One of my pet peeves on R.E.D. was the covering of the interior dagger board well. I never did like the look and after three seasons of living aboard it was really ratty and dirty. As if we didn’t have enough projects, it had to come off. It would be an easy fix, I thought. Just pull off the old and recover, I thought. Cork would be a good look. It’s used for flooring. It’s durable. It’s inexpensive. You can find it at any building supply store. Should be easy to work with, I thought…
Perfect solution!
Removing carpet from dagger board well
This part felt really good, ripping off that crappy old piece of carpet. That point of no return.
Dirty ‘bally’ carpet all gone!
As much as I don’t like ‘saving things just in case’, this will be added to our winterizing gear for wrapping and protecting bits and pieces.
Fibre glass sanded and wiped smooth-ish
We removed the mirrored wall between the salon and head to make prepping the dagger board well and installing the new covering easier. Our cabin has never looked so bad but it had to be done.
Applying contact cement to cork
We took advantage of the slight rise in temperature (+15 ° C/+60 ° F) to apply the contact glue to the cork and dagger well. Not as easy as I thought it would be. The cork was stiff and fragile and there isn’t a whole lot of working space is there?
Cork applied and rolled
In spite of obvious limitations we persevered, working together without killing each other, making sure Captain stayed well hydrated during the process.
Press.
Roll.
Sip.
Repeat.
The easiest part was applying the urethane.
Four Coats Urethane
Now the cabin in back to normal, almost and in spite of a few misgivings in the beginning, we are really happy with the new look.
- cork sub-flooring
- sandpaper blocks
- contact cement
- roller
- paint brush
- urethane
- lots of patience
- and beer, don’t forget the beer!
Sweet! Would love to see your boat in person one day. All your mods are so well done.
Welcome aboard anytime Hugh and thanks for the complement.
Looks great! What a great solution. Ours too is dotted with dirt. I keep cleaning and vacuming it. Our carpet on the outside walls has huge streaks of yellow. I am told it was an over use of glue installing the carpet walls. Nothing we can do about it. I hang burgees over it. Works for now. I like your new dingy too. Does it store flat under the hatch in the stern?
Thanks Christy. I’ve been using carpet cleaner for spots on the walls but your idea of burgees is really smart. Dinghy storage is still TBD but am hoping we can store it there when deflated. Would have preferred to have smaller one like yours but our friend offered too good a deal to pass on. This year will likely tow it once passed 2 locks (can’t tow in locks) as we’ll be on the seaway and Gulf of St-Lawrence for the rest of the time. First time having a dinghy so it will be a new learning experience to check off our ever-growing list of new stuff to figure out.
Gorgeouse!
Thanks Kathy. May not have started it if we had know now much work it was trying to place the cork but glad it’s over.
Awesome idea! Looks great too!
Thanks Doug and Angie.