In January, 2006 we began with the sole. The old teak and holly cabin sole had become soft in many areas and there were two places where the cabin sole had given way to years of being in the marine environment. It was necessary to remove all of the cabinetry from the galley and the port settee in order to remove the old cabin sole. Because of the cost of the 3/4 Teak and Holly we decided to hire a shipsrite to fit the new cabin sole which left us time to do other prep.
First we attacked the bilge area and used this opportunity to thoroughly clean the area since we had open access. Then we used a round brass brush in a right angle drill to remove loose items and rough off the bilge area to prepare it for a
coat of “Intermix Primecote”(recommend product) followed by two coats of “Interlux White Bilgecote”(recommended product). We chose white because it makes it easier to notice potential changes going on in bilge areas of the boat. Then all of the teak cabinetry, port settee components and areas adjacent to the cabin sole were refinished with a product called
“Ultimate Sole” which we will discuss in more detail in the next paragraph.
Cabin Sole
Once the shipsrite had the cabin sole fit it was time to finish it. We started by sealing the bottom and edges with clear fiberglass resin. This will protect the sole from the damp bilge area. When that had cured we began to work on the teak and holly side. First we sanded with “3M 216U Gold Rolls 320” sand paper. (If you have not used this sand paper you are in for a treat). Tear off about a 5”strip; fold it over in half and it will stick to itself. When you think it is time to throw it away and get another piece, wipe it on your pants to clean it and use it some more. (I hate to sand but this stuff makes it as easy as possible). Then we put two coats of Ultimate Sole Sanding Sealer on. We again sanded with the 3M 320. We used their waterless cleaner to clean it after each sanding. (wear rubber gloves with this but it works great). Then we applied two coats of Ultimate Sole Gloss, sanding and using the waterless cleaner between coats.
Tips for applying:
We used the mini foam rollers for applying the sanding sealer.
If you want a high gloss finish you should apply by using the “roll and tip” method.
We found that you can roll the whole surface to be covered and then go back and tip off the surface. Use a stroke applying light pressure and covering the length of the surface in one motion and you will obtain the best results. (we chose this method for the cabinetry and other components).
On our cabin sole we chose to roll the last coat of finish without tipping to provide a more nonskid characteristic.
New Refrigeration
After the cabin sole was installed we began installing the new 12 volt refrigeration unit. We chose the Adler Barbour System. We chose the super cold machine with the new power plate. We also bought the Aux fan accessory kit. We cut a hole in the new cabin sole and installed the fan to pull cool air from the bilge into the cabinet to help provide cool air to the compressor compartment (see photos at left). We chose the Power Plate because of its size and hold-over properties (see photo at left ). Now that we have had the unit in for almost a year we have found that the Power Plate does not have the ability to lower the temperature to desired settings in warm weather. We do not recommend purchasing the Power Plate. We have been exploring different methods to make the Power Plate more effective and will keep you updated. The installation of the system is fairly straight forward with the use of the pre-charged lines. We had a fairly long run for the electrical. The instructions recommended #10 wire for our length. We chose #8 wire for less resistance in the line. The unit has its own 15 amp 12 volt circuit breaker at our electrical panel and we used a bus bar to reduce the size of wire at the unit for hookup.
Head
While the cabinets were out we took the opportunity to rebuild the head and its plumbing. We did a lot of research on heads and controlling the smell. We found a neat little trick that will help. As we replaced all of the hoses and fittings we wrapped then with Saran Wrap. This seals in the odors in the hose the same as wrapping an onion in the refrigerator to prevent the odor from being absorbed into other foods in your refrigerator. Then we increased the size of the fresh air vent to the tank to 1”. This allows for more air movement in the tank. It’s been a year now and we still have been able to maintain fresher smelling air in the head area.
Cabinets
Once the sole and refrigeration were installed the newly refinished Cabinetry was installed in the galley and head. Then we added new Corian Countertops that were made by a professional in Jacksonville. We added all new plumbing, a new stainless steel double sink with a high rise faucet. This made my first mate very happy. Having completed that, our below deck refit was complete. The entire process took about 4 months.
