interior opinions

[tburris]

Other than mahagany what would you suggest for interior bulheads and cabinets? I would like to keep the wood light in color to give a bigger feel in the cabin. Im building the Allegra 24.

Thanks
Ted

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Originally posted by tburris:
Im building the Allegra 24.

Thanks
TedI am SOOOOOOO jealous that is my ULTIMATE dream boat. Please tell us all about it post photos where are you at in the building. Oh and take a look at this http://homepage.mac.com/george_boggs/PhotoAlbum3.html from this thread http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/ultimatebb. php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=010017 (http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=010017) for interior bulheads and cabinets?

[ 08-18-2004, 08:11 PM: Message edited by: Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson ) ]

[mmd]

I've always been partial to Mr. Herreshoff's light cream painted vertical tongue-and-groove staving with varnished or oiled mahogany trim, but bleached ash looks pretty nice if you want to keep the woodgrain look.

[Jack Heinlen]

I've always been partial to Mr. Herreshoff's light cream painted vertical tongue-and-groove staving with varnished or oiled mahogany trim, Yes. Oiled cherry works nicely too, if it's possibly cheaper where you live. But definately a lot of light colored paint(light cream is difficult to top), and a few accents of darker wood.

[Bob Smalser]

Personally and frankly, I think today's trend of all brightwork in interiors is simply awful...

...way too dark and so much wood figure you can't "see" it.

I prefer offwhite paint on wall panels and oiled or varnished hardwood trim....with perhaps some bookmatched figure somewhere like on cabinet doors as a highlight.

The smaller/more poorly-lit the space, the whiter the paint.

[Spissgatter W-9]

A fabulous book showing interior finishes is "The Worlds Best Sailboats a survey" by Ferenc Mate. There are examples of cherry and ash interiors. Very nice.

Like Bob I'm partial to liberal use of white paint with dark woods finished bright as an accent. My boat is fairly narrow and with few portlights. (You can see from above thread) I intend to finish like the Cherubini found on pgs 74 &75. Interior paneled bulkheads will be white. Drawer faces, locker doors, trim and cabin sides will be of mahogany and will be finished bright. I think that the white will be easier to keep clean and reflect more light than if the western maple was varnished. I'll also admit that filler and paint can hide pretty big mistakes. I don't have the skill or patience to make every visible joint fit tight enough for a bright finish from one end of the interior to the other.

I like the western maple because it is fairly hard (resists scratches/dings) works well and is relatively cheap (I buy in Canada which is about 20 min from the shop. I used mahogany for the aft bulkheads because I wanted it to accent with the white cockpit and hull.

Those are my thoughts on the subject. I look forward to your progress pics and to hear why you made the choice you did.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

I agree with MMD, Ash makes a lovely boat interior. I'm sure white oak would be nice too, but it depends what you can come across. Weight can be a factor too. Wandering around good lumberyards looking at different stuff might lead to the lightbulb coming on. Sometimes the right wood in the right amount at the right price jumps out at you.

[Nicholas Carey]

Originally posted by Bob Smalser:
Personally and frankly, I think today's trend of all brightwork in interiors is simply awful...

...way too dark and so much wood figure you can't "see" it.If you want a brightwork interior and want to avoid the "teak cave" approach to boat interiors, consider light colored woods:

Alaskan Yellow Cedar is quite pleasant (easy to work too). It may have too much of a yellow cast for an entire interior, though (nobody looks good in yellow light). Smells good, too.

Clear pine is nice, too.

As is VG douglas fir.

And all of those woods look good with cherry trim.

But if you ask me, off-white painted wood is the best, offset by a [small amount of] bright wooden trim. Consider the issues in a boat interior: not much in the way of natural light and small, relatively low-intensity artificial light sources. You need all the reflectivity you can muster to enhance what light is available.

[tburris]

so what the general concensus is to go with some light plywood and paint it an off white and keep the trim a darker wood. thats is kinda of what I was going for. thanks for all of the replies. I will have pics when I get the keel and stem in place.

Ted

[landlocked sailor]

I really like the off-white paint trimmed with mahogany. I just finished restoring a Nimble 20 canoe yawl (FG OMG!!) and did just that. Rick http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/p2c1337c6f788b0f27b5a8b91936536ac/f76967a5.jpg http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/pf7d19c2dcb164999bfa5515a548ae00f/f769675a.jpg

[paladin]

I used russian ash veneer for the interior and cabinetry, white painted overhead. The ash was satin varnished and russian ash has a more pronounced grain than american ash. The cabin sole is teak and holly but all the interior trim is rosewood, which was cheaper than fir when and where I bought it...the light wood or paint with a slightly darker trim will make all the difference in the world. Also gets some polished stainless steel mirrors.....it is absolutely fantastic what they will do in a tight interior...

[Spissgatter W-9]

Nice job Rick! I hope mine turns out half as well.

[landlocked sailor]

Spissgater, your compliments are humbly accepted. Gluing pine to a plactic boat cannot, in any way, compare to the craftmanship that you are doing! Thanks for the inspiration! Rick