• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

interior cabin wood panels

Lawdog

Member III
I am considering replacing the wood panels attached to the sides of the cabin housing which surround the ports, as they are pretty rotted in places, but it appears they are fiberglassed to the hull. Has anyone done this before? thanks
Neal E38
 

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
I have some water damage on my E38 above the fixed ports due to leaks from the seahood attaching screws. Why they didn't make this area thick and have the holes blind I'll never know..... The rot/delamination is fairly minor in my case and well hidden by the window blinds however its on the list of to-do's. My plan was to repair when/if I remove/replace the portlights. At that point I would dig and cut out as much of the damaged wood as possible and then build it back up with thickened epoxy, then sand smooth. Then install a thin wood veneer over the old plywood. Someone here used a veneer with heat activated glue pre-applied to the backside. Essentially, cut the veneer to shape, hold in place and then iron on. Cut out portlights, reinstall and finish trim. RT
 

bayhoss

Member III
I just finished doing the woodwork in the head compartment. If you like I'll take some photos and post description.
Best,
Frank
 

Sven

Seglare
I am considering replacing the wood panels attached to the sides of the cabin housing which surround the ports, as they are pretty rotted in places, but it appears they are fiberglassed to the hull. Has anyone done this before?

There is some damage around the portholes on Senta II. I was not even going to try to remove the old wood as it is only discolored and slightly delaminated in some places rather than rotted out. When we put in the NFM portholes I plan to put on a new layer of veneer over the old, using penetrating epoxy to make sure the substrate is solid before covering it.



-Sven
 

Lawdog

Member III
I would like to see the final photos, and before if you have them. From reading the posts, it is clear that the side panels have to be chiseled off the gel coat....unfortunately, unlike my older 29 that had side panels screwed on. Oh what fun. I will probably make cardboard templates first, then begin ripping.
 

Sven

Seglare
I will probably make cardboard templates first, then begin ripping.

I was going to bring this topic up in another thread, probably in another forum and I still will, but a quick post here first.

When we had the large "window" in the cockpit professionally replaced a professional shipwright also did the interior teak work. A brief description at http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f55/fiberglass-to-fill-big-window-openings-40900.html#post453516

When we got down to the boat on the weekend I found short strips of thin 1" wide plastic material and a glue gun. I couldn't figure out what they were for and I still may not have, but they gave me the idea for how I'll create the templates even if I'm wrong :egrin:

I'll get similar thin plastic strips/battens and very lightly glue them inside the frame where the new veneer is going using booger-glue or maybe a glue gun. I'll use permanent glue to overlap the joints in the strips and do any shaping needed to make sure that they fit snugly against any trim. Once the outline is completely traced by the strips I'll pull it off and I'll use that as the template for pre-cutting the veneer, maybe leaving 1/16" or 1/32" to be sanded off when putting it in place. In addition to giving me a good template, that process should let me create a template with the old portholes in place so I can take the template home for the veneer cutting without having to first remove the porthole.

I can't wait to see if it will work :confused: On reflection I think that might be how Lew figured out the complex cuts needed for the ceiling liner. He left me a "frame" that would show me where to put screws in the ceiling liner in the head for a shower curtain but maybe that was also the template for the ceiling panel as well ?



-Sven
 

bayhoss

Member III
Pictures as promised

As you can see from the first picture the existing wood was in pretty poor shape. It just crumbled to small pieces when I tried to remove it. As posted by Loren, there are some pretty good articles on veneer replacement. One thing that was a serious help was to make a vertical line and horizontal line at the window opening. This gave a starting point for the templates. The first was cardboard. The second was launan (check spelling). I cut the templates in half and worked either end to the center. Hope that makes sense.

Best,
Frank
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0090.jpg
    IMG_0090.jpg
    80.9 KB · Views: 121
  • IMG_0089.jpg
    IMG_0089.jpg
    74.5 KB · Views: 113

bayhoss

Member III
Lets try that again!

Here's the picture of the wood trim at the start. The section at the top left of the first picture is where I forgot to tuck the liner in when I installed the wood trim. Re - did that!!!
Best,
Frank
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0085.jpg
    IMG_0085.jpg
    103.7 KB · Views: 716
Last edited:

CSMcKillip

Moderator
Moderator
Frank, can you give a breakdown of the steps you took, I have to redo our head and cabin area.

What type of veneer?

What type of glue?

Any template information

cutting of port lights

did you remove the ports?

Time frame?

