Pearson Vanguard, #142
"Coqueta"
V-Berth Ceiling Strips
I feel as though I researched the different methods of installing decorative "ceiling stips" in the v-berth quite extensively. There is a potpourri of ideas on how to produce "studs" (battens) to which the ceiling strips can be screwed. I came across gluing /fiberglassing garden hose or split PVC pipe to the hull. The idea that popped up most was using wooden strips. This method was reinforced when it was detailed in Don Casey's book, This Old Boat. This is the method I chose to use.
I had some 3/4" oak left over from what I had used to build the engine beds. The boards were 12" long and 5 1/2" wide. Using Don Casey's idea, from these boards I ripped pieces 1/2" wide. This gave me battens that were 3/4"wide x1/2"thick x12"long. I turned my router upside down and used it like a router table (I recommend constructing a router table. I felt lucky when I got done.) to put a 1/4" round over on the two edges that would be away from the hull. I did this to help the mat conform when I put it over the battens. When I held these pieces against the hull it was evident that they were going to have to be bent to conform to the hull. I first scored the back of the strips in an effort to help them to bend. They were still too stiff to conform w/o some serious influence. I did not want to have to take the time and effort to clamp in braces to hold the battens tight against the hull while the epoxy kicked. I felt that there had to be an easier, more efficient way of getting the battens to conform to the hull. I ended up cutting the strips to 3-4" in length. The shorter pieces, when epoxied end on end conformed to the hull nicely. So that I wouldn't have to contend with a butt joint and the problems that could arise if a screw were to go into that joint, I scarf cut the pieces of batten at 45°.
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I got the hull prepped by grinding as much of the old paint away as was possible. This was actually done long before I considered installing ceiling strips.
I then marked each side with vertical lines to serve as guides on where to place the batten strips. I decided that I would put 5 strips of battens on each side of the v-berth. I marked a line 8cm (the ruler I was using had cm markings, no rhyme or reason to using cm) from the forward and aft bulkheads for two of the strips of battens. I then marked 3 more lines spaced evenly between those two lines. (The distance from the forward bulkhead to the aft bulkhead along the bottom of the shelf is several inches different than the same run along the horizontal surface of the v-berth.) I measured along the underside of the shelf to mark the top of each line and along the horizontal surface of the v-berth to mark the bottom of each line. This allowed the strips to run what is going to appear to be parallel to each other. This will allow for aesthetic placement of the screws when installing the ceiling strips.
I prepped the whole v-berth before we mixed any resin/cabosil. (My father was in town visiting so I taught him how to mix resin and he did all the mixing off of the boat while I put it together down below. I can't tell you how nice that was after having to do it myself. The boat has no companionway steps right now and I have to play gymnast going in and out of the boat.) I dry fit and placed piles of the batten pieces at each line. I cut strips of tape and made them ready to hold the pieces against the hull as the epoxy kicked. I also cut and placed 4" wide strips of fiberglass mat on the shelf above each line.
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Pop mixed the epoxy/cabosil to a thick peanut butter and I spread it out over the board you see in the picture. (spreading it thin on the board kept it cool to give me a longer working time) I generously buttered the back of each piece before I carefully placed it along the lines I had drawn. I took care to have the 45° cuts match from one piece to the next. The resin ended up being thick enough and the pieces light enough to eliminate the need for tape to hold them in place. As I pushed the pieces against the hull the epoxy mix would ooze out on each side. I used my index finger to remove the excess while producing a nice fillet on each side of every batten strip.
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As soon as I had finished placing all the batten strips Pop mixed up unthickened resin and I used it to lay the 4" strips of fiberglass mat over each batten strip. I used that board to wet out the mat real good before putting it over the battens. Wetting out the mat before putting it in place enables it to conform to the battens more easily.
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It is now the middle of October. I have finished painting (I used AwlGrip 545 primer. Using primer as paint, it is white, flat and looks nice, if/when I do decide to paint it is already primed. All I have to do is sand(ugh!) and paint.) last weekend. These pictures below are of the vee-berth as it looks having been primed.
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This page will be updated as soon as I get the mahogany in place. This, though, is not likely to take place in the near future. I have other potentially messy projects that I need to get done first.
Contact the owner. He loves to talk about his boat.
snail mail: Les Rogers e-mail: lrogers@steds.org phone: (772) 453-5331
Classic Refurbishing
646 15th Ave
Vero Beach, FL 32962
