Need some advice on renovating the interior of my new Catalina 25

[Captain-Will]

Hello all, I have recently become the new to me owner of a 1979 Catalina 25 Dinette version She is in very good shape, but is in need of some interior cosmetic work, like A deep clean, wood Painted. Cushions, rug, new stove Etc but the interior cabin itself is in superior structural shape. The original owner of this boat kept it in very good shape so I do trust that it’s worth putting money back into to restore. This is my first sailboat.

first off the interior is in great shape, but it needs a deep cleaning because there are slight signs of mold and mildew , but no wood rot anywhere, and the wood appears to be in quite good shape. I would assume cleaning this would involve wiping everything down with a water and bleach mixture?

Next the cushions. these appear to be the original interior cushions that came with the boat, but how do I know that they’re safe to sleep on and not fully infested with mold? I was looking on the Catalina website and a full brand new pair of these cushions is around 4k. Besides buying a brand new set what options do I have to restore the current cushions? I have never dealt with boat cushions from a cabin before. I just don’t want to get my children sick.

this boat does have a rug that appears to be glued down. I think it would probably be smart to rip up the rug Since it’s so old and replace it or leave it bare. I guess it would probably be best to rip up the rug first and then do the interior deep clean to reduce any risk of mold. What are my options for replacing the rug?

thank you all for the help!

 

[dmax]

Regarding the wood: yes, wipe down the wood with alcohol to remove dirt and oils. If you see mold, you can use a mild bleach solution to clean it up, followed by a good wash with soap and water. You can then lightly sand it (careful, some of it is a veneer, don't sand through). Wipe with a tack cloth to remove any saw dust. From there, I would use Watco Teak Oil (available at Home Depot), which is what Catalina originally used. Very easy to apply and touch up - just wipe it on. Three coats looks great. I wouldn't paint the wood, not ideal.
Regarding cushions: do they smell? That's a good indication. If they're in decent shape, you can take the covers off and put in a washing machine. If the foam looks ok, re-use it - otherwise you can buy new foam and re-use the covers.
You can replace the rug with another rug, teak-and-holly flooring, synthetic teak flooring (lots of options) or a mat from these folks: Corinthian Marine | Home of the AquaMat® | Best Boat Flooring

 

[Captain-Will]

Regarding the wood: yes, wipe down the wood with alcohol to remove dirt and oils. If you see mold, you can use a mild bleach solution to clean it up, followed by a good wash with soap and water. You can then lightly sand it (careful, some of it is a veneer, don't sand through). Wipe with a tack cloth to remove any saw dust. From there, I would use Watco Teak Oil (available at Home Depot), which is what Catalina originally used. Very easy to apply and touch up - just wipe it on. Three coats looks great. I wouldn't paint the wood, not ideal.
Regarding cushions: do they smell? That's a good indication. If they're in decent shape, you can take the covers off and put in a washing machine. If the foam looks ok, re-use it - otherwise you can buy new foam and re-use the covers.
You can replace the rug with another rug, teak-and-holly flooring, synthetic teak flooring (lots of options) or a mat from these folks: Corinthian Marine | Home of the AquaMat® | Best Boat Flooring

Thank you for the informative reply! They smell a little musty , but you’re saying I can buy my own foam and cut it to shape and put the old cover back on?

teak flooring sounds very interesting, I could imagine it would look fantastic

 

[fred1diver]

The musty smell might be that the covers just need a good cleaning, if you can remove the covers, just put them in the laundry, but not in the dryer.
As for the foam, if they are still ok, just leave them out in the sun for a day or so, the sun will kill the smell, if the foam is still in good condition, wrap them in garbage bags before putting the covers back on, it will protect them and make them a bit firmer, win-win
If the foam is dead, look at used foam mattresses, clean ones, use an electric carving knife and use the old ones as templates, it won’t break the bank, new foam is crazy expensive at this time.
If the covers are not good, well, time to shop for a fabric you like and get sewing, please stay away from cotton
Have fun

 

[dmax]

If you want the teak and holly look, this is what a lot of new boats use: Lonseal Lonmarine Wood Luxury Vinyl Flooring

 

[JBP-PA]

For the cushions, definitely remove the covers and wash them. I wash them by hand in a big tub.
Inspect the cushions. Are they moldy? Is the foam crumbling? Is the foam easily compressed? Then yes, get new foam. You can get foam from SailRite or just about anywhere else.

If the foam seems OK enough to reuse, you can wash the foam gently by hand too. Before setting them in the sun to dry, put them in plastic, a heavy duty bag or between two sheets. Stick a ShopVac hose into the foam, tighten the plastic around the hose and suck out as much water as possible. They dry much faster.

Wrapping them in cushion wrap silk instead of plastic makes it easy to get the covers back on (again with the ShopVac) and doesn't make crinkly sounds like plastic does.

 

[Captain-Will]

The musty smell might be that the covers just need a good cleaning, if you can remove the covers, just put them in the laundry, but not in the dryer.
As for the foam, if they are still ok, just leave them out in the sun for a day or so, the sun will kill the smell, if the foam is still in good condition, wrap them in garbage bags before putting the covers back on, it will protect them and make them a bit firmer, win-win
If the foam is dead, look at used foam mattresses, clean ones, use an electric carving knife and use the old ones as templates, it won’t break the bank, new foam is crazy expensive at this time.
If the covers are not good, well, time to shop for a fabric you like and get sewing, please stay away from cotton
Have fun

Definitely try this Thanks for the great tips!!

 

[Captain-Will]

For the cushions, definitely remove the covers and wash them. I wash them by hand in a big tub.
Inspect the cushions. Are they moldy? Is the foam crumbling? Is the foam easily compressed? Then yes, get new foam. You can get foam from SailRite or just about anywhere else.

If the foam seems OK enough to reuse, you can wash the foam gently by hand too. Before setting them in the sun to dry, put them in plastic, a heavy duty bag or between two sheets. Stick a ShopVac hose into the foam, tighten the plastic around the hose and suck out as much water as possible. They dry much faster.

Wrapping them in cushion wrap silk instead of plastic makes it easy to get the covers back on (again with the ShopVac) and doesn't make crinkly sounds like plastic does.

Thanks for the great feedback!!

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Buyfoam.com is a reasonably priced site for custom cut foam. You may have to trim a little bit but foam is easy to cut and forgiving to mistakes. There's also some sellers on amazon that sell custom cushions for a reasonable price. I'd order a small one first to make sure it's what you want.

If your foam is in good condition you can soak it for a few days, one by one in something like oxyclean, dish soap, etc. Then use a decent fan to dry them out. I'd estimate 24-48 hours to dry a cushion with a fan

Clean your cushion covers in the wash and then take it to a carpet cleaner or dry cleaners. My 20 year old canvas looks brand new after taking it to the cleaners.

Shopping around at local upholstery shops will yield wildly different prices. The highest quote I received was around $4000. The lowest, was $1100 from a small, one man shop who produced good quality products.