Fitting a Solid Wood Cabin Sole - Part 1 (Project Lottie Ep27)

Fitting a solid wood “Teak and Holly” planked floor was always part of the plan for Lottie ever since pulling the old floor and water tank out of this Contessa 32. Fitting this stunning floor has been a fun woodworking project to undertake and a real milestone to have competed.
I’m thirsty after all that talking, buy me a beer?…. www.paypal.me/...
If you have enjoyed this video and/or learned something you can now buy me a beer using the link above to make a donation to the channel. If I end up with more beer tokens than I need then I will put your donations towards a better camera, lighting and other equipment so it ultimately benefits you the viewer. I don’t do Patreon, I don’t sell T shirts but you can help support this growing channel. Thank you
Links to products in this video*
Veritas flush cut saw (similar to mine) - amzn.to/409u9AF
Bosch palm router (newer version than mine) - amzn.to/3Sa8bLW
*These are Amazon affiliate links - the are no more expensive to you but I get a tiny commission payment if you buy the product using my link.
My thanks to the owners of these boats for giving me permission to create this content based on the refit of their boats.
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About Me
I run a small business called The Solent Boat Butler and spend my days repairing, maintaining and refitting sailing boats (often Contessa 32’s due to my long experience with them). I'm mostly in the central Solent area of the UK. Being a cruising and racing sailor with many thousands of inshore and offshore sea miles logged I like to think that I bring a great deal of real-world experience to my work and help many new (and not so new) boat owners to improve and maintain their boats. When I'm not fixing boats I also provide some own-boat sail training, help owners with deliveries, provide pre-purchase inspections and deliver consultancy services to those that are refitting their own boats for cruising or racing.
Facebook - thesolentboatbutler
Instagram - @george_the_boat_butler
Instagram - @refitandsail
Website - www.solentboatbutler.co.uk
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Disclaimer
I hope that viewers both enjoy and learn something from my videos but please remember to take the appropriate precautions for any DIY refit works you undertake with appropriate PPE and the correct tools for the job. If you are in any way unsure as to how to go about a project or are unsure if something on your boat is safe please consult a professional. I don’t necessarily show every step of how to do a particular job so only take on a project if you know exactly what you are doing or consult a professional, I accept no liability for errors or omissions in this video, it is for entertainment purposes only.
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Music credits
Intro Music: Bensound.com
Other Music: epidemicsound.com

[@olemanjim1415]

George I'd call that floor what it is, a maple floor because there's nothing wrong with that. Maple is a fine wood and you're doing an excellent job with the installation. Your customer will be well served. Now that we've identified it as maple, it's a simple matter to differentiate the two as light maple or dark maple, easy enough. Glad to be of help George 😁 Keep up the good work, and do the hats and tee shirts, I'll buy one of each. Be well my friend!

[@RefitandSail]

Thanks. There is both light and dark maple but the thermal treatment makes the maple the teak colour so works work for this application. Shame it’s not suitable for use outside.

[@officialkalifornia]

get the t-shirts going!

[@RefitandSail]

Looking into options…. It’s part of a wider/larger piece of work to develop a website and other supporting platform for Refit and Sail…. Won’t let the whole cat out the bag here though.

[@johnv9887]

19:20 yes t shirts and ball caps please. Love the channel, keep up the good work.

[@RefitandSail]

Cool, thanks!

[@aw4austin1]

Beautiful work! T-shirt, yes, please.

[@RefitandSail]

Thanks!

[@todddunn945]

I built a similar cabin sole from cherry and white maple. I started by epoxy gluing the maple strips to the cherry. Then I glued individual cherry/maple pieces down. I found it handy to drive stainless steel brads part way in next to the sole strips to hold them in place for the glue up. I used lead wrights too, but epoxy is rather slippery and the stainless brad nails kept the wood strips from moving. Of course I removed the brads when each batch of epoxy set up. Do be careful to fully seal all edges of the maple because it will discolor if it gets wet.

[@RefitandSail]

Sounds good. You are one of the few watching that will know first had how long it can take to get a good result! Thanks for the comment

[@damianhind7330]

Looks good. For when you've pulled up the floor might be worth you having a 18mm OSB "dummy" floor that you can drop in whilst working, so you've got something flat to stand on and you can take from job to job - it's something I've seen done on construction sites.

