DRESSING UP THE DAGGER BOARD WELL

DRESSING UP THE DAGGER BOARD WELL

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

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!

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 (sort of)

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

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

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.

DRESSING UP THE DAGGER BOARD WELL
Ingredients
  • cork sub-flooring
  • sandpaper blocks
  • contact cement
  • roller
  • paint brush
  • urethane
  • lots of patience
  • and beer, don’t forget the beer!
Instructions