From a sailboat renovation perspective every angle on a sailboat isn’t square, except maybe where you make the inside edges. This leads to a much more time consuming cut/fit process than a house or building renovation with a lot of square corners.
The outside edge of the hull is curved from the deck to the cabin sole and bow to stern.
I took my cabin layout ideas from a similar sized Beneteau 35. I liked some of the ideas, mainly the captain table and electronic area as well as the settee shape. I scanned a photo and overlaid it on my hull interior and then moved some lines around until I got them to fit in a way that seems to make sense to me.
I learned a good technique but it takes multiple cuts to get those angles to line up nicely. By running my hand down the shape of the wall with my pencil in my hand, I am able to recreate / transfer the shape of the board. Instead of worrying about getting the line exactly where I want it on the board, I just start by lopping off the corner. Cut. Bring the cut board to the hull edge, and then run my hand / pencil again down board. Cut. Repeat.
With each cut the board slowly gets trimmed nicely and makes a good fit where I don’t have that much of a gap between the board edge and the hull shape.
Once the bulkhead or framing piece was finally ‘shaped’ properly, I tucked it in again using West Systems 105/205 Epoxy and using some silica powder to make a peanut butter like paste. Using a jumbo popsicle stick, I was able to transfer a decent curve to make the ensuing fiberglass take and hold the shape properly.
Then, covered with 17 oz bi-axial mesh/stitched cloth cut in 6″ widths to make the seam.
Last as I put finishing panels on top and again use that 17 oz cloth to skin it with, by overlapping the 6″ strips the final result is a hardened edge of 17 oz fiberglass + 3/16 ply + 17 oz fiberglass + 5/8 ply epoxied bulkhead + 17 oz fiberglass + 3/16 ply + 17 oz fiberglass as the layer composition of each bulkhead.
They are very strong, and there is no exposed wood anywhere.
Last in the future some Interlux Pre-Kote and Brightside paint over Poly-Fair F26 Fairing. I think that is a long future in the making.
Initial stages of the cabin makeover includes aligning the new quarter berth wall framing, a new closet and captain’s table, and the start of the new settee. Near the end, a glance at the openness of the space with the forward bulkhead removed!
Stages:
Framing
Foam Board Insulation
3/8 Plywood Skin Fiberglass skin
All fiberglassed in with West System 105 and 205 Epoxy
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