More Interior Work

One of my concerns with the interior was the ability of an upholsterer to finish it off cleanly.  I did not know the parameters of what could or could not be done.  My fear was that I'd take the finished boat into the shop and the upholsterer would require modifications to finish the job.  To prevent that, I called an upholsterer recommended by a friend in the ACBS (Antique and Classic Boat Society) and he suggested I bring the boat over to take a look.   So, last Saturday AM, I took BTBNL (boat to be named later) out for a spin to visit his shop. I forgot to take pictures, so I couldn't document our little foray into the wild.  Anyway, the boat survived the trip without incident and the upholsterer looked at what I was planning to do and gave it a thumbs up. 

So, back to the interior.  I started fitting the floor boards for the rear and front cockpit.

This is the rear.  I used 3/8" plywood and have two halves which meet at the centerline. I mounted the seat bases first and then fit the plywood between them. This will give me more storage room under the seats plus I can examine the bilge if I have a need.  I plan to cover the seam with a shaped batten when I screw down the plywood. 

 This is the floor of the front cockpit. It extends to the forward frame.  I'm not quite sure how I will finish off the front or the edges.   Time will tell.  I also have some ideas for adding a little drama to the floor boards but I will leave that discussion for later when I see how it looks. 

This final picture shows what I plan to do for the sides. This is a piece of 3/8" meranti plywood that will form a box along each side to be used as an armrest and mount for cup holders. (There has to be a place to put your beer!) This side piece is mounted directly to the side of the seat bases which holds it vertical.  It also rests on the floor boards which holds it level.  I then will trim some more plywood to form a horizontal top to this section.  This piece will have to match the curve of the hull and go around the frames.  The joint of the top with the sides will be a custom piece of moulding I will fabricate from mahogany.  This side piece looks a little too tall in this picture, so I will probably take an inch or so off of the top of this piece.