD26 has a center-pole support for the mast, with port-offset access to the v-berth. The mast support is apparently a solid wood, 2.5-3" square pole. Interestingly, the pole is offset from centerline *to starboard*, about 1.5". There is some sort of arched structure up against the overhead which the half-bulkhead attaches to (mechanically, no tabbing that I could see), but it is small, and hidden by the cabin liner. It is an upside-down triangle in shape, approx 3" wide against the overhead, and 3" to the apex of that triangle. The corners of the triangle are radiused about 1/4".
The wide piece of wood on the bulkhead against the overhead you can see in this pic is simply trim, it didn't appear to serve any structural function. Also note the seeming lack of cabin trunk side support on the port side at the bulkhead station.
From tapping against the overhead, it was evident that the deck construction in that area - forward of the bulkhead at least as far as the forward edge of the mast base - was more solid than in other areas of the overhead.
Last, and somewhat unrelated, the size of the standing rigging was obviously smaller than that which we have on our boats.
Interesting.
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