Building A Custom Sportfishing Yacht Interior

New Work, New Adress

2011-12-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

I will continue to post this work at our Shavings blog at http://boatsmith.blogspot.com/

Transporting and Installation of the Yacht Interior

2009-04-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

We have completed the veneering and have varnished all of the veneer in the interior. Now we will set the part up to rig it onto a trailer. We have a large wooden strongback that we attach through the sole hatches to allow us to pickup the part with chainfalls.Below is the strongback.

Here you can see we have sandwiched the sole on both sides of each hatch with 2x4 legs sticking up verticaly to attach to the strongback sides.

We are now hanging chain falls from the ceiling. We have to pick the part up verticaly and move it forward off the building platform and over where the trailer will be.

We have attached the strongback to the part and the chainfalls to the strongback. Moving blankets protect the varnished veneer from damage.

We use this flatbed trailer with 2x12's across it to support the part.

All ready to start the move.

And away we go.

We pick the part up with two cahainfalls and the hook up one forward and start pulling thepartforward while slacking the aft one.

This view is from the aft end . The small hole in the cnter is where the entry will be. We don't cut the hole yet so that the plwood across the back can keep the port and starboard sides from splaying out. Once we have installed the part in the hull we will then cut the entry to its full size.
Ww are now ready to back the trailer under the part.

With the part on the trailer, we screw through the sole with deck screws and fender washers to hold it firmly onto the trailer. We clamp small boards here and there to brace fragile areas against wind force during transit.

We have todrive this part about twenty miles to Liberty Yachts shop in Riviera Beach. We try and do this on a Sunday morning when there is much less traffic and drivers are less stressed.
We festoon the part (which is 14' wide )with long yellow ribbons And several strobes. WE also have wide load banners on the front of the truck and the aft end of the part. We also use pilot vehicles front and rear with wide load banners and strobes.

We hoist the part into the hull using rolling gantrys and chainfalls. It looks very cool when hoisted up in the air rolling back over the bow of the boat. Unfortunately, this is part of the process that requires my full attention and I forgot to take any photos. Here we have landed the part in the hull and are preparing it for glueing.

Previously we have marked where the part contacts the hull and the stringers and we use cake decorating bags to apply epoxy to the mating surfaces. We generaly like to use fast epoxy,but this is one application where we use West System's 209. This is their slowest hardener and we find that it allows us enough time to take the stress out of the gluing process.

All of the places where the hull contacts our part are filleted. This entails some filleting in very awkward locations. Then the fillets must be faired and painted, so care in the filleting is essential.

Below is the berth forward. The gray material is a protctive film by #3M that is known as elephant skin. Expensive but it provides very good protection to the varnished and painted survaces.

This view is from the forward berth looking aft.

Once we have the interior part glued into the hull we lift the deck/house assembly up over the hull and check the final fit between the interior bulkheads and the deck.

A view from inside showing the deck coming down.

Aview from aft showing the gantry and the deck up over the hull.

We hook the deck on the stem and the lower it down whlie pushing it aft.

A little different view from forward.

Once the deck fits well we lift it up, apply epoxy, clenit up and presto it looks a lot more like a boat.

Ready for Teak Veneer

2008-12-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

We've been working on finishing off all the details necessary before veneer. This includes drawer guides and door hinges and stays. We also have faired and primed the interior of all the cabinets and spaces behind the dinette. Below is a shot thru the head doorway of the shower stall which has been glassed and faired and painted with Awlgrip.

We have also made the panels for the dinette seat cushions. These are try-cell panels glued to the right curve in place and fit with just the right amount of clearance for the upholstery. Then the edges are routed out and packed with thickened epoxy. Then they are coated with epoxy and sent off to be upholstered in really nice soft leather.

This photo shows most of the galley doors and drawers in place.

Below we have started sanding the cabinet faces to insure that everything is completely flat and smooth. We use black spray paint as a sanding guide and fill any low spots or small dents with epoxy.

