Pensacola FL Sailing Blog - sailingnightwatch

 The boats original upholstery was a high quality heavy Sunbrella.  It was an off white with 3 different color stripes.  Considering it was close to 20 years old, it had worn well.  Therefore, it was not changed until the second year we were on board.  It started with swatches showing up.  They slowly began staying laid out in various locations on the settees.  I did not know that as things evolved, you can take back the massive number of small swatches, you get a few large swatches.  These are like small napkins.  Did I mention I am some what of a neat freak.  We were in this choosing process for a while.  For months these things wee laying around!  They would also migrate and molt into different colors.

 I have always shied away from matching colors and other interior decorating things.  I am shade blind.  Mostly in the white to gray scale.  Some Navy doctor told me that and then gave me a test to prove his point and inform me I would never be a pilot.  I was already a deck officer.  Why would I ever want to become a pilot.  Besides, I can handle the rock back and forth, swing sideways and roll around while being shaken.  Just do not turn me upside down and do that, it will not be pleasant.  Anyway, my mother told me what color a color was when I was very young and I believed her.   Just look at the way I match colors when I dress myself.  No problem. 

 One afternoon, after the swatches were beginning to show signs of wear, my wife and our neighbor, a fine recently retired gentleman got into this discussion on the choice of our upholstery.  The decision was made.  It meant I would no longer live in a kaleidoscope of swatches.  The choice was made.  It is green, Teal by my eye.  Kind of a blue green, but definitely on the green side.    

The cloth is like a fake Swede, but not heavy Swede.  It has held up very well through the last 8 years.  It goes well with the light wood and light carpet.  The material can be removed from the cushions and thrown into the wash machine and dryer without shrinking.  Cool.

Would I lay carpet again?  No.  In fact we just recently recarpeted and we found professionals that would do a boat, especially when they knew they could use the old carpet as a pattern.  They were amazed at the angles and made their initial cut of the new carpet adding ½” to the size of the old carpet. They then brought it in and made their final cut.  There is definitely a skill level I did not develop with one attempt.  The new carpet fits like a glove.  I know of 2 corners that are not perfect, but you would have to look hard to find them.

Another problem is securing the carpet.  You can not nail carpet strips into your fiberglass hull.  Therefore, we use 2” self-sticking Velcro.  This serves very well.  Under the carpet are many hatches in the sole.  These are for the wire runs to the mast, fuel line to the engine room and waterlines from the water tanks.  I have no gages on any of my tanks.  All have to be dip sticked.  With Velcro, you only have to peal back the carpet and pad and have full access to everything.  It also allows you to trim the carpet as it stretches out.   The pad is cut where it will lay inside the Velcro.  This leaves the top of your carpet almost even.

Saturday morning I picked up the Berber carpet and pad.  We were done by cocktail time on SUNDAY!  Berber does not like to be cut at angles and does like to unravel from the nap.  It was slow work.  To keep the carpet from unraveling, I used a electric hot knife to melt the edge of the carper.  That was a very slow part of the project. I did not finish all the edges till spring.

My pattern paper was a boxboard type paper with one slick side.  It came in 4’ wide rolls.  Its only drawback was that it did not like being forced into 90 degree corners.  Therefore, you had to draw the shape and do a rough cut of the actual shape and lay it in place and than cut out the exact shape.  I believe that is the way the pro’s do it anyway.  Any time you ran up the side of the hull, you are filling in a concave area.  When you lay it all out flat you end up with some really strange angles.  You do a lot of second guessing of yourself and waste a lot of pattern paper.  But, this was better than wasting carpet.

 Some time back I mentioned that the cabin soles were plywood and were originally carpeted in long brown shag.  Somewhere along the way the shag carpet was removed.  When we found the boat, the sole was covered with an off white textured contact paper.  It was light, which added to the brightness of the interior, and easy to maintain.  It was never meant to go through a restoration.   The utility knife slashed it a few times while cutting patters or insulation.  Varnish was dripped. 

 My wife informed that for her Christmas present, we could have the boat carpeted.  I had grown rather fond of the contact paper.  I had learned to over look the slashes and appreciate that it was impervious to sand, saltwater, food and drink.  After finishing the major work, the year had become a steady progression of friends and relatives.  The covering had held up well.

 The second part of the wish was that this project should be completed before our children came for the holidays.  It was already December and there was no way my wife could make a decision about carpeting before Christmas.  I should also mention the fact that it is very difficult to find a carpet layer that will work on a boat.  I figured this project was a “sometime next year” deal…. I figure.

 “No problem,” says the wife, “you can do it.”  She has already decided on the carpet.  It is at Lowel’s. you can pick it up and they have the expertise there to answer any questions you may have about installation.  At this point in my life I had done many different things related to home construction.  But, I had not laid the first inch of carpet and really was not interested in learning a new trade.        

“How hard can it be,” says the wife.  “You do excellent patter work.  You can make a pattern, we will lay the carpet out in the parking lot and you can put your pattern on the carpet, cut it out and lay it in the boat.  I’ll let them know you will pickup the carpet and pad first thing Saturday morning and we will have new carpeting by cocktail time.  And you have the evenings till then to make your patterns.”