Interior Decorating Your Sailboat ?

[NitaK]

we have a Bayfield 40, the curtains on the port windows are cream and stained. I have washed them but as the comment above states they get soiled very fast. The previous owner did recommend keeping the windows covered , if not the teak interior fades from the sun. Another is privacy, we have 5 windows on each side. We also have a Butterfly hatch which we keep covered along with the 4 hatches. My problem is not wanted to put out a lot of money to cover the windows and Sunbrella is pricey. Not sure if insulated curtains are the way to go or not. Rugs are the next issue, I am tired of throw rugs also . . .We have lived on our boat year round in Maryland however this Winter we have a small apt, in Delaware so that we are able to work on the boat and not turn our life completely topsy turvey. . .Any suggestions are welcomed

[lippysyd]

We just bought our first boat, a 1972 Catalina 27. Since it's been put up for the winter, I've only been able to recover the cushions and dream about the rest. I got a great deal on upholstery from an office furniture outlet- 28 yds for $30! I also got some fabric for the curtains. I had to go with whatever I could get enough yardage for, so the v and the dinette seats are black velour. I bought a gray patterned fabric for the seat backs, but I'm scrapping that and going to get something more colorful.

I plan to carpet the floor and add led lighting, but the bulkhead walls are bugging me-they're faded and ugly. Hubby wants to veneer them, but I think it would be easier just to paint them.

I've been lusting after this boat's interior:

http://www.blumhorst.com/catalina27/bruce-interior.htm

This is ours, as it is now:

[NitaK]

I don't have a problem with anything inside the boat just curtain, rugs and bedspreads. . .with the pattern the previous and original owner picked for the upholstery it's hard to match. I like it but short of making my own curtains the stores don't have much to select from that will go with the interior now and not look to busy.
The boat is in perfect condition. .

[SouthernFocus]

Originally Posted by Doodles

I think your ports may be a lot different from ours, but here's what we did on our Wauquiez Pretorien. The curtains are on shock cords and you can open them and close them as needed. The material is the same as the settee and the backside has a foil covering for heat reflection. Works well for long skinny ports like ours.
Attachment 29591

Hi. I wrote to you in the wrong place yesterday, I think. I like the way your curtains look. It seems that they are not 'gathered', but more like loose pleats. Would you tell me, please, how they are attached to the shock cord?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by lippysyd

I plan to carpet the floor and add led lighting, but the bulkhead walls are bugging me-they're faded and ugly. Hubby wants to veneer them, but I think it would be easier just to paint them.

I'm with you on the magic of paint .

But if hubby keen to do otherwise - what about a compromise?......paint the bulkhead but keep varnish on the trim / that mast support, and if that is a cupboard door on the bulkhead then hubby can re-veneer that.

Or sneek onboard with a pot of paint and present him with a fait accompli .

[waterworldly]

Our boat has been totally criticized on this and other sites, but we manage to have a beautiful home that sails yearly more miles than most people drive, despite the dire predictions in this thread: Irwin 52' Video . . . You Gotta See this
It is possible to have a beautiful working sailboat. Don't listen to those that keep treating their boats like a weekend cabin in the woods without electric or plumbing. It can be a home, we did it and it works.

[waterworldly]

I don't understand why some peoples' boats get filthy in a matter of months. The comment about the curtains being filthy in a few months is beyond my understanding. Our white curtains are three years old and still spotless. Maybe the problem is the windows and not the curtains they cover.

[Pete7]

I agree with David, paint them if they are past there best. Here is a couple of shots from a French Yacht builder, RM Yachts who are pretty much at the cutting edge of design and style. It shows the effect of a modern clean all white interior with wood capping or coloured cushions. Something to think about.

Pete

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Pete7

I agree with David, paint them if they are past there best. Here is a couple of shots from a French Yacht builder, RM Yachts who are pretty much at the cutting edge of design and style. It shows the effect of a modern clean all white interior with wood capping or coloured cushions. Something to think about.

Pete

Nice and bright as well.

[lippysyd]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

I'm with you on the magic of paint .

But if hubby keen to do otherwise - what about a compromise?......paint the bulkhead but keep varnish on the trim / that mast support, and if that is a cupboard door on the bulkhead then hubby can re-veneer that.

Or sneek onboard with a pot of paint and present him with a fait accompli .

*chuckles* I may just do that. I know first what I will do is get the new cushions in there and then decide where to go next. Since it's a '72, and I was only on it a couple of times before it was put up, I need to really get a good look at what actually needs updating. It may be that money is better spent panneling the sidewalls (as in the boat I posted) and adding color to the bulkheads. We'll see. Should be maybe another month and then I can get crackin- I can't wait!

[ulpilot45]

Headliners...is it better to cover with material or put panels in n paint them?

[janice142]

Definitely paint! You'll want to be able to clean the surfaces and paint is so much easier than a fabric to swab down. A smooth surface makes a fast cleanup!

[ulpilot45]

Janice ..very good point. Hmmm seems simple enough I should have been able to figure that one.. :-] thanks.

[Cheechako]

It depends... if you cover the panels with material, dont use the type with foam on the back... it deteriorates from heat. Painting a panel until it's nice and smooth is a lot of work compared with covering or buying ply panels with formica type of stuff already on them. There is also a product that is ply with a thin laminate type surface... much thinnner than formica... forget what it's called though.

[ulpilot45]

Cheechako where would we find these panels with formica? Wouldn't those be heavy? Who would have thought buying a boat would have been so much concern? Lol. Can't wait to finish n set her in to enjoy though!! Cheers