This shot shows blocking let into the bulkhead to support the TV The TV will be a flat screen mounted in a teak frame that can be rotated out to a fore and aft orientation for better viewing from the dinette or latched up against the bulkhead for security while at sea and for better viewing from the bunk. The tall inboard block is for a piano hinge, the center block is for one end of a gas strut and the outboard block is to provide a mounting location for the latch.

The next several photos show a technique for butting sheets of veneer together that has worked well for us. We first fit the edges we want to joint with a small block plane and a sanding block to ensure a tight seam. Then we hold the two pieces tightly together with blue masking tape.

This method works equally well with wood backed or paper backed veneer. Here we have paper back veneer and we are flexing the seam open for visibility. What we do is to flex the seam open ever so slightly and apply medium viscosity super glue into the seam, then wipe off the excess and while rubbing the seam with a veneering block, spray the super glue with it's accelerator.

This is what it looks like when were done. You have to have a very smooth work surface for this as you need to sand both sides with a hard block and any bumps in your table can quickly result in a hole.

As seen below the result is very nice. The seam is all but invisible and smooth to the touch.

The pen is on the seam. You can click on these photos for a closer.

We start veneering with the smaller less visible areas first and work our way up to the larger more visible ones as we get more into the groove. We are not joining the veneer on the foot well face because the piece is also the front of the drawers and it would be VERY difficult to get it lined up at one end and have it come out right at the other end 10' away. So these are joined in place.

Below we have veneered the forward side of the bulkhead and the hanging lockers. Thru the hanging lockers you can see the aromatic red cedar closet lining on the inside of the hanging lockers.

The next two photos show the forward side of the bulkhead. We apply a thinned out coat of varnish on the veneer the same day that we apply it. This helps seal the veneer and provides a little protection.

More Cabinet Doors and Drawers

2008-12-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

Reviewing my last blog post I realized that a whole section of photos were left out, so here they are. Here you can see the blocking for the galley drawer guides and the primer on the inside of the cabinets.
These are the curved panels that will be the structure of the seat backs for the dinette. They were kerffed and then glued up by screwing in place.

This black hole is where the reefer/freezer drawers will be.

These doors are for the cubby cabinets out board of the galley face and under the side deck.

On the left are the galley drawers. Top right is the pocket door where the microwave will live and below is storage.

Hanging locker doors. All of the doors and drawers are fit into place using small wooden spacers

to maintain an equal spacing everywhere and allow enough room for varnish.

This photo shows the aromatic red cedar closet lining and the blocks for the hanging locker hinges.

Here Pasqual is routing the dovetails in the drawer parts. Where are his ear plugs???The drawers are also made of red cedar.

Lots and lots of drawers.

Here the galley drawers are installed, as is the pocket door for the microwave.

There are two drawers under each end of the dinette as well.

The next two photos show a bank of small drawers right next to the main entry. The plywood across the entry is to hold the interior assembly together during transport and installation and will then be cut out in place.

Fitting doors and drawers

2008-10-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

We have neglected this project for several months. First we had our Tiki 30 to get ready for the Wooden Boat Show in Mystic. Then Liberty yachts had us put a bunch of exterior teak on their new 45' walk around fishing boat and then we had a very large teak deck job on a 190' super yacht at Bay Ship & Yacht in the San Francisco bay to complete. But now we are back on this project "con gusto".When we started this interior we really poured the coal on and the builder has been delayed waiting for the motors so we are still on schedule. The next steps are to fit all of the door and drawer faces into the holes. Here is the galley with its' cubby compartments out board and cabinets underneath.

This photo is of the base for the dinette table.The table leg is a piece of 6" pvc that will be veneered and permanently attached to the table top. The aluminum angles below the hole are for a bolt to go through the bottom of the leg to secure the table while permitting removal for refinishing.

The doors below the sink.

Here you can see the port side hanging locker and the doors fitted into the face. Also visible is the fairing on the tri-cell.Everything is faired before we veneer.

These are the drawer faces fit in the aft end of the bunk.

