Neat racing interiors, photos/ideas/inspiration

[DHV90]

Hi guys,

Weather has forced my hand a bit to stop working on the outside of the boat and start on the insides. Im looking for any ideas of neat racing based interiors, but haven't had as long to think about it and plan as I have for the decks, to kickstart the process a bit has anyone got links to some sources of inspiration? Any clever bits and pieces would be cool, sheet stowage, galley/chart table, forepeak, sail stowage, lighting etc.

I've been trawling sale ads, but theres rarely enough detail in interior pics

Thanks!

 

[lpdsn]

What are you aiming at? Lightweight racer with minimum weight down below? zero comfort? Minimal comfort? Cruiser racer with usable accommodation and some comfort? Stories of IRC optimisation?

 

[DHV90]

Nothing too specific, just clever uses of space, clever storage solutions, ergonomics down below, light weight ideas for anything interior related. Racing based interiors, not cruser/racer, comfort isn't a concern. Im just looking for simplicity, practicality and functionality really.

 

[Debenair]

For years Dick Everett did a page of this sort in PBO, and I think the articles have been reduced to book form on at least one occasion.

 

[savageseadog]

Go to a boat show and look at what is done these days

 

[lw395]

Go to a boat show and look at what is done these days

Go to a boat show and see if you can see any racing boats?

 

[savageseadog]

Go to a boat show and see if you can see any racing boats?

If that's the case you may realise I've not been to a boat show for 30 years.

Ask at a club that races if you can view some some of the boats

 

[lpdsn]

Nothing too specific, just clever uses of space, clever storage solutions, ergonomics down below, light weight ideas for anything interior related. Racing based interiors, not cruser/racer, comfort isn't a concern. Im just looking for simplicity, practicality and functionality really.

Obviously, minimum weight. If you don't need it don't have it. One interesting idea I saw (well-known designer) was to make the chart table a structural member between the bulkhead encompassing the keel box and the bulkhead encompassing the chain plates. Opposite a similar structural member formed part (most) of the galley. Beware though that such interiors are over-handicapped by IRC.

Other idea I saw (JP54) was inflatable saloon cushions. Notice the seats bases are structural members too. Not sure canting the galley to windward would go down well with the IRC measurer - the JP54 claims to be a pure cruiser.

One boat we regularly raced against claimed they got points off their handicap for a large flat screen TV down below. Our informant claimed it didn't even work. Otherwise their accommodation was rather spartan.

 

[markhomer]

Check out latest grand soleil 34

 

[30sqm]

A friend in Germany designed and built a 26ft lightweight racer some while ago, and aside from building in cored seating / hull side bunks as the structure and then above these widely spaced lightweight battens (light timber finish) to line the hull, he used used fabric / leather faced hanging lockers (fabric colour complimenting the natural hues of the leather) which clipped in place. These were designed to lift out and clip together closed to be taken out easily, or clipped up tight to the hull-side for when handling sails inside the boat. They hung just forward of the mast ring frame bulkhead so were half hidden. The simplicity of a predominantly satin white finished structure with the natural colours & textures of timber and leather was elegant and made small vessel appear very airy. Soft upholstery might add a more homely touch if required. Galley was very basic along the lines of a Corsair trimaran. The boat was for around the cans racing so as I recall no chart table was fitted.

30sqm

 

[PhiB]

To me one of the most difficult aspects of fitting out the interior of a boat is the headlining. My old, but relatively lightweight, cruising sailing boat originally had foam-backed-vinyl glued up there. Predictably over time this started to droop and the foam disintegrated horribly. Over the next 40 years some of that was pulled down and the residue contact adhesive that was hidden under 1/4" plywood, screwed up into the foam core. In cabins with its inside compound curvature of the grp cabin - the previous owners had glued up stretchy foam backed carpet. Each of these was home fitted and so not the neatest.

The ply panels were fine but for the fact that the varnish had darkened and gone dull, and they were big flat sheets of plywood. I removed these in the saloon and cut a shallow groove every 3" along their length before painting them in a very light blue colour. It now looks as if they are tongue n' grove.

In the forecabin I further complicated the already awkward shapes, by raising the two 60 x 60 cm hatches to sit on what I call turrets, made from grp. The refinished exterior looked fine (for a cruising boat), but the problem I faced was with the interior shape. How to line a single skin fibreglass box with 6" internal radii.? In the end I used Artex stippled over the raw grp strands, and when dry painted over that with masonry paint. With all the water dried out the finish is lightweight, and it effectively hides the raw fibreglass strands as well as effectively distracting from most of the irregular laminated shapes.

