Brightening up the cabin of a CD 25

[Eric]

Hi all,

One of the things that has bothered me about Allia over the years is the cave-like darkness of the cabin.

To help solve this problem, I've considered painting the wood veneer stuff on the bulkhead. I'd probably paint it white. I would leave the wood trim, likely sanding it down and varnishing.

Has anyone done this? Have photos? Thoughts? Warnings?

Cheers

Eric



woodbe67@yahoo.com

[Joe Sankey]

Eric, it is with some reluctance that I respond. Yes, I've done it, on our previous CD, a 28. I've owned 4 CDs, and all had some degree of this same problem. Additionally, I must admit that had I been able anytime in the last 15 years I would have purchased a Morris, and it in turn would have been fitted out with a so-called "Herreshoff" interior; white with wood trim.
Ours was teak veneer, but I think the same process will work on your boat. I used Interlux Brightside, including the primer for it. I also used Interlux Clipper Clear (Now 95, I think) which is a compatible one part polyurethane. We used Hattaras Off White 1990 as it seems the best match to the laminate in the galley of the 28 we had. My plan is to do something similar in our 30.
I think you'll be pleased but to do it right is extremely tedious and time consuming. I may have some photos but don't know how much help they will be for reference.
Hopefully, I won't be banned from the board by the purists.Good luck.
Joe Sankey
Slow Dance CD 30 # 311

Hi all,

One of the things that has bothered me about Allia over the years is the cave-like darkness of the cabin.

To help solve this problem, I've considered painting the wood veneer stuff on the bulkhead. I'd probably paint it white. I would leave the wood trim, likely sanding it down and varnishing.

Has anyone done this? Have photos? Thoughts? Warnings?

Cheers

Eric

sankey@gulftel.com

[Neil Gordon]

Except that the wood in the cabin is all part of the classic feel of the boat.

I'd leave the wood and lighten up the interior with accessories... LIQUIDITY has book racks port and stbd on the bulkhead; the books break up the look of the wood. Also a brass clock and barometer, ship's bell, etc., all are on the bulkhead. Add some light throw pillows, etc., etc. But don't paint the wood veneer.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



cdory28@aol.com

[Eric]

I don't see how adding things to the bulkhead makes the space brighter.

Also, I don't think fake-looking wood helps make the boat look classic. To my eyes anyway. It makes the bulkhead look like a suburban rec room circa 1973:)

Except that the wood in the cabin is all part of the classic feel of the boat.

I'd leave the wood and lighten up the interior with accessories... LIQUIDITY has book racks port and stbd on the bulkhead; the books break up the look of the wood. Also a brass clock and barometer, ship's bell, etc., all are on the bulkhead. Add some light throw pillows, etc., etc. But don't paint the wood veneer.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167

[Mark Yashinsky]

What about a whitewash or milk paint idea to brighten but let the wood grain come thru??? Bleaching??? Look at furniture finishing or home interior finish books for ideas.

[D. Stump, Hanalei]

Eric,

Take a look at Sovereigns' web site at www.sailorjon.net and you will see a very nice CD-25. Does yours look like this? If so, how is it a dark cavern? It looks bright and airy to me. You can also find this info from "the about CDs" block at the top of the main site page.

I guess what I am asking, is, what is the problem? A CD-25 interior is at least as bright as a CD-30, and probably more so, as the CD-30 has MORE wood inside! I definately would NOT paint any interior wood work, particularly if you ever want to sell her to someone that knows what a CD-25 is supposed to look like. FWIW......

Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei CD-30C
CDSOA #1

[Clay Stalker]

Hi all,

One of the things that has bothered me about Allia over the years is the cave-like darkness of the cabin.

To help solve this problem, I've considered painting the wood veneer stuff on the bulkhead. I'd probably paint it white. I would leave the wood trim, likely sanding it down and varnishing.

Has anyone done this? Have photos? Thoughts? Warnings?

Cheers

Eric

Hi folks!

Here comes my 2 cents (I love this board!). I am a great fan of the Herroshof ? interior like on Morris boats...white panels with gloss varnished trim. But on a Cape Dory, a satin-varnished interior looks really nice. I used Epifanes rubbed-satin interior varnish and the look is bright but not glossy. Really dresses up the interior, but loads of work. I'm just not sure how the white would look on the rough teak finish...if Joe Sankey has some photos I would love to see them. I also used gloss varnish on the teak and holly sole and this also looks nice. There seems to be enough white in my 27 to break up the darkness...white overhead and between the ports as well as the counters. Just personal taste, I guess. But one things for sure...once you paint the teak, going back to natural will be a major endeavor, so make sure you want to do this! Happy Holidays folks!