Installing More Tri-cell Edging

2008-05-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

Every cut edge of the Tri-cell panels used in the interior construction have to receive a wood or filled-epoxy edge treatment. All the openings that are visible in the finished interior, or that will be fitted with doors or drawers, are trimmed in teak, as shown in the previous post. The photo below shows the teak casing that is used to trim the top edges of the Tri-cell panels in the V-berth. These are visible when the bed is lifted for access to the compartments below.

There are also exposed top edges in the vertical panels that make up the dinette. The newly installed teak edging can be seen in the photo below.

This is the small hanging locker forward of the dinette, also showing the teak edge casing we've just installed. The two horizontal sticks of wood shown in the opening are actually wedges pushed into place to hold the casing firmly while the epoxy sets.

In this view looking into the compartments below the V-berth, you can see we have cut three new openings in the forward most bulkhead to allow easy access to this storage space. The edges of these two triangular openings and the one central rectangular one, are filled with epoxy, rather than teak, as all this area will get painted. Just aft of this bulkhead with the openings, you can see two shelves, port and starboard, to improve the organization of this storage area.

Trimming Tri-cell Edges

2008-05-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

This first photo shows the complete table pedestal assembly mentioned in the previous post. The 6-inch PVC leg will be covered with wood veneer to match the rest of the cabinetry. You can see the access openings through the ring frames at the base. There are two pieces of steel angle on either side of the pedestal tube, drilled for a 1/2-inch through bolt that goes right through the tube and locks the table in place, yet is easily removable when the table is not needed.

This photo looking into the galley shows how we are fitting solid teak filler blocks into all the openings cut into the Tri-cell panels. The core is routed out and the teak block goes a half inch into the edge.

In the galley you can see the tall opening to the left side of the central cabinet that will house a bank of 4 drawers. The microwave fits on the shelf just to the right of these drawers.

This tall opening is also for drawers, and will house five small ones when finished.

Assembly of Components and Priming for Painting

2008-05-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

The V-berth is built and has been primed for painting.

Here is the galley area, with a view at the bottom of the cabinets showing the toe-kick area under the cabinet faces. The opening to the right is the refrigerator cabinet with guide rails installed that will insure a snug fit.

This view of the dinette seating area shows the ring frames upon which the foot rest ledge will be built. The ring frames create openings in each side of this landing to allow access to the table pedestal mounting bolts. The hole in the sole between these two ring frames is the receiver for the pedestal, which is made of 6-inch PVC pipe laminated over with veneer.

This view of the foot ledge with the face installed shows the toe kick space beneath on the inboard side.

The small cabinet here with primer inside is located behind the toilet.

This is the vanity cabinet assembled, showing the blocks routed into the outside face to receive the door hinges.

Cabinet Components

2008-05-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

Below are the parts that make up the cabinetry in the head compartment. To the right is the cabinet that goes behind the toilet. The unit in the foreground and the tall unit behind it are the two parts of the vanity cabinet, where the sink will be installed. The smaller low piece in the back ground is the riser that fits beneath the vanity to provide a toe-kick space.

This view of the forward part of the dinette shows the cut-out in the seat back to port, where the edge of the table leaf fits in under the seat cushion when not in use. Beyond the dinette, you can see the aft face of the V-berth. The large cut-out in this panel will be fitted with drawers (removable for access to the bow thruster motor through the access panel below).

In this view of the storage space below the V-berth, you can see a perpendicular wooden bracket mounted on the forward side of the bulkhead separating the drawer space from the below bunks storage lockers. This bracket is the mounting location for an electric rack & pinion lift that raises the bed to allow access to this storage space.

Beginning the Interior Fit-Out

2008-05-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

This is a view from the outboard side of the galley. You can see that the epoxy fillings at the edges of the bulkheads and shelves where they meet the hull interior have been sanded flush with these surfaces. The solid wood pieces loose on the shelves here are juniper blocks that will be installed at the top of the cubbyhole openings to take the hinges for the doors.

Below is the teak frame for the shower door opening.

This frame will finish out the opening and a shower curtain will be hung from the inside.

In the V-berth area we are installing plywood blocks to take the drawer slides.

