Removing the Interior?

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by robwilk37

everyone here is making valid points. heres my .02....

im 2 1/2 years into a complete gut and rebuild project and ive got a couple of years to go. something you really need to ask yourself is do you genuinely like doing this kind of work? do you like the endless hours of grinding, sweating in tyvek, breathing through a full face mask for hours at a time? in unnatural positions with lousy light in all kinds of weather? yeah, me too, so I say jump in. there are worse addictions to have...

youll make mistakes, youll bleed, youll be overwhelmed and exhausted. it will take a ridiculous amount of time, you will not make money on it when its done. since you are a relative noob, you will often be overcome by 'analysis paralysis', a condition brought on by the fear of screwing-up or doing re-work. for every job there is a youtube video and countless threads on this and other forums. breathe.

also, its really nice to have the boat in your back yard so you can do something on it every day. in my opinion, having to commute to the boat yard is a deal breaker.

and take pictures or it didn't really happen...

+1
"THIS"... Is what it's like...

[Cheechako]

Will your love of the "new interior design", all the work and money spent and 2-4 years lost sailing really be worth it...? I mean how bad can the original design be????????????????
Sail the boat you buy, for a year or two then decide if it's really worth it.

[Suijin]

Do NOT take your interior apart unless you absolutely, positively have to. My boat is famous for being one that you can take apart, piece by piece, and put back together, and even on it putting things back together takes exponentially more more time than taking it apart, getting parts and screw holes to line up and be as perfect as the original install.

You'll get good at fishing wires and plumbing. It's infinitely easier than taking everything out just for better access. If the cabinetry needs refinishing and repair, do it in place if you can. Otherwise the boat will become a blackhole for time, money, and sweat and you'll never see the water.

[Canibul]

I started chasing a fresh water leak behind the vinyl......ten months ago. All the vinyl and foam is now gone. I've ripped up some of the flooring. It's one thing to just remove screws, take a piece of wood out, fix, clean, repaint and replace it with the same screws etc. But it's a whole nuther kettle of wax of a different color of fishy horses to buy good clear mahogany or teak stock and start cutting new pieces of wood to replace the ones you split, or just threw out because they stunk.

Imagine cutting every single angle with the same kind of precision you'd use hand cutting dovetail joints. It does give you a sense of accomplishment when you get it right, but you're going to go through a lot of time, materials, and frustration before you get it right. Your sandpaper bills alone would pay marina fees in a lot of places.

I'll tell ya something else, too. In my case, it's NEVER right. Even if I did it, I know there's a scratch on the other side. Or that the hole didn't line up perfectly and I had to drill it out oversize which meant I had to go up a size on the screw which meant I had to countersink it deeper, and etc etc

I'm going to agree with the other inadvertent rebuilders on here, unless you really LOVE to be anal and spend months getting a piece of trim just right.....go buy a boat you can stomach and just sail the hell out of it for a year or two. The best way to fix one up is to move on board, anyhow. Stuff gets done, then.

[SkiprJohn]

After working on boats for more than 35 years I'd never buy a boat that needed extensive repair and gutting again. But, then again, I'm nearly 70.

The best advice I can give you is to buy a boat that doesn't need everything done at once and is in sailing condition. Then, after you determine what does need fixing just fix those things one at a time and continue sailing.

A sailboat project that needs gutting is a boatbuilding project and not a sailing project. You need to determine whether you want to be a boatbuilder or a sailing boat owner. They are two very different types of people. One is all dusty and gritty all the time and the other might be that a few hours a week but is happily sailing on the weekends with friends and family.

[Scot McPherson]

You know...I am kinda tired of hearing the whole you either want to sail or you want to build boats...those are the hard fast rules. There are gradients in between.


What about those people who want to build a boat so they can sail the boat they want and built and know everything about it and designed and laid out exactly the way you want built for you?

[leftbrainstuff]

I'd avoid any boat where I had to strip the interior. Get a good used boat and maintain it well.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[crazyoldboatguy]

It really comes down, as some have mentioned here, to whether or not you enjoy this kind of work. It is a HARD slog. Of that there is no doubt. I have spent the last 18 years working on the family boat, a 1962 Pearson Triton. She is a fine sailing vessel but the innards were tired. I would work on the boat in the spring (not much sailing on the Great Lakes in the winter), choosing a project I could finish in time for summer and sailing season. That way I ended up completing the task in 18 years. It's a compromise.

However, it meant a lot of time away from my family since the boat was many miles away from where I live. Again, a compromise. If you are looking for a boat that you can work on while you are sailing it - don't rip out the entire accommodations - do a bit at a time. Remember, transverse bulkheads, especially those near the mast step/chain plates/ mast partners are vital - they keep the boat from collapsing under stress. Leave them alone and work around them.

I have switched over to working on the boat the Admiral and I will retire to. We still have the Triton to sail on, but are now embarked on finishing the complete rebuilding of a classic Alden auxiliary ketch which was built in the 1940s. A complete and utterly insane project. A labor of love that lured our son into the project after he graduated from high school.

Everyone has different reasons for getting involved in such projects. Those who write here have seen them all - truly have seen them all. There is a much higher likelihood that you will get part way thru the project and then abandon same - they have seen it time after time. Only YOU know YOU. If you like this sort of never ending project - do it. If you have never done such a project, get a boat that sails and tinker. You will find out in short order if you are up to the task.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by SteveinDE

... I have yet to find one on the actual stripping on the interior....