Clay Stalker
CD 27 Salsa #247
Bristol Harbor, Rhode Island



cstalker@cheshire.net

[Eric]

I know Sailor John quite well. We keep out boats close together and have even taken some short cruises together. The boats are virtually identical. And those photos are deceptive. His is dark, too. The dark blue cushions make Allia a bit darker.

The CD 30 is much brighter, I think -- more room, more portholes. Part of the "problem", as I see it anyway, is the small cabin of the 25 makes it feel cramped to begin with. And the veneer is very dark. Plus it looks like veneer. Or worse: Formica.

Maybe I'll try varnishing and see if that helps. Trouble is I can't imagine that much sanding can be done to that thin veneer without destroying it.

As was mentioned earlier many classic (can a 1978 boat be a classic?) boats have painted bulkheads with fine wood trim – Hinckley, Crocker, Morris and many Herishoffs come to mind.

My feeling is that a nice teak or light-colored wood bulkhead would be great. But the veneer is borderline cheesy to my eye. I think there is a chance to improve the look of it.

As for what a Cape Dory is "supposed to look like", there have been many changes to Allia and other boats that have done nothing but improve the appearance.

I got rid of the Red White and Blue bootstripe/topside/bottom motif and I think she looks much better. Does that hurt my resale value? I wouldn’t think so.

I painted the decks gray (they were blue). Did that hurt my chances of a sale?

I’m planning on replacing the plastic locker hatches below the berths with nice wooden ones. Will that offend purists?

There are new bronze sea cocks. Does that destroy the integrity of the boat?

Somebody added a holding tank.

I am replacing the water tank.

New sail covers.

If it looks better/improves functionality, changes will increase the value. Right?

The question is will it look better? I'm not sure

Eric,

Take a look at Sovereigns' web site at www.sailorjon.net and you will see a very nice CD-25. Does yours look like this? If so, how is it a dark cavern? It looks bright and airy to me. You can also find this info from "the about CDs" block at the top of the main site page.

I guess what I am asking, is, what is the problem? A CD-25 interior is at least as bright as a CD-30, and probably more so, as the CD-30 has MORE wood inside! I definately would NOT paint any interior wood work, particularly if you ever want to sell her to someone that knows what a CD-25 is supposed to look like. FWIW......

Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei CD-30C
CDSOA #1

[D. Stump, Hanalei]

Eric,

Points well taken, but before you go to all the trouble trying to varnish, why not clean it? We use "Cabinet Magic" on the interior wood of Hanalei each year before launch and it looks fine. Yeh, she does have more portlights, but not THAT many. I think most of the wood on the inside of the CD-30 is solid, except for the "fake" teak and holy sole! But, then again, I have never tried to sand any of it.

The ceiling in the main salon and 'V" berth are ash I believe, and that does lighten up the wood work a bit. Can you post any pictures? Fair Winds...

Dave Stump

[Mark Yashinsky]

Another 1 cent. Is the bulkhead veneer, a "recent" addition??? Check around any expose edges or pop some trim off to see if another layer is beneath. What about adding a layer of light color wood veneer??? Painting it white, can make this look more like fiberglass, than anything else. Many here, like the fiberglass/wood combination that give the boats character and dont want any of them to become like the modern, plastic boats. And lighten the cushions, while you are at it.

[Eric]

Allia is a '78 edition. Hull # 602, so she was somewhere in the middle of the production. It is definitely veneer.

I'll try to get a better look at the veneer. Maybe I can sand and varnish. That would be a lighter look, for sure.

I don't have interior photos, by the way.


Eric

Another 1 cent. Is the bulkhead veneer, a "recent" addition??? Check around any expose edges or pop some trim off to see if another layer is beneath. What about adding a layer of light color wood veneer??? Painting it white, can make this look more like fiberglass, than anything else. Many here, like the fiberglass/wood combination that give the boats character and dont want any of them to become like the modern, plastic boats. And lighten the cushions, while you are at it.

[Bill]

Hello to All

Well I had the same problem on my Catalina 27. AND the bulkheads were truly cheap and showing their age. Since I had some rot from the chain plates, I replaced four bulkheads that seperate the main salon form the v-berth. I was trying to decide what to do with the bare wood, when I found a really nice looking nautical theme moisture "retardent" wall covering. So I said what the heck, and put it on as I installed the new bulkheads. It looked really nice and was set off by the darker teak trim pieces.

