Strip plank "ceilings" and furring strips out of cedar?

[Cyrus Safdari]

So just need your thoughts: I have decided to insulate the hull with 3/4 in closed cell foam held in place with contact cement and under strips of wood attached to furring strips epoxied to the hull sides at intervals (not sure why people chose 16 inches, this isn't house construction and the insulation comes in larger sheets) This is the traditional wooden boat look but I don't see many practical options to line curved hull interiors



Anyway I initially considered some teak strips that are about 1.5 inches wide, and then considered using teak ply after seeing the cost, and have now settled on cedar. I'm going to rip some strips and shiplap them but I am curious whether there is a particular reason to seal the wood? At leat why on the front when the stuff smells so good? This stuff is cheap, light and replaceable. Teak was too dark and really no need for a hardwood right?

[roverhi]

Cedar is an extremely soft wood so will dent, scratch, and get dirty much faster than Mahogany or other woods typically used in boat construction. Varnish, paint, etc. will give a harder surface keep the wood looking good longer.

[Orion Jim]

All of my ceiling is ash. Durable, looks great, loves varnish.

[robwilk37]

im assuming western red cedar? agree - lovely lovely stuff, but yes, soft. dont underestimate how dirty soft woods get. a quick clearcoat helps tremendously, and you can buy cedar oil spray as air freshener (kidding). the aroma only last a few days when fresh cut anyway so seal it up and youre good to go. afromosia and liptus make for hearty laths stock if theyre available locally. and make sure you buy dark colored foam... youll want to leave gaps between the strips for air movement (and to eliminate squeaking - ask me how i know) and you dont want to see white foam through the gaps.

[Sand crab]

You can buy t&g cedar paneling at HD and Lowes. They are about 3" x 5/16" thick x 8' long and are the cheapest real wood you will find. There is also the same stuff in knotty pine for about the same price. Blind nailing thru the tongue doesn't work because the stuff is so thin. I use 1/4" finish staples in SS. I had to order those because they aren't normally stocked.


Most contact cement will dissolve foam. You could try the water based stuff or perhaps polyurethane glue.

[bailsout]

Or you could buy a ready made wooden boat. That’s what I did and will not go back.

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "You can buy t&g cedar paneling …"

So you can, but you will find that appearance will be disappointing, because standard shore-side T&G obviously has parallel sides. For ceilings (interior lining in a boats hull, which necessarily involves compound curves) you will get a far more pleasing appearance if you take the trouble to "spile" the "planks" so that at each "frame" (real or imaginary as it must be in a "frozen snot" hull) the NUMBER OF PLANKS is the same.

This necessitates that the plank edges be curvilinear as the width of each plank will vary all along its length. Not difficult to do, although labour intensive. A "carvel" fit of the planks is IMO the only way to go. This involves beveling the edges and the bevel will vary along the length of the plank.

The tool to use for cutting the edges of the planks to the spiled line is a small bandsaw with a wide blade. About a hunnert'n'fifty bux at HomeTown. A jigsaw will NOT do. If you cannot get 1/2" stock wide enuff, 3/4" (standard dimension) can be taken down to 1/2 with a planer - maybe two hunnert bux at Hometown. You only need hobbyist tools for a small job like this.

TP

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

You can buy t&g cedar paneling at HD and Lowes. They are about 3" x 5/16" thick x 8' long and are the cheapest real wood you will find. There is also the same stuff in knotty pine for about the same price. Blind nailing thru the tongue doesn't work because the stuff is so thin. I use 1/4" finish staples in SS. I had to order those because they aren't normally stocked..

We used those to do the ceiling in our boat, with the same staples, and then varnished it. So far, we are loving it!

[Sand crab]

Trente, When the OP said teak ply I thought he would be going for a more simple job. I'm not sure how much effort he wants to put into a 1967 Pearson 35.

You could still use the cedar paneling and custom shape every board because like I said it's the cheapest real wood out there. It's $20 for 14 sq. ft. here.

