New Cabin Sole

[Tony B]

Here is my new cabin sole on my 1986 Mainship 36 DC

[GeoPowers]

Nice!

[Beersmith]

looks good, is that Teak/holly ply or is it something like Lonseal?

[bobconnie]

One real nice job Tony!! Sure see why ya changed it over LOL I don't think I ever saw the before pic before !! But the new deck is fine !!

[Roy M]

Lovely! Now, can someone remind me why yacht floors are built like skating rinks? Seriously, though, heavily varnished wood, coupled with a few drops of water, and add a bit of rolling ocean, what happens? Mine are nonskid painted. At sea I roll up the "throw rugs" so I don't slip from one side to the other under way.

[Tony B]

Originally Posted by Beersmith

looks good, is that Teak/holly ply or is it something like Lonseal?

I considered Lonseal but finally decided on T&H Plywood.

[skipmac]

Very nice. New sole is on my list. Mind saying where you got the plywood and what it cost?

What I have found researching is 1/4" ply with a very thin veneer of T&H. Looked great but I'm thinking you would have to take good care of it to keep from breaking through the veneer (which is what happened to the current cabin sole and why I'm looking at replacement).

[Tony B]

SKIPMAC

I used 1/4" T&H Ply from Houston Hardwoods. It was $122/4x8 Sheet. I glued it to 3/4" Furniture grade plywood and the whole thing was sealed.

The face veneer on 1/4" ply is the same as on 3/4" ply. The veneer face don't change. It should be able to take a good amount of neglect before the veneer is damaged. I have been on many boats where the old floor finish was gone and the T&H was still holding up. It wont hold up forever, so if properly maintained it should last a long time. Normally when walking, you are walking on the finish and not directly on the veneer so just keep a good finish on it.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Tony B

SKIPMAC

I used 1/4" T&H Ply from Houston Hardwoods. It was $122/4x8 Sheet. I glued it to 3/4" Furniture grade plywood and the whole thing was sealed.

The face veneer on 1/4" ply is the same as on 3/4" ply. The veneer face don't change. It should be able to take a good amount of neglect before the veneer is damaged. I have been on many boats where the old floor finish was gone and the T&H was still holding up. It wont hold up forever, so if properly maintained it should last a long time. Normally when walking, you are walking on the finish and not directly on the veneer so just keep a good finish on it.

Thanks Tony,

I think the problem with the old veneer on my boat is that it got more than a good amount of neglect. Almost 30 years old and doesn't look like it was ever refinished or even an extra coat added. Lots of places where the finish has worn completely through, the veneer damaged and stained and lot of spots where the veneer has pealed off the 1/4" ply.

Figure if I replace it all, seal it well and take just a little care of it then a new floor should last as long as I will.

[DiverChick71]

Found this thread while looking for sole costs. That seems like a totally reasonable price to me! Especially in my aft cockpit boat. There aren't tons of angles which will make it a bit less waste. Those pics are gorgeous!

[DaBod]

We needed (still do) a new cabin sole and here are some shots of a faux teak & holly I've been working on. It's still a work in progress and it may be a while until I have the time to finish it out and install it, but I think I am in the ballpark of $60 all in. It's simply a piece of decent grade plywood grooved with a dado blade with strips of white wood laid in. Some stain, some wood glue to hold the white wood in, and 7 or so coats of spar urethane. This piece is just for the main saloon and I need to make the cut out for bilge access, then make another piece for the head and figure out the best way to finish it...probably just some stained quarter round.

It's not perfect, and might not last as long as the real deal, but for less than a hundred bucks I'll happily just do it again when necessary.

[DiverChick71]

That is looking awesome!! I love that your dog is checking your work. :-). What's a Dabo blade? Nvm I'll google it or probably Diverdude knows what it is. He's "woodsy" like that. Looks really good.

[DiverChick71]

Did you have to cut the strips of white wood?

[DaBod]

Thank you! I think we'll be happy with it. I didn't even notice the dog in that picture until you mentioned her! That'd be Luna, our female Weimaraner. She's just as crazy as her eyes look in that photo. I didn't name her, but as far as I am concerned Luna=short for lunatic.

A dado blade is just a type of blade for a circular or table saw that allows you to cut grooves at a fixed width and depth. A router would work too, but would be much more painstaking.

And yep, the white wood was cut into small strips using a table saw. Just set it to cut at the same width as the dado. Make sure to smooth and level out the inside of the grooves with a small chisel and the strips should pop right in.

[SV Bonzi]

It looks great, thanks for sharing the process and cost associated with the project. It is inspiration for when I tackle mine.