Wood Battens install

[william24424]

I'm looking to rip out the fabric in the bow berth and install a similar light colored wood strips that are in the salon. What are your recommendations for wood? Poplar? Maple? I don't know the wood they used in the salon, I like the contrast the lighter shade has with the teak trim pieces & veneers. Thank you in advance for any comments, advice, or thoughts.

 

[Art12050]

Looks like it could be Maple or White Oak with a clear finish. Both readily available around here. A woodworking shop can mill them up for you.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Fabric may be quieter and warmer for sleeping than wood strips. Just a thought.

 

[jssailem]

William... There really is no specific wood. Light colors will help to mitigate the darkness that befalls the V-Berth in most boats.

I was reading about a remodel recently where the family chose tongue and groove pine strips they found at one of the box stores. The kids did the varnishing. Dad installed 1/2" wood strips to the fiberglass. This served to give space to install insulation. Then came the tongue and groove pine. The small 4-6" pine was easy to trim so that the wood adapted to the curves of the hull and deck.

An alternative to the wood is to look at fiberglass bead board as an option. It comes in 4-8 sheets. Is thin enough to bend and shape.

Good luck and let us see your handiwork.

 

[dmax]

Ash is commonly used for boat ceilings - the stuff in your salon looks like it might be ash

 

[william24424]

I used a pine (bead board) for the ceiling, replacing the masonite/vinyl.. I did notice a few unsightly knots that if I clear coated might show through, painted white...I believe it looks acceptable. I will, of course, put out photos of the end result of my bow-berth mod. Yes, fabric would probably be more quiet, the salon is actually quieter than bow...don't know why. However, we only weekend a few times a year. Primarily the boat is daysailed, few races, and I enjoy a weekly nap while pretending to be @ work. So the wood battens is more for aesthetics, and I suppose I could fabric/insulate to mitigate noise.

 

[chip veres]

Not poplar, please. It rots when you look at it.
Chip V.

 

[LloydB]

It looks to me like Maple might be your best bet however if you wanted to go for a third contrast you might consider engineered bamboo while staying with the same light color as in the salon.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

On Tehani I used Ash. I glued vertical 1/2 inch battens to the hull, added 1/2 nich foam between and screwed tthe Ash to the battens. Been very pleased with it.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Loos like white oak as @Art12050 mentioned. Be careful of using any (hard) hardwoods like oak and maple as they will be a bear to bend to any curvature in the hull.

 

[dlochner]

It is probably atlantic white cedar. Cedar is light, rot resistant, and easy to work with. Grows all over the east coast.

 

[berner73]

The brochure for the Cal 28-2 of the same era listed the wood as "varnished ash":

 

[william24424]

The brochure for the Cal 28-2 of the same era listed the wood as "varnished ash":

View attachment 199519

Wow. Impressive research. Thanks.

 

[PaulK]

Softwoods, like cedar or pine, might not hold up well with the bumps and bangs that can happen below. dmax is likely right. Ash looks good and comes in clear pieces, which is important because knots weaken the wood. This leads to breaks, especially if there is a lot of curvature in the hull.