[robwilk37]

assumed you were using the correct term "ceiling" to mean the inner decorative layer of the hull and not the headliner ? is so, youre on the right track with solid wood battens. the ply sheets some are referencing here are not going to deal with the compound curves. and again you want the space underneath to breath...

[George DuBose]

When Skylark (1973 Pearson 36-1) had her hull liner (wood veneer over tar paper and aluminum foil) severely warped due to leaking chain plates (PO didn't believe in maintenance) I scraped all the hull liner off and then had to remove the rubber cement that the builder used to fix the hull liner.

When I got the inside of the hull clean, I fixed 3/4" half round strips to the inside of the hull and then glassed over the half round.

Then I had miranti (a water resistant hardwood used for exterior window frames) ripped in to 2" x 3/8" x 8' strips. I then painted the miranti a light ivory color that matched the original overhead.

When I installed the half round, I didn't used any special distance between the vertical strips, I placed them where I thought the new hull liner would get the most pressure from a crew sleeping in the upper berth. Where the upper torso and shoulder would rest against the inside of the hull has more vertical strips than the lower leg area.

Then I cut closed cell foam (actually the foam I used is for foundation construction - it is blue closed cell and mildew resistant) into wide strips that fit between the vertical half round pieces and screwed the miranti in horizontal pieces sinking the screw into the half round behind the miranti. I used bronze screws and finish washers and I am very pleased with the result.

An added benefit is by using strips with canted edges and no tongue and groove, it is simple to unscrew one strip or several and then put them back. For whatever reason one needs to remove the hull liner. This still keeps the "nautical flavor" in the cabin and V-berth.

I don't know how expensive black locust is in the US, but when I was adding a new stringer inside my bilge, my research led me to use black locust. It is the wood used for split rail fence posts. Very hard and rot resistant.

Dan Spurr wrote a book and there is a description of this procedure in the book.

[deblen]

Cedar strip bead & cove?/ Len


https://www.google.com/search?q=ceda...Ly8eGatCGA3CM:

[Donald Bryden]

My boat is a home construction and I sealed the interior of the hull with Atlantic White Cedar. We have been living aboard and cruising since 2004 and it has held up with no problems. I varnished the strips before installation, but because the hull is insulated, I don't think it is necessary. There is a world of difference between an insulated and non-insulated hulls in regard to condensation. We have no noticeable condensation. As a suggestion, if you have the insulation sprayed on by a professional you will find it superior to glued on insulation. There are no gaps and the insulation is closed cell so no water absorption. If the hull or deck underside is clean the insulation will stick tightly. Attach your furring strips first, then mask the surface you want free of insulation. With my celling strips, I left a small gap between each strip for air circulation. No regrets on the way I have done it.

[robwilk37]

Originally Posted by deblen

Cedar strip bead & cove?/ Len


https://www.google.com/search?q=ceda...Ly8eGatCGA3CM:

you dont want a solid surface (T&G or cove) you want the inside of the hull to breath so open slat is the goal. also, as i mentioned, anything T&G unless glued the entire length will squeak as the hull flexes...

[deblen]

Originally Posted by Cyrus Safdari

So just need your thoughts: I have decided to insulate the hull with 3/4 in closed cell foam held in place with contact cement and under strips of wood attached to furring strips epoxied to the hull sides at intervals (not sure why people chose 16 inches, this isn't house construction and the insulation comes in larger sheets) This is the traditional wooden boat look but I don't see many practical options to line curved hull interiors



Anyway I initially considered some teak strips that are about 1.5 inches wide, and then considered using teak ply after seeing the cost, and have now settled on cedar. I'm going to rip some strips and shiplap them but I am curious whether there is a particular reason to seal the wood? At leat why on the front when the stuff smells so good? This stuff is cheap, light and replaceable. Teak was too dark and really no need for a hardwood right?

Good Old Boat magazine Nov/Dec 2018 issue has a unique article using white vinyl lattice & cedar. Len