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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Any painted bulkheads out there?

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monty0
1st Mate

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USA
51 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/02/2007 : 18:45:26

I'm thinking of painting the bulkhead of our '77 Catalina 25. Any suggestions or pictures related to this out there?

Monty

1977 Catalina 25 #66 SRSK "Prana"

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/02/2007 : 19:34:36

My suggestion would be to cover the wood in a nice veneer and do some nice inlays and other woodwork then stain it.

Just not a fan of the painted wood look..

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djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts

Response Posted - 05/02/2007 : 21:25:36

Im with Duane on this one. I like pretty wood. Cheers.

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 05/02/2007 : 22:24:55

Another way to look at it is... The more expensive the sailboat, the more wood you'll find in the cabin. (I love the natural cherry interiors in Sabres and Hinckleys!) Conversely, the cheaper the sailboat, the whiter the interior (think MacGreggor). Bright, white, and cheap.

The bulkheads are teak veneer--with some Howard's Restore-a-Finish and wax, they can look very rich. With some white paint,.........

YMMV

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 05/02/2007 22:31:04

monty0
1st Mate

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USA
51 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2007 : 09:46:28

Thanks for the advice for keeping the wooden bulk head. I wasn't sure if the wood surface was indeed wood or a picture of wood glued to plywood. The pattern on the bulkhead looked artificial. My understanding now is that it's a teak veneer. I think I'll go with the Howard's Restore.

I am still wondering how to brighten up the cabin. Maybe some new upholstery or some colored paint in strategic places on the cabin walls, like the panels behind the wooden shelves. The cabin looks a little dingy now and could us something to brighten the interior. I painted the inside of the lockers and the bilge and it certainly made them look better. Any advice here on color in the cabin?

Thanks again.

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2007 : 10:12:00

Monty... Here's how mine looked with light-colored cushions. Actually, they were all new (including foam) covered in Sunbrella linen-finish upholstery fabric--a very nice look and feel IMHO.

I'm not big on the idea of painting over the interior gelcoat--try some cleaner-wax on it first. Once you paint it, you could have a mess you'll never recover from. Replacing that table wouldn't be a bad move, however--either with real wood (as several have done) or a less ugly laminate.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 05/06/2007 10:15:47

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2007 : 11:55:52

When I bought my previous boat, C-25 #1205, the interior wood was all faded and very dingy looking. I put three coats of Cetol on everything including the main bulkheads, and it looked great. Cetol is generally pretty expensive, but I had bought a gallon can of it at 50% off at a big West Marine end-of-season clearance sale. If you go that route, you need to wear a respirator or open all the hatches and windows and use at least one big fan to blow fresh air through the boat while you paint. Cetol uses some kind of volatile solvent that will fill the boat with enough fumes to knock you for a loop if you have insufficient ventilation. Also, use dropcloths and be careful to mask off anything you don't intend to paint; Cetol stains fiberglass almost on contact and it's practically impossible to clean it off of non-skid surfaces like the cabin sole.

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Mark Maxwell
Captain

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USA
329 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2007 : 17:46:20

There are some bulk heads out there that have faux wood contact paper on plywood. Both my C22 and my C25 have this cheaper option.....I hate it......, no amount of oil/cetol brings it back. I have thought about putting on some nice wall paper, as a temporary fix until I can do some kind of wood inlay. I did paint the forward side (head side) and it came out nice. The paper was peeling and sections of the plywood were showing. I first filled the peeled sections with thin layers of spackle then sanded with 250 and painted. I took a color sample of the gel coat to Home Depot and they were able to match the color very close.

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monty0
1st Mate

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USA
51 Posts

Response Posted - 05/25/2007 : 16:02:16

I took some sandpaper to my bulkhead, and found out that I to had some faux wood. I didn't go through the contact paper to the plywood. It looked fake to me from the beginning ... sure wish I had the pretty wood you have. Not sure what I will do now...

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crcalhoon
Captain

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USA
303 Posts

Response Posted - 05/26/2007 : 10:18:21

If your bulkheads are in good condition and not rotted out, then making new ones is pretty easy, as you can use the old ones for router templates. I did mine in birch and just stained them a color I thought was pretty. My two main bulkheads were badly rotted, so I had to project the lines and it took a little fitting, but it is not as big a project as it first appears. Total cost, two sheets of 1/2 inch birch ply, a small can of stain and a quart of varnish, less than $100.00.

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bmelchionda
1st Mate

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63 Posts

Response Posted - 06/04/2007 : 09:50:04

crcalhoon: Since you replaced your bulkheads, you probably know the answer to this question. Were the sides of the bulkheads bonded to the cabin interior? Or are they fit into place and screwed in at various points? I need to replace mine due to some water damage and the project seems easy enough if I'm able to easily remove the old bulkheads without damaging and trace them.

Thanks!

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crcalhoon
Captain

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USA
303 Posts

Response Posted - 06/04/2007 : 14:26:45

The bulkheads are not bonded in, they are simply screwed. I was able to put a few more screws in mine than Catalina did. Don't know that it matters, as what they put in was obviously adequate since 1979. I have the added advantage that now, when I get in a little seaway, (well, o.k., lakeway) the bulkheads creak just enough to remind me of my old Cape Dory, which could sing you a lullaby under way.

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bmelchionda
1st Mate

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63 Posts

Response Posted - 06/04/2007 : 15:31:36

Thank you!

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