1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 refit

[q240z]

How do you apply the pressure to hold the veneer while the epoxy sets?

In the pictures of the linked blog article, you can see the clamps and other heavy stuff I used to press them together.

[Bernhard]

I put an epoxy cored carbon fiber sole in my ‘67 Hatt. Made the whole thing removable hatches for easy engine room access

[Bernhard]

Use a vacuum bag to hold veneer while the epoxy sets

[q240z]

Slick sole you've got there.

If I was doing this for a living, vacuum and a proper table would be the way to go. But once this is done I never intend to stir another pot of epoxy.

[q240z]

After trimming the veneers, finishing the joint edges, and sending the veneered panels off to be sprayed with ICA base coat clear, I wrapped up the last of the dry-fitting for the last V-berth cabinet. I can't explain how I managed to do it, but all of the joints are really tight...even the ones with odd angles. It's a mystery how they turned out that way, but I'll take it when the goddess of the seas smiles on me!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Final Dry-Fitting the Last V-berth Cabinet

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

With the dry-fit done, I took the whole shebang apart, insulated the backsides of the panels, then glued and screwed the last of the cabinet panels into the V-berth. It turned out pretty nice!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Final Installation of the Last V-berth Cabinet

Cheers,
Q

Taken apart down to the bones


Glued and screwed...installation complete

[q240z]

I finally wrapped up the last of the veneer panel work in the V-berth. That's a major step toward finally getting just one of the living spaces finished. Once I've got usable living space, I can save many hours of commuting time on the weekend by staying overnight on the boat. And that's time I can devote to getting more stuff done.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Final V-berth Veneers

Happy Thanksgiving!
Q

[SKYCHENEY]

How do you decide which way to run the wood grain?

On my boat, it all runs vertical but many new boats I see have it running horizontal. Maybe I'm looking at it wrong, but you seem to have both.

[q240z]

It kind of depends on what's in the space, what kind of wood I'm working with, and how much I've got left. For most of the horizontal panels in rotary cut ply, I run the grain vertical in spaces where there's no original Chris Craft cabinetry or walls. But, for example, in the salon Chris Craft oriented the grain horizontal. So I match that orientation. But in the salon there will be a settee, just like the one that came originally. The back panel for it faces the galley, and Chris Craft oriented that grain vertically. The original galley cabinet in that area also has vertical grain, so it seems they mixed it up. I plan to do the same when I build the settee.

An alternative would be to order custom plywood sheets with the grain running vertically, but that gets very expensive very fast. Painting or covering panels with Whisper Wall material is another approach but, again, that's an expensive option. If it bothers me or the missus when it's all done, we can always paint or cover later.

[yachtsmanbill]

When horizontal, CC ribbon stripe has an "up" and a "down" side. That's why the panels around that port side portlight don't match