So in late 2009 I became rather bored with my interior. For those that know me, I don't own a Sea Ray (although I did look at several) because the layout just didn't work for me when I was shopping for a sub 30' cruiser. What I liked about the Larson was the open cabin between the aft and V-birth. It's very conducive to conversation and it also gives the feeling of a larger area. I also liked the added headroom in the Larson where I have no issues standing (6'2"). What I did notice about the Sea Ray's was their interiors did have a plusher feel for the model years I was shopping for (mid/late 90's). I had this vision if you will, to design something that had some flavor of both models, with some added touch from me.
What do you guys think?
Here is the before -
Notice the bland colors and the ugly floral prints.
Initial plan -
1. New flooring (either new carpet or other)
2. New upholstery with redesigned look
3. Veneer salon and other paneling
4. New pillows
5. Larger flat screen tv
6. Limber hole repair (separate from interior)
Final plan -
1. After a long selection process, I selected Amtico flooring. I looked at real hardwood, flexiteek, other wood products, etc, but in the end I selected Amtico. Amtico is used in Hatteras yachts and other high end boats. I had the flooring cut to my specs (2" wide teak, 1/4" wide holly (actually beech)). The flooring is actually real wood veneers that are sandwiched between a base layer and a top layer. The materials are bonded to the floor substrate with Amtico's epoxy. I opted to redo the steps with new carpet and padding instead of the Amtico for added slip resistance.
2. I looked at many different upholstery fabrics and selected Spralding Whisper Ultraleather. Ultraleathers are actually vinyls that are coated with urethane for wear resistance and this brand also included a mildew product that keeps it down in the marine environment. This product has an awesome look and feel, excellent UV properties, cold crack resistance down to -20F, and it has excellent wear resistance (100,000 cycles, Wyzenbeek #8 cotton duck). I bought a walking foot juki machine and started practicing on dining room chairs. I finalized my design which you will see in the pictures. I opted for a vertical pleat pattern as opposed to the original horizontal pattern on the backrest. I kept the original look on the seat portion. After I started sewing, my buddy heard about my project and sent his family friend over who was an upholstery for 40 some years to check it out. He said he was looking for a job to keep him mentally going. He gave me a price which was peanuts as opposed to my time. I said here, take the rest of the pieces and finish it. I also sewed up a new aft cabin mattress cover with a checker/diamond finish.
3. I originally was going to do a cherry veneer. I selected materials and started disassembling the salon. At the 50% mark, we ended up moving. Between moving expenses, lack of time, etc, I decided to put this one on hold. In the end, I may not have to do it anyway because the color actually compliments the new fabrics very well.
4. I selected nautical themed canvas to sew some new pillows up. You can see the pictures below. One picture shows one completed pillow.
5. I received a 26" Vizio for Xmas. I purchased a mount online and I'm still in the process of mounting it this week. I will post those pictures up shortly.
6. I had an issue in the summer with my limber holes. I had a heavy rain at the marina and my drain holes on the hatch got plugged with sand/dirt. The water flowed over the top and into the bilge. After I vacuumed out the bilge, several days later I noticed water seeping from the limber holes on both sides. It appeared as though the 3M 5200 separated from the PVC tubes and water penetrated and was now leaking. I ended up pulling the tubes out to fiberglass in actual fiberglass tubes. When I pulled out the tubes, I realized it wasn't PVC but sanitation hose. -1 to Larson for skimping out on this. I found no rot when I pulled the tubes, just a little dampness. I dried everything out for several weeks while I worked on other things. I cut the new tubes to fit, mixed up some epoxy and thickened it with carbosil. I puttied them in and them put two layers on glass over top. When everything dried, I cut out the hole for the tube with my dremel, mixed up another bath of epoxy, and sealed the edge on the tubes. I just put my first coast of paint on them last night. I will follow up with some more pics on that repair.
Here is the final product. The floor is complete and so is the upholstery along with the navy trimming (converted from the hunter green). The pictures lack the nautical pillows as well as the upgraded TV. I will get some more when I finish it up this week.
What do you guys think?
Here is the before -
Notice the bland colors and the ugly floral prints.
Initial plan -
1. New flooring (either new carpet or other)
2. New upholstery with redesigned look
3. Veneer salon and other paneling
4. New pillows
5. Larger flat screen tv
6. Limber hole repair (separate from interior)
Final plan -
1. After a long selection process, I selected Amtico flooring. I looked at real hardwood, flexiteek, other wood products, etc, but in the end I selected Amtico. Amtico is used in Hatteras yachts and other high end boats. I had the flooring cut to my specs (2" wide teak, 1/4" wide holly (actually beech)). The flooring is actually real wood veneers that are sandwiched between a base layer and a top layer. The materials are bonded to the floor substrate with Amtico's epoxy. I opted to redo the steps with new carpet and padding instead of the Amtico for added slip resistance.
2. I looked at many different upholstery fabrics and selected Spralding Whisper Ultraleather. Ultraleathers are actually vinyls that are coated with urethane for wear resistance and this brand also included a mildew product that keeps it down in the marine environment. This product has an awesome look and feel, excellent UV properties, cold crack resistance down to -20F, and it has excellent wear resistance (100,000 cycles, Wyzenbeek #8 cotton duck). I bought a walking foot juki machine and started practicing on dining room chairs. I finalized my design which you will see in the pictures. I opted for a vertical pleat pattern as opposed to the original horizontal pattern on the backrest. I kept the original look on the seat portion. After I started sewing, my buddy heard about my project and sent his family friend over who was an upholstery for 40 some years to check it out. He said he was looking for a job to keep him mentally going. He gave me a price which was peanuts as opposed to my time. I said here, take the rest of the pieces and finish it. I also sewed up a new aft cabin mattress cover with a checker/diamond finish.
3. I originally was going to do a cherry veneer. I selected materials and started disassembling the salon. At the 50% mark, we ended up moving. Between moving expenses, lack of time, etc, I decided to put this one on hold. In the end, I may not have to do it anyway because the color actually compliments the new fabrics very well.
4. I selected nautical themed canvas to sew some new pillows up. You can see the pictures below. One picture shows one completed pillow.
5. I received a 26" Vizio for Xmas. I purchased a mount online and I'm still in the process of mounting it this week. I will post those pictures up shortly.
6. I had an issue in the summer with my limber holes. I had a heavy rain at the marina and my drain holes on the hatch got plugged with sand/dirt. The water flowed over the top and into the bilge. After I vacuumed out the bilge, several days later I noticed water seeping from the limber holes on both sides. It appeared as though the 3M 5200 separated from the PVC tubes and water penetrated and was now leaking. I ended up pulling the tubes out to fiberglass in actual fiberglass tubes. When I pulled out the tubes, I realized it wasn't PVC but sanitation hose. -1 to Larson for skimping out on this. I found no rot when I pulled the tubes, just a little dampness. I dried everything out for several weeks while I worked on other things. I cut the new tubes to fit, mixed up some epoxy and thickened it with carbosil. I puttied them in and them put two layers on glass over top. When everything dried, I cut out the hole for the tube with my dremel, mixed up another bath of epoxy, and sealed the edge on the tubes. I just put my first coast of paint on them last night. I will follow up with some more pics on that repair.
Here is the final product. The floor is complete and so is the upholstery along with the navy trimming (converted from the hunter green). The pictures lack the nautical pillows as well as the upgraded TV. I will get some more when I finish it up this week.