These drawers will be fitted in the aft end under the V-berth for convenient storage. Beneath these drawers is access to the bow thruster motor.

In the forward end of the V-berth there is more storage beneath, accessed through lift-out ports. The clamps below are holding the rims upon which these lift out ports rest.

From the Hull Back to the Shop for Finishing

2008-05-05T17:03:00.000-07:00

The fitting of the interior to the hull it is being built for has been completed and the interior assembly is now back in our shop for the trim and finish work. To give the reader a better idea of how we temporary fit and then remove the interior, the following photographs were taken while the assembly was in place in the hull.

This first photo is an exterior view of the hull itself.

Here you can see the interior and where the main cabin bulkhead will be from the perspective of what will be the cockpit.

Looking past the bulkhead into the port side of the interior, we have a view of the dinette beneath the rough outline of the portlights in the coachroof, which has also been temporarily fitted.

Here is the galley counter and cabinets, in the starboard section of the interior across from the dinette.

The head and shower compartment, along with the electrical trunk can be seen in the aft end of the starboard side, looking through from outside of where will later be the main bulkhead.

Here is a view of the V-berth and the compartments beneath it, as it will be fitted in the forward section of the cabin.

With adjustments made and our thickened epoxy mating surfaces intact that match up exactly to the hullsides, we can now return to the shop with confidence that the finished interior will drop right into the hull when it is time for the final installation.

Below is a view of the assembly as it arrived back at the shop. This wide load of a roughly boat-shaped object with no sides and bottom must have surely turned some heads on I-95, but the main thing is that we got it back in one piece despite losing a tire on the trailer right before arrival.

Here is another view of the interior assembly as we prepare to back it into the shop. If you click on the photo to view the large version, you can see the epoxy mating surfaces along the edges of the bulkheads and shelves.

Here the interior is being lowered back to the platform in the rear of the shop where it will stay until the final finish work is done. Lots of details will follow soon as we begin the process of installing veneers and trim.

Achieving a Perfect Fit

2008-04-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

The complete interior with all cabinetry and furniture components fastened to the sole was taken to Liberty Yachts, for preliminary fitting to the empty hull. We do the fitting at this stage so that we can take the interior back to the shop for all the finish work and details, knowing that when that is done it will drop perfectly into place in the hull when it is brought back for final installation.

In the photo below, you can see the interior suspended over the empty hull by chainfalls attached to the central strongback. The rough fitting has been completed. We begin this process by slowly lowering the interior in from above and cutting away obvious corners and other areas that would prevent it from going further in. The rough cutting is done quickly with such tools as sawsalls and aggressive grinders. As the fit gets closer, we block the sole up a set distance from the hull bottom and begin scribing lines so that we know how much more needs to be cut away.

The view below is from inside the hull, looking from the companionway area into the interior from beneath the sole. Note the plumb bob suspended on centerline from the sole. This and another plumb bob not seen here at the other end insures alignment with the hull centerline as the interior is lowered into place. The contact surfaces, where the interior components such as edges of the cabin sole, bulkheads, and backs of shelves meet the hullsides are marked with a black Sharpie. The crew here is covering all these marked contact areas with clear Mylar packing tape.

Here is a closer view showing the marks and the Mylar tape.

Next we have a view of the interior looking aft from the bow. You can see the ragged edges of the rough cuts we made to get an approximate fit. At this stage is where the Mylar tape comes in. The interior will now be lowered all the way in and all contact edges, including the edges of the cabin sole, bulkheads, and shelf backs will be filled in with a mixture of thickened epoxy, right up to the taped contact points on the hullsides. The Mylar will prevent adhesion to the actual hull while this thickened epoxy cures. When cured, this epoxy filling at the contact edges will be a mold that fits exactly to the inner hullside. The interior will then be lifted out, and the excess epoxy on the sides of the contact surfaces will be sanded flush with each perpendicular plywood part that meets the hull. Since all plywood surfaces will be covered in veneer or paint, the thickened epoxy at the mating surfaces will not show in the finished interior.

We have found this method to work perfectly and by pre-fitting the interior this way, we can be certain that when we return with the finished product that it will drop right into the hull with no further modification.

