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Boxertwinjeff · 18-11-2016, 23:57

Hi everyone, would Teak veneer be suitable to transform my Galley's Fibreglass mouldings, or is there some other product that would form
to the radius corners to give an authentic look of wood? Thanks Jeff.

Zach · 20-11-2016, 04:03

You can do it, but you will want to make a rosin paper template of exactly what shape you have.

By design, most fiberglass parts have a draft angle to pull from the mold which means they aren't perfectly square, and that means you may have some ever so slight angles to pull. The difficulty level of that, is a 10.

Less difficult and more costly is having some solid wood cap molds made for the outer radius corners, and beef up the fiddle rails to cover them. Then you'll have some flat panels framed to work inside, with the ability to veneer the flat panel and trim over it with your cap molds. You'll need someone crafty to pull it off, as they'll need a wide belt sander. Glue up the section over a piece of poplar or mdf with a paper bag in the middle, water proof glue for the corner pieces... Then sand to shape. When done, wet the bag and break loose the bond to the former. If you go this route, veneer a piece of sanded formica laminate and slip it under the cap frames rather than trying to do it in place.

If you want to break up the panel sizes, see if there is room to put a drawer front in... even if just the hardware from a sponge rack like they do in kitchens directly under the sink but above the cabinet doors.

If there is room for a drawer or door front, you may consider cutting the existing radius corners off, fitting a rabbet into the wood corner rounds to accept the fiberglass and then using a plywood face frame. You can either epoxy a nailer to the back of the fiberglass, or tab onto the corner rounds with a fillet.

The nailer would make it possible to remove in the future, but more apt to open up a visible joint, where as if you tab in you've got a permanent feature.

Cheers,

Zach

svHyLyte · 20-11-2016, 04:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boxertwinjeff

Hi everyone, would Teak veneer be suitable to transform my Galley's Fibreglass mouldings, or is there some other product that would form
to the radius corners to give an authentic look of wood? Thanks Jeff.

Jeff--

In the US one can find (click on) Adhesive Backed Teak Veneers in 10 mil thickness that could fairly easily conform to the curves on your galley molds provided that you make good patterns to work from. (I suspect one can find similar material in Oz where the government is somewhat less anal about the provenance of the lumber.) We used a similar veneer material on a prior boat that worked reasonable well. Note, however, that the material is so thin, one cannot sand it, so there will be no such thing as "refinishing". What will really help the appearance of your galley as well will be replacing what looks to be aluminum fiddles with teak. That will be a pain in the neck but is doable by a good cabinet maker. Your efforts on the project will be great but the results will be very satisfying once done.

FWIW...

Sandero · 20-11-2016, 05:31

rip it off and put the real thing...

jimjamonsela · 20-11-2016, 08:43

Hey. I hate to rain on your parade but...I am a boatbuilder/fine furniture maker with 48 years of experience. What you want to do while possible is way beyond the reach of any but the best of craftsmen with the best of equipment. ALL veneer MUST be applied with 100% surface contact with HIGH pressure with the correct adhesive. Any lapse will ALWAYS result in failure usually sooner but always later, when it is too late.
I recommend a more modest solution.
I love Teak. But their ain't no short cuts.
Forget that adhesive backed paper thin crap!

Andy on Destiny · 20-11-2016, 09:03

Hi Jeff,

Just one word of caution, do not stick thin veneer directly to a surface that itself does not breath. We did and the expansion, contraction of the veneer stuck directly onto a solid surface caused it to split. I would recommend using a thin veneered ply instead, say 3mm thick.
I think for the effect you want, solid wood would be better, the cost of the wood is always going to less than your time or someone elses labour

Cheechako · 20-11-2016, 09:25

I like how it looks now! You can go to teak staving, vertical strips of real teak screwed and plugged in place. 2-3" wide, edges radiused. A lot of money and time, but fairly easy to do one at a time. Like some of this:

Boxertwinjeff · 20-11-2016, 10:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandero

rip it off and put the real thing...

Impossible,... the Galley, Vanity, Settee bases Head base mouldings etc.. are all integral with the Hull, making for one very strongly reinforced Hull.

Boxertwinjeff · 20-11-2016, 10:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I like how it looks now! You can go to teak staving, vertical strips of real teak screwed and plugged in place. 2-3" wide, edges radiused. A lot of money and time, but fairly easy to do one at a time. Like some of this:

Thanks everyone for your feedback and advice!,.. This looks like the way
to go with radiused corners, then infilled with vertical 4" strips, appears the less difficult method, and will hide that ugly Aluminium fiddle under
a timber moulding, when completed I think there'll be the right balance of
wood and Fibreglass in the overall appearance of the Cabin.

Cheechako · 20-11-2016, 10:57

Yeah, I did a couple of boat builds that way when teak was cheap. I had strips about 5/16-3/8 thick. For the radiused corners you will have to figure it out but probably 1" wide strips on the radius. The nice thing about teak is you don't have to finish it. But other options are out there, walnut, etc. Whatever you like I suppose. Don't use red oak though, it water stains bad.