[@1962gms]

Excellent work! You are making me rethink my Winter programme for the next 10 years! 😂

[@jsneds9838]

Amazing, the owner must be beside himself with anticipation of this beautiful refit and sail. Thank you for sharing your professional skills with us. I'd take a shirt or two.

[@RefitandSail]

Thanks. Yes he’s very much looking forward to splash day!

[@Topsailor-iw4ql]

Yep I’d buy a cap for a bit of Fun and a T shirt but expect a bit of Micky taking. Very nice work indeed

[@RefitandSail]

Thanks. I don’t think there would be any Micky taking… “Refit and sail” is why we are here 😊

[@alstovalljr]

Hey, George . . . Relatively new subscriber but have binge-watched to date and concluded, early on, that you’re one of the coolest cats in the sailing business. So, my vote is . . . Swag - yes! Will wear it with pride, man!

[@RefitandSail]

Haha, it’s the first time I have been called that but have definitely been called worse names 😂. Thanks for the comment.

[@kbbarton1]

That cabin sole looks amazing! I'd quite happily wear a Refit & Sail t-shirt.

[@RefitandSail]

Cool, thanks very much.

[@duncanvincent9106]

nice job! - what a blast down memory lane for me. I spent hours on my uncles Contessa 32 during the late 70's and 80's out from Chichester to all over the Solent and across the Channel. So interesting to see the inside of this boat again!

[@normanboyes4983]

Nice work George - looks beautiful. Do not envy you the sloping bits.

[@basilismavrogiorgis4343]

Thanks very much for your reply. Keep up the good work.

[@SK-ux9xi]

Could you please provide information on using fiberglass inserts or threading into fiberglass directly for high-vibration applications like mounting engines, heavy watermakers, or generators on board? I couldn't find any useful videos on this topic and was wondering if you could consider covering it in the future.

[@richardayres2949]

Wow, what a star, mentioned the floor last week and you deliver. Thank you very much very helpful.

[@matthewharding6245]

Beautiful, meticulous work

[@RefitandSail]

Thank you 😊

[@flipdover]

I wish I found your channel 6 months ago! I started doing my own flooring job and had to figure it out on my own. Oddly I did mine very similar to the way you did yours. Some differences but install was very similar.

[@appick01]

Top notch work! It looks fantastic and your attention to detail is is superb.

[@RefitandSail]

Thanks Andrew!

[@patricerigaud3970]

All you need is glove ! (Franck ZAPPA) ;)

[@RefitandSail]

😅😂

[@goodq]

Absolutely amazing. Thank you George

[@smallprojectscompleted]

Really nice craftsmanship! Well done George..

[@c.a.mcneil7599]

Nice and clean and beautiful

[@adrianlundgren1074]

Nice work man. You boosted my insperation too continue my own boat projekt. Have a Nice weekend ⛵️⛵️

[@normanrubenis7283]

Wow.... that floor...

[@RefitandSail]

Thanks. 😊

[@polderfischer8565]

Adding weight, costs and labour.......with a beautiful result! Greetings.

[@RefitandSail]

Not to much weight and it’s low down, won’t comment on the other two other than to say yes.

[@polderfischer8565]

@@RefitandSail ;-)

[@svlamancha9877]

Great video George I’ve never even heard of Thermal Modified Wood. The cabin sole is going to look beautiful. T shirts are a great idea. 👍

[@RefitandSail]

Thanks. Different sorts of thermally modified woods have been around for some time but not all are suitable for external marine use.

[@_instabil]

Your channel deserves a lot more follower. Keep on growing :)

[@_instabil]

PS: You did not wear gloves this time

[@RefitandSail]

Thanks, it’s growing nicely but there is a lot of good stuff out there and I have limited time to make the vids around work and other commitments. I really Apple ate the comment!