Steve

To your original question, go to the site below. He rebuilt a 30 something year old Cape Dory 36 by completely gutting it. He rebuilt and documented everything with pictures. There is a lot of information, including what tools to use, source of materials, etc. Its an cyclopaedia on what and how to do it. Take your time and you'll see what it takes. Go thru his "Daily Log" from the very beginning, back in 2009.
He's still at it, but the final product will be pretty close to a masterpiece.

Far Reach Voyages Home Page

start here:

http://www.farreachvoyages.com/proje...einterior.html

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by Scot McPherson

You know...I am kinda tired of hearing the whole you either want to sail or you want to build boats...those are the hard fast rules. There are gradients in between.


What about those people who want to build a boat so they can sail the boat they want and built and know everything about it and designed and laid out exactly the way you want built for you?

I do understand about those folks. For someone new I would never recommend a gut and rebuild just to learn your boat. Someone with lots of building experience is a different story. A gut and rebuild for someone who wants to sail can be the last dreamkilling boating experience for them.

I, too, have known several who were successful at rebuilding. They are rare individuals who have multiple talents and incredible focus. I'm not one of them.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Scot McPherson

You know...I am kinda tired of hearing the whole you either want to sail or you want to build boats...those are the hard fast rules. There are gradients in between.


What about those people who want to build a boat so they can sail the boat they want and built and know everything about it and designed and laid out exactly the way you want built for you?

Everyone will have a different journey and there can be gradients.

In my case I sailed my boat for 7 years with "minimal" maintenance. We did a few projects confirming that one is always working on their boat.

The diesel lost compression and we hung an outboard on the back. The interior was 33 years old and in completely ratty shape. And finally her topsides had fiberglass showing through.

I much prefer to sail. I am doing the work for 2 reasons. 1 - I owe it to the boat. She gave me 7 years of absolute joy so I owe her a restoration. 2 - It's the boat I have and I spent 7 years bumming around and doing can races. now I want to set her up to do 5-7 day cruises and start exploring around here.

If I sold her off and got another boat much of the work I am doing - particularly that electrical would have to be done anyway.

Originally Posted by SVTatia

Steve

To your original question, go to the site below. He rebuilt a 30 something year old Cape Dory 36 by completely gutting it. He rebuilt and documented everything with pictures. There is a lot of information, including what tools to use, source of materials, etc. Its an cyclopaedia on what and how to do it. Take your time and you'll see what it takes. Go thru his "Daily Log" from the very beginning, back in 2009.
He's still at it, but the final product will be pretty close to a masterpiece.

Far Reach Voyages Home Page

start here:

Far Reach Voyages Home Page

This is a great site and he is doing a craftsmanship like job. I did read the first page - "We started in 2009 and feel we will get a much better boat with 2-3 years of work."

He is pushing 5 years and still going.

If I am on the hard for 5 years I might kill myself! But I totally understand the guys that want a pristine restoration.

I am going to be more "workman-like" than craftsman-like.

Several boats around here have had the interior gutted, painted white and basically no interior at all. Diesel ripped out and an outboard. It is a fast way to get a boat back on the water and for these day sailors it works.

I hope to be done in a couple of months and back on the water.

But trust me on this. If I didn't "have" to do this, I wouldn't have. The amount of work ahead is still daunting.

[crazyoldboatguy]

I especially like the idea that your boat is then laid out the way you want it. For the OP, tho, that can be hard to determine since he doesn't have the boat yet. Ex-Calif - you know your boat inside and out. Probably have spent many of those wonderful 7 years sitting in the cockpit, beverage in hand, and drifted off into the contemplative place we experience and build that boat time and again. Now you are doing it. Hard as it is, like you said, you owe it to the boat. That is cool right there.

I did that for our family boat, the one I grew up on and spent my youth on. We raised our son on that boat - 18 wonderful years with him. Now I am in the race of my life. Trying to get the much larger project done before morbidity or mortality catches up to me. The Admiral and I are in it together. Our journey begins in the sawdust and glue. That's the way you have to see it or you will go bonkers.

[Terra Nova]

The biggest issue is that few who are new to boating know how to go about a complete refit, let alone designing and building a proper interior. Financially, it cannot make sense, for resale on DIY'ed boats is nil for the best of them.

[crazyoldboatguy]

But you are assuming that the OP is thinking about resale. Some of us just like to have our boats the way we want them. Your point about a newby is important, tho. If you are totally new to sailing it is hard to conceive how you can understand what should be moved and what should stay.

[oldragbaggers]

So many wonderful and worthy old boats out there that still have many good sailing years left would end up in the chopper if everyone listened to you guys. There are boats that are good candidates for a simple interior refit, and there are people who are up to the task. Removing and refitting an interior doesn't necessarily mean a redesign. It's possible to just upgrade what is already there, restore to original but better.

I had only basic woodworking and fiberglassing skills and a modest inventory of tools when I did our Bristol interior. No barn or huge workshop. I did most of it by myself while my husband worked on the exterior replacing rotten decks, moving the chainplates outboard, redoing the hull/deck joint and on and on. We also removed the old fixed windows, glassed up the cabin sides and installed stainless steel opening ports. It took less than 2 years. We both had full time jobs. And we sold it for a good price to the first serious buyer that looked at it because it was beautiful. You can't assume that because it's something YOU wouldn't want to do that it can't or shouldn't be done.

I would caution this OP for one reason only, and that is because he felt the need to come here to the forum to ask whether or not he should do it. A person who is serious about it, who is committed to the idea (which you definitely need to be to undertake this type of project), and who is confident in his ability to do it wouldn't need to come ask you guys and wouldn't pay any attention to you if you told them they were crazy. They'd be too focused and busy working on their boat to give a rat what any of you think.