Inside Me Voy

Part of our galley, this cabinet will hold silverware and various cooking instruments in the drawers, with rear storage for sacks of various grains and flours. We chose to coat it with grey Bilgecoat, for its durability and mold resistance.

Tool storage area and future workshop

Travis has been hard it at it the last several weeks, sanding all bulkheads, constructing new storage bins, making mouldings, and giving all storage cabinets  a nice coat of paint.  We have chosen to paint the interior of all the holds with Bilgecoat. This paint, designed to paint the inside of bilges, provides great coverage and is resistant to moisture and therefore mold. It smells sweet and deadly when applying, and a respirator is a must if you value your nervous system. It comes in both grey and white and when dry makes for a very durable glossy finish.

In addition to sanding and building, T has also been busy stripping the teak floor in the boat.  He was going to use the previously mentioned Citrus strip, but after experimenting on a section of floor decided to use the belt sander instead. The Citrus strip did take the layers of varnish and drips of paint and epoxy off, but it kept the floor wet, and this would have slowed the refinishing process significantly. So, for the sake of progress, T asked our trusty belt sander to dance instead. It was however, a short number as after their tango around the salon, the belt drive split in two and belt sander was left to sit on the benches awaiting a new belt. Such is progress.

Going with the flow, Travis decided to focus on the smaller and finer finishing details, such as hand carving some mouldings. I could tell he was really excited about this project when I came home and he beamed as he showed me a  stick of mahogany with some chisel marks of it. "I think I got it figured out" he said, as he lovingly ran his gaze along the piece of scrap wood. Turns out he did get it figured out, as his hand carved piece matches exactly the original cabinet moulding.

The new moulding matches the original profile exactly with only the color variation giving away its secret

The belt sander was soon ready to dance again, and like magic  (magic to me, painfully un-magic like to Travis) the floor was stripped and covered with paper. 

Then began the process of refinishing the interior. We wanted to get this done before the countertops and upper cabinets were made. That way instead of facing the daunting task of refinishing the entire interior at once,  we only had to do the remaining new construction. 

The product we chose for the finish was the Epifanes matte finish. We both prefer the softness of the matte to a glossy surface, and the Epifanes, although more expensive then most varnishes or urethanes has its advantages. For one with the Rapid clear there is no sanding between coats, huge bonus there! Also even though the stuff costs more, you end up using much less of it then other less expensive finishes. Another bonus is its ease of application. Although the stuff tends to be rather thick, its very easy to apply and runs virtually disappear,  especially with the matte finish. I've also used the gloss Epifanes on our exterior varnish and noticed that I could slather the stuff on and it smoothes out beautifully. (The important thing to remember with the gloss varnish is not to apply it in direct sunlight as it "flashes"and becomes a matte finish. ) 

Interior finishing with Epifanes Matte Finish. Have you seen a prettier boat?

As March comes to a close it seems we are a few months away from completing Me Voy  and being ready to move aboard. It sounds incredible to even say that, but it really looks like we may be living aboard the prettiest boat ever very soon.