Teak Woodwork

[Chinook Breeze]

Hi there.....does anyone have experience with adding teak woodwork to the manufactured? I am thinking of taking out the floor carpet and putting in a teak floor. Also thinking of adding some other interior woodwork. Might warm up the white fibreglass. Any ideas?

[PorFin]

Chinook,

Welcome to SailNet!

I think you'll find more than a few folks who've tackled similar projects.

What make/model of boat are we talking about here?

DIY or hired out (all or in part)?

Any budgetary goals or constraints?

Do you prefer traditional (i.e., $$$ teak) or are you open to non-standard alternatives?

[CalebD]

Teak is going to cost you. It now sells around here for $20+/board foot (1 Bd. Ft = 1" x 12" x 12" approx).
You can also get 4' x 8' sheets of ply that are finished with Teak and Holly veneer that could be used on the floor. The veneer layer is not very thick though and can easily be worn or sanded through.
You should consider using Mahogany which is another hard wood traditionally used on boats that can look very nice.
They also sell Cork tiles and rolls that you could use to redo your floor (cabin sole).

I am assuming that you are talking about adding wood accents to the cabin and not for the exterior of the boat. Teak is superior to Mahogany for exterior uses as it holds up to the elements better.

[Chinook Breeze]

It is an '82 Catalina 25. I am good with doing it all myself. And, yes I would be open to some other wood if I had an idea it would give similar results. I have also found that teak plywood is not that expensive. 1/4 inch for about $65. I was thinking it would have to be a solid wood for the cabin sole. I was wondering about plywood for the ceiling. Could cut it into small board size. What would be the best way to fasten without loosing a lot of headroom?

[PorFin]

There are a couple of ways to do teak & holly soles: The most difficult (and expensive) option is to go with actual milled lumber; the less challenging (and less expensive) option is to go with a t&h veneer on plywood. As Caleb said, though, that veneer is pretty thin.

There are other options for the sole. Take a look at hardwood flooring at a home center. I'd stay away from the laminates, the pines, and the oaks, but bamboo and some of the exotics could be an option. Cumaru is a pretty close match to teak in almost every respect except cost -- it's way less expensive, and isn't a threatened species.

Now when you say ceilings, I assume you mean the overhead headliner. What do you currently have installed, and how is it attached to the cabin top? If you are going to be adding a lot of wood below, you'll probably to keep the overhead light (as in white) to keep your cabin from coming to resemble a cave. If you use plywood, you'll want to keep it thin to keep the weight down and to allow it to flex to match the curvature of your cabin top. You'll still need to finish the wood (paint or stain+poly). An easier option might be to get Formica in an acceptable color and simply cut panels to fit.

[jimgo]

The folks here are a fantastic resource, but for a 1980's era C25, also check out the Catalina Owners site (Catalina - Capri - 25s International Association). The folks there are great - I had a C25 up until this past October and learned a lot from them.

I was just looking into flooring for my "next" boat, and many of the manufacturers of flooring (unless you're going with solid wood) say not to use their floors in a marine environment. Your cabin will have high humidity levels, and be subject to significant temperature swings (in the NJ area, where I am, we see temps from about 100F down to about 10F, and most flooring is designed for temps in the 50's to the mid 80's, i.e. "room temperature"). The glues they use in the manufacturing processes just can't handle that much humidity and those temperature changes. The C25's interior isn't very big. Defender sells rolls of faux teak and holly sole. It's relatively expensive ($32/linear foot, 6' wide), but you won't have to worry about sunlight fading it, or water ruining it.

[jimgo]

As for installing a headliner, you might want to think twice about that. The C25 has limited headroom as it is, and the pop-top will make things even more confusing as you do the build. But, if you insist on putting something up there, consider long, industrial-strength velcro strips. They are fairly thin, and will allow you to easily take down (and put back up) the headliner in the event you need to find the source of a leak or do other repairs.

[JimMcGee]

Chinook, prices will vary depending on location but my experience will give you an idea. Last summer I priced out teak at $25/board ft and cherry at $4/bd ft. I went with cherry, which is now common in boat interiors, and it blends nicely with the existing teak in my interior (cabinets and made some additions in the galley). I like the look of cherry with teak over mahogany with teak but that's just personal preference. It's common to mix and match woods in boat interiors and furniture. Rolls of sheet veneer are also available from better lumber suppliers and from woodworking stores like Woodcraft.

If you're looking at covering up the fiberglass headliner you've gotten good advice. Avoid weight, keep it bright and make sure you maintain access to deck hardware. Take a look at Sailrite. They sell vinyl headliner material. Again this is common in many boats Sailrite.com | Home.

I too checked out laminates for our boat. Home center laminates are absolutely not suitable for a boat. Defender sells a product called Lonseal in sheets. This is the flooring used in new Catalinas. It looks like teak and holly, is maintenance free, chemical resistant and non-skid. But cutting and fitting it to a boat where there are no straight lines can be tricky - and you only get one shot. An alternative is Nu-Teak which is being used by folks like Ranger Tugs. All the same advantages as Lonseal but it comes in individual strips (like boards) that makes installation much easier.

[svHyLyte]

Considering the curvature in your sole, and the effort required to do a proper job, you might want to consider a teak and holly vinyl product such as Lonseal which can be easily patterned and installed.

FWIW...