I'm sure many of you will frown with contempt at using household finishes in a boat, and might even question how artex might stand up to humidity, forgetting the steam in their home kitchen and bathrooms.

It was done just as a means to speedily and inexpensively progress with the interior, in the full knowledge that I can always come back to finding a better solution when I have more time. But to be honest, it is clean and tidy and far less work than any other idea I've seen.

I have a photo but sorry I'm new around here and don't know how to upload it.

Phil

 

[DHV90]

Thanks Phil, all my headliners are long gone and went into the skip early on! they were heavy and clumsy, trapping moisture, hiding problems, self tapping screwed into the coach roof and surprisingly heavy!

interior is going to plain white flowcoat with all exposed backing plates and dome nuts for all fittings so everything is visible and accessible for simplicity. Forpeak will be the same except with some impact resistant epoxy paint for sail packing etc.

Neatly finished interior bolt backings really appeal and force you to take a bit more time on them but the result is nice, my original fittings were installed with long bolts that were ground back for the headlining so where the grinder had pushed material outwards it made getting almost every nut off a nightmare!

 

[bbg]

To me one of the most difficult aspects of fitting out the interior of a boat is the headlining. My old, but relatively lightweight, cruising sailing boat originally had foam-backed-vinyl glued up there. Predictably over time this started to droop and the foam disintegrated horribly. Over the next 40 years some of that was pulled down and the residue contact adhesive that was hidden under 1/4" plywood, screwed up into the foam core. In cabins with its inside compound curvature of the grp cabin - the previous owners had glued up stretchy foam backed carpet. Each of these was home fitted and so not the neatest.

The ply panels were fine but for the fact that the varnish had darkened and gone dull, and they were big flat sheets of plywood. I removed these in the saloon and cut a shallow groove every 3" along their length before painting them in a very light blue colour. It now looks as if they are tongue n' grove.

In the forecabin I further complicated the already awkward shapes, by raising the two 60 x 60 cm hatches to sit on what I call turrets, made from grp. The refinished exterior looked fine (for a cruising boat), but the problem I faced was with the interior shape. How to line a single skin fibreglass box with 6" internal radii.? In the end I used Artex stippled over the raw grp strands, and when dry painted over that with masonry paint. With all the water dried out the finish is lightweight, and it effectively hides the raw fibreglass strands as well as effectively distracting from most of the irregular laminated shapes.

I'm sure many of you will frown with contempt at using household finishes in a boat, and might even question how artex might stand up to humidity, forgetting the steam in their home kitchen and bathrooms.

It was done just as a means to speedily and inexpensively progress with the interior, in the full knowledge that I can always come back to finding a better solution when I have more time. But to be honest, it is clean and tidy and far less work than any other idea I've seen.

I have a photo but sorry I'm new around here and don't know how to upload it.

Phil

I don't think many people would put headlining on a race boat.

 

[PhiB]

^ Are there no gentlemen racing today.? When I was last racing (admittedly that was in the Americas) we had a chef on board to prepare a meal for when we crossed the finishing line. !

 

[PhiB]

Another thing on my old boat is I'm using plastic storage drawers, typically being sold for recycling. Much more useful than most lockers. They are very lightweight, of useful volume, surprisingly tough and inexpensive should they get broken, and they are transparent / let light in so you can see what you are looking for. :encouragement:

Phil

 

[bbg]

For storage on board a race boat, I liked waterproof Guy Cotten bags and Ocean Outils semi-rigid bags
https://www.outils-oceans.com/en/product/sacs-organises-epi-semi-rigide-sc3-sc4/
Lots of storage. Easy to move around the boat for stacking.

 

[savageseadog]

Easy to move around the boat for stacking.

!!! Rules?

 

[bbg]

!!! Rules?

Allowed in the boats I raced on. Essential if you wanted to have any hope of even keeping up with the fleet.

 

[Roberto]

these berths are excellent (and light), they are hinged on one side and the tackle allows to block one s body when sailing (baby not strictly necessary)

I am considering changing the layout of part of my current cruising boat to fit one or two of those

 

[Roberto]

Allowed in the boats I raced on. Essential if you wanted to have any hope of even keeping up with the fleet.

you surely know, as a curiosity in French it s called "matosser", litt. shifting the inside weight on the windward side.
Ethymology: "stuff" in French is "matériel", in spoken french it often becomes "matos"(pron. matosss), matos de ski, matos d'escalade, etc. Moving the "matos de bateau" from one side to the other has been contrapted into the verb "matosser"