Dark Wood Interior...Can i See Some Photos, Please ?

[squirrel]

Hi there,

Im fitting out a 28ft hull and id like to have a dark wood interior, but it was suggested to me that because the windows are pretty small it would be too dark inside... So i was thinking of having some sort of dark wood trimmings over a lighter background. Think that would work, but cant find many examples online. Anyone has something similar on their yacht? Would love to see some photos...

Cheers,
Sq

[James S]

It sure doesn't take a lot of dark wood to make the interior dark...on a small boat I use it sparingly.
Our boats 48ft and I've gone to a lot of trouble to add some lighter colors.
Good lighting natural or otherwise, lets you get away with more dark wood.

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by James S

It sure doesn't take a lot of dark wood to make the interior dark.

I agree. I look at all these secondhand boats and I wonder how well all that wood will paint white, or cream, or magnolia, etc, etc.

When I moved into this house, the previous owners had a love affair with avocado green and dark brown. I painted it much lighter colours and the house trebled in size - or at least it felt that way.

[Stillraining]

Well...I don't know what you consider dark but this works well for my claustrophobic wife without having to go Hospital sterile plastic white everywhere....while still maintaining a feel of a boat for me.

[steve_hendry]

light painted (or paneled) surfaces with varnished trim is often called a 'Herreshoff interior.' The Custom Yacht Builder, Whitby, Ontario, Canada - Custom 46 Interior Design & Detail

I'm in the middle of replacing the opening ports on my boat, and am covering the inside surfaces of the coachhouse sides with a white fiberglass paneling product from Home Depot, since my boat has entirely too much teak veneer interior.

[shadow]

Nice looking boats james and stillraining!!!

[osirissail]

Traditionally the interiors of sailing boats were finished out in teak for its resistance to rot in the ocean environment. It just became "normal" to see dark wood interiors. Then about a decade or two ago the shortage of teak drove the prices sky-high and boat builders tried something new - white board interiors except for structural bulkheads which were still made from teak laminate plywood. The public loved the new "lighter and brighter" interiors and now virtually all the new boats are doing this.
- - In a refit I stripped out all the rotten and delaminated teak ply interior panels leaving only the teak plywood structural bulkheads. Then I used white kitchen laminate panels and covered the sidewalls and overheads (ceilings). The result is an old boat with a new bright interior just like the fancy ones in the boat shows.
- - The white laminate material is available in most all home supply stores and lumber stores. It comes in 4 ft x 8 ft sheets and can be cut with tin snips. You then can either glue it with an epoxy putty mixture to the overheads and sidewalls or simply cut to size and push into place for sidewalls. You then use the old teak trim pieces or make new teak trim pieces to fill the corners and also to hold the panels not permanent glued into place. Look carefully at the new boats in boat shows and you will see how it is being done. It does take a million trips up and down the ladder in a boat yard to get each piece exactly correct. And you will find out why boats cost so much. The hulls and stuff are cheap, it is the finishing out of the hundreds of little trim pieces that consumes enormous time and effort by a craftsman to do it correctly.
- - My new interior looks a lot like "Stillraining's" photos. It is a marvelous way to do an interior.

[SabreKai]

Here are some shots of Espina, my 1959 Mason 31.









I find the interior to be very light and airy, and the finish is easy to maintain. Most of it is gloss white paint, the trim is mahogany with varnish. I am currently refinishing the interior, so when done it should look even nicer. Espie has two large ports per side, about 14x20 and 3 small ports each side about 4x12. I expect you are looking at more dark wood and less light paint? My other boat seem much darker.







This one has two hatches in the overhead and 3 ports 4x12 down the sides.





Sabre

[squirrel]

Thanks for the quick replies! Stillraining lovely interior indeed! Thats pretty much what i had in mind, possibly a lil more dark... Like this one, Bluewater 25 Gaff rigged sailing boat on eBay (end time 30-May-10 17:19:58 BST) The hanging oil lamp adds to the look... Shame there are only 2 photos. I emailed the guy asking if could send me a few more pics but he never got back to me... I think too much white may look a lil too fancy for me... Guess youre right Stillraining and sterile is another word for it... And i like the "feel" that dark wood creates. Im not looking for a "boat show" look or finish, more like sort of cozy log cabin kinda deal...

[squirrel]

Thanks Sabre, varnished mahogany hit the spot! Will keep it in mind, im gonna guess its cheaper then teak? And yes your expectations are spot on too : )

[Joli]

I like the darker wood. During the day it feels cool and during the evening it feels warm. The saloon is all teak, the cabin bulkheads are painted cream with teak trim.