Now all that said, would I do that to my CD?????? Most probably NOT EVEN. BUT it did make a big differance in the appearance of the cabin. And the boat sold in one week for a good price, so I dont think it hurt the value (and I know it was a Catalina).

FWIW....

Happy Holidays to all

Bill

Hi all,

One of the things that has bothered me about Allia over the years is the cave-like darkness of the cabin.

To help solve this problem, I've considered painting the wood veneer stuff on the bulkhead. I'd probably paint it white. I would leave the wood trim, likely sanding it down and varnishing.

Has anyone done this? Have photos? Thoughts? Warnings?

Cheers

Eric

cd25d@rhapsodysails.com

[Will W]

Hey Eric
I had been unhappy with the looks of the interior of my CD25 #249 as well. The two things that I see in other 25s interiors that I like That seem to brighten up things are painting the headliner and something about the faded and thus cheesy looking wood panels.
I don't know if the people who have cd25s with white headliners painted them, but I'm guessing they did since mine is still the original pale blue (yuck). I was putting off the interior till next year. When I get to it I will want to pull most of the interior wood to do the job of painting the headliner right. I was considering replacing the veneer panels with some other solid wood paneling. A person I met through this site has a Bristol 27 and the interior is a lot of mahogany paneling. It looks good. Until then I will continue my research into possibly making what I have look new again. I don't think painting is for me even though I did consider it.
If your headliner is already white and you are just unhappy with the wood, then I will be waiting to see how things turn out for you. Good luck and Happy Holidays

Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25

Hi all,

One of the things that has bothered me about Allia over the years is the cave-like darkness of the cabin.

To help solve this problem, I've considered painting the wood veneer stuff on the bulkhead. I'd probably paint it white. I would leave the wood trim, likely sanding it down and varnishing.

Has anyone done this? Have photos? Thoughts? Warnings?

Cheers

Eric

willwheatley@starpower.net

[Chris Schnell]

Eric....another FWIW piece of input. I owned a CD25 which I recently sold and bought a CD30. In my opinion, there are several relatively simple things you can do to "brighten up" your classic without changing the classic look. 1st & foremost, get rid of all dark cushions! Replace them with very light colored or even bright colored material. Some accessories like brass porthole mirror, baromoter or tide clock, etc., will also help. Consider repainting all the white interior components with a very bright white that will reflect the light throughout the cabin. I cleaned (and lightened) my veneer and with several coats of high gloss varnish it lightened things up some via light reflection. Finally, consider a modification to your forward hatch to replace with a more see-thru material that will bring more light into the v-berth and thus give the impression of more depth and openness. I agree with many here that say don't paint your wood (even if it is a veneer)because a CD buyer will be looking for that classic look (and won't care that much about the cushions)....and besides, teak is too pretty a wood to cover and too much a part of the CD tradition! Good Luck

Full Sails & Calm Seas

Chris Schnell
s/v MADNESS III, CD30 #235
Southport, NC



swabbie@compaq.net

[Buddy Sharpton]

Eric, it is with some reluctance that I respond. Yes, I've done it, on our previous CD, a 28. I've owned 4 CDs, and all had some degree of this same problem. Additionally, I must admit that had I been able anytime in the last 15 years I would have purchased a Morris, and it in turn would have been fitted out with a so-called "Herreshoff" interior; white with wood trim.
Ours was teak veneer, but I think the same process will work on your boat. I used Interlux Brightside, including the primer for it. I also used Interlux Clipper Clear (Now 95, I think) which is a compatible one part polyurethane. We used Hattaras Off White 1990 as it seems the best match to the laminate in the galley of the 28 we had. My plan is to do something similar in our 30.
I think you'll be pleased but to do it right is extremely tedious and time consuming. I may have some photos but don't know how much help they will be for reference.
Hopefully, I won't be banned from the board by the purists.Good luck.
Joe Sankey
Slow Dance CD 30 # 311

Hi all,

If you're hestitant about the look, why not use white paper and tape to mock up the look and see if you like the difference. If it looks like a go ahead, but you even think you might want to come back then:
clean, sand and varnish the interior panels to get a smooth surface with all the grain pores filled in with poly urethane varnish, not white primer.Sand off the gloss only and go back with rolled and tipped matte one part marine enamel. If you want to go back, then you'll find you can strip off the paint without removing the varnish underneath hardly at at. Then a quick two coats of varnish brings it back. Substantial work and a lot of fumes in a small boat so be sure to force air ventilation in the cabin and use a $40.00 painting mask with carbon filters. Good Luck

One of the things that has bothered me about Allia over the years is the cave-like darkness of the cabin.

advadv@mindspring.com