Taking it to the Hull

2008-04-06T09:52:00.000-07:00

At this stage, with all the major components of the interior built and assembled in their relative locations in our shop, we now have to take the entire unit to the Liberty Yachts facility where we will fit each component precisely to the interior curvature of the hull. This can only be done on site, and after the proper fit is achieved the entire interior will be brought back to the shop for finishing.

The first photo below shows the interior with a strongback fitted inside to allow moving it with damaging or distorting anything. The interior is rigged for lifting with chainfall hoists attached to the strongback and the overhead beams of our shop.

Here the trailer is backed into position for loading the interior. Before we could do this we had to move the hulls of the Tiki 30 catamaran we are building outside of the shop to allow access to the rear where the Liberty 42 interior was built.

We've done this a few times, so the trailer is set up for the move and the crew knows exactly what to do.

It's an oversized load, but we've got the truck to pull it and the distance is not too far. The fitting process will take a few days working on site at Liberty Yachts, then we expect to be moving the interior back into the shop within a week's time.

V-berth and Galley Details

2008-04-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

Below is a view of the V-berth, which occupies the forward cabin. There are steps up to the berth on either side, where the hull slopes upwards toward the bow.

More galley details can be seen here, where we have built the shelf for the microwave that goes under the middle counter. The opening to the left of this shelf will house a bank of drawers.

Cabinet and Dinette Assembly Details

2008-04-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

This first photo shows the bridge trunk panel described in the previous post and how it fits in the head compartment unit. The narrow box-shaped unit to the left is an electrical trunk, and to the right is the shower unit with curved door sections in place.

This is a view looking straight on into the galley. The square holes are access opening into compartments under the side decks. The galley counter to the right has a cut-out in the facing under it where the refrigerator and freezer will be fitted. The sink will be fitted into the counter to the left, and in the middle section there will be drawers and a microwave unit.

Below is a view of another custom shop form, this one used to make the curved panels of the dinette seat risers. You can see where these are fitted in the last photo of this post.

This is one of the panels after removal from the form. It has been filled and faired and is ready to be fitted.

The outer ends of the dinette unit begin with straight panels that meet the large inside curves shown above. The transition from the straight to curved panels requires yet another small outside radius corner. On the table below, you can see this outside radius corner in the form we use to glue it into the edge of the straight panel. By pre-assembling this on the work bench, we can insure that the corner will be formed at the right angle to meet the large inside curve.

Below is view of the dinette before the curved parts of the seat risers were installed. The sloping plywood edges in the immediate foreground here are the edges of the bulkhead separating the main salon from the V-berth. This is a view of the dinette as it appears from the forward cabin.

Below is partial view of the assembled dinette. Here you can clearly see one of the curved seat riser panels and how it transitions by way of the outside radius corner to the straight panel.

Galley and Head Compartment Assembly

2008-04-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

As described in a previous post, all the exposed corners of the interior cabinetry and furniture are fitted with custom-made radius curves resulting in a contemporary look with no sharp edges to be damaged or injure the crew in a seaway. We use several different radius sizes, depending on the corner, and have jigs set up in the shop for each size needed. Below is a 3-inch radius corner in one of the jigs. This one is 8-feet long, and goes on the corner of the unit housing the head and the electric panel trunk.

In the same unit, there is a curved shower door. The photo below shows the form we use to laminate the top and bottom panels of the door. (The panel pieces are on the back side in this photo.)

This is the back of the galley cabinet unit that is fitted just forward of the head compartment. We build the cabinet to full depth with squared off corners on the backside, but much of this back half will be cut away to fit the unit to the inside curvature of the hull. The fitting is done on site, by lowering the unit into the hull with a chain hoist and cutting and grinding away the back until the fit is close. Final fitting is done in a process we will describe in more detail when we get to that stage, but when it is done the back of this unit will match up exactly with the curve of the hull, then it will be brought back to the shop for fitting drawers and other components.

