wood & stuff

[aztec]

hello, this forum is getting tired so if no one's gonna post i am!

has any one had experience of stripping out/off the cabin, deckhead, and bridge of an old boat. then re-making all the bits and re building it?

what i'm after is peoples experiences and tales of woe to either:-

1) help me make decisions about the work needed.
2) identify any unforseen problems.
3) allow me to make up sufficient excuses for problems before they happen.
4) explain to my wife why i'm always "down that boat"

also most of you (hopefully) will have done such work and will know of the best materials, in terms of timber, ply, teak, glue, nail, varnish and paint to use....saving me hours of typing, to ask all individual questions separately.

in return, i propose to build alegences, freinds and knowledge base that we can all find usefull, are there any takers?

 

[Guest]

Hi Aztec, I reconstructed the mainly wooden interior of an elderly GRP boat. Learnt a few things and would be happy to pass that on. I'm sure there will be much more wisdom from this site than I can produce!

What sort of things do you plan to do? If you break the tasks down into individual problems then you'll probably get the best responses.

KCA

 

[Gordonmc]

Aztec,
I have just started rebuilding an interior, not so much to tart up, but make it more suitable for family cruising. You have no idea how much it helps to subdue the groans from 'er indoors when you disappear, if she knows she will get a new sink/bog/stove out of it!
General advice: Plan, with a capital P. Establish what you want to achieve ultimately. Then break it down to stages which can be achieved while still making the boat available for an occasional outing. On that tangent, I am working off a pontoon which not only makes access easier, but I can slip when the sun makes an infrequent appearance.
As part of the planning, take detailed measurements before you start, especially if you intend altering fixed items like berths/lockers. If you can, get one of those nifty infra-red measuring gizmos used by surveyors. From three or four datum points you can get really accurate trig. references to draw plans which will allow you to prefabricate in the warmth of the garage at home. (Make sure you will be able to get the bits down the companionway).
As to materials, I tend to get a bit phazed by marine-specialist stuff. I made a saloon table out of ... horrors... mahogany faced blockboard recycled from shelving. With edging, and a good varnish it looks quite at home with the rest of the saloon which is either solid mahogany or faced marine ply. The point is that the wood will never be exposed to UV or constant drenching. By the way, look a bit further than B&Q or the chandler for fixings etc. I found a good backstreet ironmonger who has a vast stock of solid brass fixings as well as specialist items like counter hinges... all at non-marine prices. Worth a trail through yellow pages.
For shelving and some facing I have used celika, recycling old advert boards. Its is white, easy to saw or cut with a stanley knife and plane (no grain), is UV and fungal resistant and wipe clean. Great stuff and will never need painting.
I have learned not to turn my nose up as materials which make life easier. No More Nails is great stuff for fixing hardwood strip, the grip means you can cut the number of pins needed.
My next job is to shift the stove across the cabin to make space for a U shape dinette/double berth. Any tips?

 

[Guest]

Adding to whats been said also give us a clue as to the sort of boat, big difference between 1900's gaffer and 1960's small cabin cruisers.

Two general points. first I find CAD programmes a godsend for planning, you don't need to do accurate drawing just get the floor plan and cabin shape and you can 'try' layaouts qyuickly and easily. Secondly look carefully at where the 'old' stops and the new starts. Getting this to work right is, in my opinion the hardest bit and I always try to get a simple line even if that means a bit more stripping back than stricktly nessassary.

Roly, Voya Con Dios, Glasson, Lancaster