Light weight celling finish options. Woof plank wood

[zeehag]

epoxied doorskin works well. ceiling--do you mean overhead or the "walls", which a re technically the ceilings as overhead is self explanatory. ???

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Sailorbob8599

I'm not familiar with 'white' cedar, but I am partial to 'yellow' cedar (maybe the same?); a wood commonly used in the boat building industry in the PNW. Just make sure it's top grade.
When I built my current boat, I used 2" x 3/8th. T&G yellow cedar available at the local cedar mill store. Only after it was fully completed did I become disenchanted with the many blue-grey streaks that were evident on the surface of a great many boards. I felt sure someone would believe there were water leaks in the deck seal.
On complaining to the supplier, I was told it was the highest quality product available to the domestic market and I should consider it as "character" in the finish. He also told me all their #1 quality is exported to Japan and not available locally even at a higher price.
After he'd gone away, an older fellow sidled up to me, introducing himself as the 'yard man'. He told me the Japanese buyers always had an inspector check out the product prior to shipping and, just occasionally, (he) would reject a 'sling' of lumber to keep them (the lumber company) honest. This rejected lumber would then be sold on the domestic market.
How would a fellow know about this? i asked. "Hmmmm, I guess someone would have to tell you he said." Could someone let me know? I asked, slipping him a ten spot.
Sure enough, a month and a half later, he called me to let me know 'my' wood was there. I picked it up immediately, giving the yardman another ten spot for calling me. it was beautiful wood, not a blemish to be seen anywhere. It's now installed throughout my boat. Lovely wood to work with too.
All interior ceilings have yellow cedar T&G right down to the waterline. It is attached to 3"w x 1/2" thick, plywood 'ribs' spaced 18" apart. I installed 1/2" thick 'Ethafoam' (a closed cell insulation) between the ribs, resulting in an extremely comfortable cabin. No condensation and a warm interior. The smallest heater keeps mold & mildew at bay and a very cosy cabin in winter months without a high hydro bill every month.

Yes, both are wonderful. White would be Port Orford cedar which is mostly gone I think. Yellow Alaskan Cedar. I remember cutting the Port Orford for my boat and the perfume was so strong my eyes would water!
The Japanese used to get all the beautiful Alaska Spruce also, and dirt cheap once we started allowing the export of it. They bought the logs, we didnt even get the jobs and labor to mill it. They love the look of it in their homes.... and I cant blame them.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Formica w wood stripping to secure and cover seams...looks good, inexpensive, mold & mildew resistant, easy to clean.

It's also easy to work with. Just template the panels with lathe strips and a glue gun, then trace and cut the panels with a cabinet router. Lots of ways to hang/mount it depending on your coachroof construction.

Comes in lots of colors (the ivory color is a good "boat" color). Also comes in two types, horizontal and vertical. The horizontal is for laminating and making counter/table tops. You'd want the vertical which is thicker and stiffer.

One nice thing about a lighter ceiling is that it makes the cabin brighter and more open feeling.

[dohcdelsol93]

We are based in upstate south carolina. We mostly lake sail but this santacruz was taken on so we could trailer to the beach and keys and launch in just a few minutes vs the 4 or so hours it takes to launch than our San juan 26. It takes us from highway to beer on the water much faster.

We will be putting an ac window unit and a quiet honda generator on board but we wont be doing much boating during the cold months. Never thought much in the way of insulation.

The lighter and easier to work with the better. I just don't want to add to the high center of gravity. Next weekend im hitting up lowes for some materials to start rebuilding the rotten window frame and see what items listed here are available locally. Definitely have more options than i knew about