Refinsihing the Cabin Sole with Lonseal

On s/v C'est la Vie, Jeff and Anne thought the cabin sole was looking poorly, and used a novel approach to spiffing it up. This is Part I of a two-part series:

When does a project actually begin?

I maintain a project list in the form a a spreadsheet.  The projects are assigned a 1 through 5 priority, with 1 being the most urgent need. Refinishing the cabin sole rose a number one priority after enduring rough crossing from Wilmington, NC to Green Turtle, Abacos in which the varnished sole became wet and resembled a ice skating rink (see Happiest Thanksgivings To All.)  Did the project begin when it rose to the top of the list?

Last spring on our drive north to drop our car in Beaufort, we stopped by Seafarer Marine to pick up Lonseal Flooring and adhesive.  I felt sure that during hurricane season while hauled out in Beaufort I would get the new sole installed, but then the engine haul out consumed my fall. (see Success C'est la Vie's Engine Is Out.)  Did the project begin when we purchased the materials?

In February of this year I announced to the world on this blog that the cabin sole refinishing project was underway (see Refinishing C'est la Vie's Cabin Sole.).  I pulled the flooring out of storage, removed the tiny quarter round trim, and ripped up some of the old veneer.  In the process I realized the interior brightwork had lost its luster.  Recognizing the mess that sanding all the interior wood would create, I put the sole project on hold.  Did the project begin when I shared it with the world?

I can now stand before you all, two and a half years after the project rose to a top priority, one year after purchasing the materials, and over one month after a false start and confirm that the cabin sole project is underway.

The Lonseal Flooring is a textured, flexible, mat approximately 1/8" thick.

Lonseal Flooring laid out atop a 4'x8' work bench

Seafarer sold it by the linear foot off a 6 foot wide roll.  We purchased 8 feet (48 square feet) and a gallon of the 2 part Lonseal adhesive #300.

Initially I planned to create cardboard templates of the cabin sole, but some of the complex joints proved difficult to capture in cardboard.  Based on past successes with plastic sheeting as templates when sewing, I switched materials.

using plastic sheeting  to trace out cabin sole sections

The plastic proved ideal for capturing the shape of the floor sections, but less effective than cardboard to test fitting all the pieces. No problem... I transferred the plastic patterns to the cardboard.

The cardboard provided stiff templates that I could piece together for test fitting on C'est la Vie's sole.

test fitting cardboard templates in C'est la Vie

Once satisfied with the fit, I removed the center panels from the boat and together with the cardboard reconstructed a portion of C'est la Vie's cabin sole  atop the Lonseal.

Laying it out in this manner allowed me to ensure the holly strips would line up well along the length of the galley and salon.  The material proved relatively easy to cut with a razor knife and straight edge.

using a razor knife an straight edge to cut the Lonseal Flooring

The curves were cut free hand.   Some of the shapes. like the one below that fits around the galley sinks, proved quite whimsical.

I chose to begin the glueing with three of C'est la Vie's removable floor panels.  This allowed me to work with the unfamiliar two part Lonseal adhesive #300 in a more ergonomic environment than the hull of the boat.

gluing the new flooring down
(pssst:  don't tell Anne I used her rolling pin.)

Albeit sticky and slimy at the same time the glue proved easy with which to work.  It must be troweled on, but has a long open working time.  The total dry time is 72 hours.  Checking the work this morning 14 hours after application, I am pleased with the results.

To Be Continued....