Brand new to this forum and I'm so pumped to have access to all of the incredible folks with a wealth of information. I bought my first sailboat last September, a 1979 37'
Cooper Seabird. Yes, I know a 37'
boat is ambitious and perhaps crazy as a first sailboat, but there's a story in there for another time.
I started
diving head-first into general
maintenance, which included taking
classes at the local "Cruisers College" here in Anacortes, WA because god knows I can't afford to hire people to fix things unless there is ZERO alternative option. I've always loved projects, thankfully, and I purchased the biggest
project I've ever had. I have a million questions and my brain feels numb every evening after trying to soak up as much information possible from
books, friends on the
dock, and just sitting in the
engine room tracing hoses and wires and blankly staring at things.
Onto the
current task at hand: V-berth demo/refit/remodel. I'm a
carpenter by
trade, so a
project like this seemed fun. When I bought the
boat, the v-berth was set up with two bunks which I just didn't like much. I understand it's more practical for folks to sleep separately on long passages but for now I'm looking for comfort. I spend a lot of time cruising and gunkholing in the San Juans, and when I have guests it would be nice to offer them a
bed that they can sleep in together.
Now that I've gutted it completely, I'm realizing that my carpentry skills aren't the only thing necessary here.
Does anyone have
advice for how to prep the inside
hull? I was thinking of using a grinder with a
sanding attachment to remove the old
adhesive from the
fiberglass, and just making sure it is nice and clean for wall covering. Are there a lot of good options for wall covering? Thin layer of
insulation behind?
The
anchor chain locker was in bad shape- rotting
plywood that had been fiberglassed into place and then painted, which is now chipping terribly and causing quite the mess. I went ahead and tore all of that out too. Any good recommendations for durable
paint or products to coat the inside of the chain locker?
I plan to frame the one-level
bed much higher than where the existing bottom bunk rested in order to open up more
storage possibilities, but still leave room to sit up in bed. I'd also like to mount shelves. The previous owner had just drilled screws directly into the
hull, which doesn't seem right? I had the idea of using
epoxy to adhere running boards to the hull used for framing, which could be drilled into instead of the hull, but not sure if that's the best way to go?
I'll post some pics of where I'm at! Such an incredible community, both online and in real life... I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to the "real world."
I appreciate any
advice or words of encouragement.
Thanks all,
Evan
"Sea Bird"
37' 1979
Cooper Seabird