On the table in the photo below you can see the bridge trunk frame that goes into the forward end of the head compartment. Here, we have glued in corners of solid juniper wood so that the edges can be routed to a finish profile. A mirror will be fitted on the interior side of this panel, which is removable for access to the steering cables, bridge wiring and plumbing.

This photo shows the head compartment and the galley cabinet unit from the front side. We assemble big cabinets like the head unit with square corners to keep everything straight, then the corner is cut away and the formed radius piece like the one in the top photo is fitted in its place.

Interior Layout & Hull Photos

2008-03-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Work is progressing rapidly on the interior components of the Liberty 42. Before posting additional photos and descriptions of these parts that might be confusing to readers, we wanted to first include the following illustration that shows the interior plan. This is provided courtesy of Liberty Yachts, and will hopefully give a better idea of the layout of the galley, head, main salon and V-berth areas. (Click on drawing to view enlarged version)

We also paid a visit to the Liberty Yachts facility in Riviera Beach to photograph the empty hull that this interior is going to be fitted into. This is a view of the cabin area corresponding to the drawing above. To the left you can see the main bulkhead with the companionway opening to the cockpit.

The hull is built with foam-core construction, using a vacuum-bagged lamination process.

Cabin Furniture Corner Process

2008-03-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

The following sequence of photos shows our process for making the contemporary rounded corners on the interior furniture of the Liberty 42. We use Tri-cell panels for the cabinet components, which are later laminated over with a finish veneer.

The Tri-cell panels look like 3/4" plywood, as they are skinned on both sides with a ply face, but they are extremely lightweight and stiff. They can be bent into curved shapes by cutting saw kerfs on the compression side, or inner face. Below is a form we use for laminating the corner components. Note the flat piece in the center of the photo, with the series of saw kerfs down the middle of the inner face. After the corner parts are cured and removed from the forms, a 1 1/4" by 9/16" spline made of juniper is glued into the edges where the part will join the main panels of the cabinet.

To remove a section of the core in order to let in the joining spline, we have a custom router jig set up. Every adjoining edge will get the same treatment, so with this set-up we can quickly prepare each part.

Here is a view of the process of removing the core from the edge of one of the flat panel components.

Below you can see a partially assembled cabinet with a corner component resting on top. The furniture for the entire interior is drawn out on the cabin sole that we laminated as described in the previous post.

And here is a finished sub-assembly showing two junctures where we've installed the rounded corner parts.

Beginning the Cabin Sole

2008-03-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

Construction of the interior for the Liberty 42 Flybridge begins with the cabin sole, which is built in foam core construction with 1/4" plywood on the top and bottom faces. Our assembly of this core begins with joining the plywood panels that make up the bottom layer. The panels are joined with 3"-wide 1708 triaxial fiberglass tape.

Before taping the joints, we first dish out the areas that will get the glass seam using grinders so that the finished tape joint will be flush with the surrounding surface. Below you can see the tape being applied to the joints.

Here is a closer view of one of the joints, showing how the plywood has been dished out to receive the tape and epoxy.

Here all the panels that make up the bottom of the sole have been joined and faired with thickened epoxy fairing compound.

We use 25lb. bags of lead shot to hold all the foam panels in place while the epoxy bonding them to the plywood cures.

This view shows the plywood panels of the top skin weighted in place joined at the edges with the fiberglass tape. You can also see the level platform we had to first build to assemble the cabin sole on.

Here is our epoxy mixing table in the foreground. This epoxy station is located between our two major current projects: this Liberty 42 interior and the new Tiki 30 catamaran (not visible here) that we are building in the front of the shop.

Documenting the Building of a Yacht Interior

2008-03-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Building a Custom Sportfishing Yacht Interior is our second online documentary journal of projects here in the Boatsmith Shop. We are presently building a wood/epoxy composite cruising catamaran, the Tiki 30 design by James Wharram, and posting our photos and progress reports on our first journal: Pro-Built Tiki 30.

We hope you find this journal informative and helpful in your understanding of how modern yacht interiors are constructed. Feel free to use the comment links below each post to join in our project and ask questions if there is anything you want to add or do not understand.