Kind and gentle Weekenders, I am to the point of my restoration that I am starting to consider how I can make my Weekender a palace (a tiny palace, but a palace all the same.)
What have people done to dress up the interior? Just because it ain't spacious doesn't mean it can't be pretty. I am considering building short racks to put matteresses on - to hold the matteress out of a modest amount of water that might get on the floor.
Any other ideas?
Andrew
In my PC I installed 2 12" high bunks, each with a 2 section lift up top that acts like dry storage. They are wide enough to handle a Coleman air mattress. The reason for the 12" height is I can't get up if my b*** is lower than 12" from the deck.
One person made a folding bunk, another made a bunk that slid in and out by using alternating slats. Some have made sliding drawers under the bunks. In my opinion the best set up for a Weekender would be a foulding bunk or a bi-folding bunk about 6" off the deck, that way you would have a little more head room.
That folding bunk sounds like a good idea. Has anyone 'dressed up' their interior? I am thinking of picking up some sea-themed paintings at garage sales and more or less wallpapering inside the cabin.
I would draw sea battles, but I have no artistic talent.
Andrew
Ahoy Andrew,
I'm unsure exactly how much interior room a Weekender may have, but there is a lot you can do even in a confined space.
Angie Wilson has a nice interior to her boat. The look is cozy and welcoming.
You may want to consider ceiling boards along the hull interior. These can hide electrical wires and add a nice nautical touch. Here is a link from
Gaff Rigâ
http://byyb.org/gaffrig/ond05/article%20...anders.htm
I might also suggest that if you make a raised berth, even if you are only 6 to 8 inches off the sole, you will have much more room available. It's all in the angle of the hull, isn't it?
Another feature you may want to consider is that of a raised cabin. Angie Wilson did this on her boat, and the interior looks quite spacious, especially when the cabin roof is elevated.
Good luck on your boatbuilding. One other point, for a good cockpit design, take a look at
John Teetsel's boat. He made just a few changes but ended up with much more room.
Thanks for the kind words Jim. Here is a shot of the cushions etc. in the interior of my weekender Fat Chance. It is very comfortable with 6" foam and matching pillows etc. The cushions were a gift at my launch from a dear dear friend, a wonderful gesture. The two rope fenders were a gift from another pal, another wonderful gesture. I have some very dear friends, I am very blessed.
However, I also admit that is how the boat got her name..... I mentioned I was going to build a boat over a nice LONG happy hour and that is where the name came from, I suppose they had their doubts.....
http://groups.msn.com/SandbarsandDriftwo...hotoID=221
However, to be honest.... I rarely take the cushions with me, I suppose I am "saving" them (for what I am not sure). I generally go very light and don't even use the cockpit cushions. In fact, the boat is in the water now.... I sailed her hard all weekend and the cushions are in the garage.
hock:
Anyway...........
I had cusions made for my Newport 16 - 3 inch thick, closed cell foam, covered with exterior lawn furniture fabric. They are great, but I never used them except when camping.
I like the idea of lining the inside with a headerboard. I can use some nice 1/8 ply or doorskin and get a good, homey, woodsey look. Plus, I can run some lighting wires and such.
And I really, really like that pop-top. Is it the whole roof or just the section with the hatch? Did you do any reinforcing of the cabin walls?
Andrew
Andrew, the pop top lifts about 2/3 of the cabin top. Like the cushions, I often take the top off and leave it in the garage too. I sail alone most of the time and I like being able to walk forward to the mast without having to get up on the foredeck. Less really is more. However, it is nice when it is dreadfully hot simply to have a spot to get out of the sun.
You can have a look at the whole building process over on Terry's site. I am not computer savy enough to post photos here, I use on old beater Mac with an old operating system. :wink:
Here are a couple of links to Terry's site.
Here is an aft shot that shows you how I beefed up the cabin sides, the hatch lip fits over the top of the cabin sides.
http://groups.msn.com/SandbarsandDriftwo...hotoID=110
Here is a side photo so you can see how much of the top raises, etc. Then as you can see, I simply unscrew the wing nuts and the dowels slip sideways and I can remove the top completely.
http://groups.msn.com/SandbarsandDriftwo...hotoID=112
The design is based on the Catalina 22 pop-top. It is very simple, I built this boat with a hatchet and a rock. I am surprised more folks have not used it. It gives you the best of both worlds, open weekender, cabin or something in between.
I love your pop-top Angie.
I have been planning on making the roof of my cabin removable but now that I am at that stage, there is a bit more to it than I thought.
Mainly, how do I make the removable roof conform to the same shape as the cabin walls. I'm not sure if just those two rafters will do it.
So now I am looking much more closely at your option and it seems it would be much easier to just make the aft 2/3 of the cabin roof removable.
My only question is, how did you deal with the seam in the middle of the roof to keep the water out? Is it simply weather stripping and an overlapping piece??
Thanks in advance,
Steven Goodman
(I think I've settled on the name ISLA. Gaelic for island, sort of)
Steve, yes the pop top just overlaps the stationary roof. I have never had trouble with water coming in as the pop top roof has a nice slope to it.
Here is a shot of the pop top in the closed position so you can get an idea.
http://groups.msn.com/SandbarsandDriftwo...hotoID=165