Thanks
 

bayhoss

Member III
Hi Chris, It's going to take some time, plan on it. Almost 5 hrs in getting the old wood out and preparing the surface for the new work. I used a Dremel and a hollow ground 1" wood chisel to get all the old glue and "still attached" pieces of wood off the interior fiberglass.

Get some spring clamps that are light (clothes pins will probably work) to keep the vinyl out of the way while you work.

First remove the top and bottom trim pieces. You will encounter metal staples - a lot of them. Get needle nose pliers and pull them one at a time so that as much of the fabric is saved as possible.

Then remove the aluminum trim at the port.

Now remove the wood trim at the sides so that it cannot be harmed when removing the veneer.

Put the trim away and pin back the vinyl.

Score the veneer that you wish to remove.

GENTLY seperate it from the fiberglass at the port opening and work to the scored ends.
As you seperate the veneer from the fiberglass you are now ready to cut it free.

As mentioned earlier make a horizontal and vertical line at the port (like a gun sight) work from those lines to the point where you cut the veneer. My first template was cardboard - then launan.

The finished wood was launan. I picked the lightest color piece that I could find and sanded it with 220 grit to remove the pink tint. Then rubbed in two coats of Minwax English Chestnut.

The glue used to hold was Liquid Nails.

Please feel free to contact me with additional questions.

Total time = about 20 - 25 hrs.

Its not so bad once you get everything prepared.

Best,
Frank
 
Last edited:

Nova

1983 30+, Kemah, TX
And wear gloves

I have removed all the teak veneer from Nova on the cabin sidewalls as it had suffered grevious water damage. The 1" wood chisel worked real well but unless you like busted knuckles gloves are a definite necessity. Have lots of patience especially on the staples. Most of mine were very rusty and just fell apart when touched. Tried to just cut them flush as there was nothing to grab.
 

Emerald

Moderator
Most of mine were very rusty and just fell apart when touched. Tried to just cut them flush as there was nothing to grab.

I've had pretty good luck using diagonal side cutters to pull the old staples, even nasty rusty ones. It takes a gentle touch, but the idea is to squeeze just hard enough to get a grip without cutting the staple, and then pull. I often find pliers don't get the grip and then the staple breaks up, but with the side cutters, you can get the grip and pull if you're gentle. Of course, if you need to cut them flush, you're holding the tool already....

BTW, this works to get stubborn cotter pins out as well. A gentle squeeze to nick and grab, and then roll the tool and out it will come.
 

mherrcat

Contributing Partner
Wood stain

I always wondered what stain would give a reasonable match to our teak when used on luaun veneer. That's the stuff, huh? I'm going to try it sometime.

I have been working on getting the right mix of stain to match the color of my interior teak. The original color on mine has a very golden, almost orange, hue. Don't know if that is actually the original color or what it has evolved to over time.

I am finishing a new panel for the v-berth and should have an answer later today.

BTW, I'm not sure luaun is the best product to use. I have been using Baltic Birch plywood and applying teak veneer. I bought some peel-and-stick teak veneer at Anderson Plywood in Los Angeles and it seems to work well. Not cheap though; a 2x8 piece was $60. I think you may also find it at Woodcraft in Ventura. Make sure you sand the plywood smooth before applying the veneer; once it is stuck it is stuck for good...
 

mherrcat

Contributing Partner
OK, I put the first coat of Captains Varnish on the new panel and it looks pretty good.

I used Behlens Solar-Lux Non-Grain Raising Stain and mixed Yellow Maple and American Walnut in a 3:2 ratio. (3 parts Yel. Map., 2 parts Am. Wal.)

I mixed the resulting stain with Behlens Solar-Lux Reducer in a 1:1 ratio. Solar-Lux is very intense at full strength so you really need to reduce it to lighten the hue. I probably should have used 3 parts reducer to 2 parts stain or even 2:1 as my panel came out maybe a hair dark. (I ended up wiping down the stained panel with reducer before varnishing to take a little of the stain off.) Better to start lighter and put two coats of stain on if needed.

If you brush it on don't leave it on very long. Wipe it off after only a few seconds, because it penetrates quickly. Again, better to start lighter and add another coat.

I have been using Solar-Lux for years and it is a really nice, transparent stain that can be mixed to any custom color. I mix very small batches and do test strips to make sure I'm getting the right color.

The Woodcraft store in Ventura carries Solar-Lux.

I tried Varathane "Chestnut" stain on a test strip and it was close but didn't seem to have enough of the yellow/orange in it. It was nice though, just lighter.
 
Top