[@_instabil]

You are a very good presenter, sometimes I wish you had some time to show more details (like trimming the tricky end pieces at that slanted floor). But I may forget you are doing your job as a professional craftsman, not as a youtuber! Well, I am a professional KZbin viewer and I can say without a doubt, that you have all skills to be a DIY-influencer! Can I fly you in to Denmark if I have problems with my Bandholm? 🙂

[@RefitandSail]

@@_instabilthanks for the kind words… never been to Denmark and need an excuse!

[@thestorminmymind]

I would definitely buy a t-shirt please

[@TheMickybutler]

Love the floor effect, George and how you demonstrate the How To. Keep it up. What would you expect the life to be, of the varnish finish, with year-round use? Oh and I'd buy a Cap off you.

[@RefitandSail]

The life of the varnish coating is really down to use and abuse… If you are always bringing sand into the boat then that will damage the coating far quicker than clean bare feet. The reality is somewhere in-between. I used to give my floor a maintenance rub down and varnish every year on my old co32 with a similar floor.

[@TheMickybutler]

@@RefitandSail Thanks for the info, George.

[@mre2527]

Lovely work George - where can the heat treated maple be purchased from? Can’t find any online and was going to use iroko for my project

[@mre2527]

Bump

[@derekdidonato]

For goodness sake George, put on gloves. That was silly.

[@RefitandSail]

Haha, I literally and figuratively asked for that. Thanks !

[@knickebien1966]

19:11 A file with a right angle in is good for those corners, though the upstroke should be avoided.

[@RefitandSail]

Agree! I did try that on a couple of corners where then needed tidying.

[@torstenhansen4308]

For goodness sake George, wear a respirator! Epoxy can get your lungs too. Oh, nice work by the way.

[@RefitandSail]

I do try to not can’t if talking to camera but you’re not wrong!

[@conniefontenot2793]

Where did u get the holly strips ?

[@grahamm2015]

Excellent result. Any top tips matching the various section? As you started towards the stern and then the bow finally the centre of the cabin. Would it have been better to start in the centre and work for and aft. Apologies if you explain later.

[@RefitandSail]

Ahh, I may not have said in the video but I did work out a line though the boat from front to back to help get the different levels of floor to line up. Thanks for watching and the comment 😊

[@basilismavrogiorgis4343]

Hi George, your videos are captivating. Am I correct to assume that the floor, ply and teak and holly like, you are fitting are stuck permanently on the bearers? I have an ELIZABETHAN 35 built 1965 at Peter Webster's yard in Lymmington, very similar to C32s and I am thinking of doing the same, as currently the cabin sole is screwd on to the berearers and the bronze screws have worked loose. The boat is on the island of Samos in Greece otherwise I would asked you to quote for a similar restoration. Keep up the good work.

[@RefitandSail]

The plywood sub-floor is screwed down the the floor bearers below (you can see the fitting of that in an earlier vid). And then the “teak and Holly” laid on top of that.

[@churchofthegreenflipflop2436]

Another great video. Disrupted my working day - which isn't a bad thing! Do you have a rough idea of when the boat will be finished and ready for a relaunch?

[@RefitandSail]

Haha, sorry to disrupt your day but the video wasn’t going anywhere so maybe self control issue 😂 The answer is asap but still a few things to agree with the owner and waiting on bits (like all new upholstery).

[@gearoid4305]

Looks really well. Just wondering if thermal movement and expansion could be an issue?

[@RefitandSail]

Thermal movement shouldn’t be a issue, expansion and contraction from moisture content is a bigger problem with any wood but as it’s epoxy sealed on the bottom and sides and the top is sealed with varnish it’s unlikely to be an issue. Thanks for the comment .

[@waterboy8999]

That is one sweet looking floor George. The owner of this boat is going to be a bit of a show off I think.

[@kasperaagenas]

Looks great! Any thoughts on thickness, both in terms of headroom and weight?

[@RefitandSail]

When I fitted the new water tank and sun floor I made it as low as possible to give as much headroom as possible, the “teak and Holly” is only 8mm and taken into account when the heights for the subfloor was planned/set

[@knickebien1966]

12:45 I said to myself while watching, nitrile gloves and a respirator might be a good idea.

[@RefitandSail]

You’re not wrong! 😬

[@earthstick]

My boat has a carpet on the floor ad I hate it. I saw someone had done a cork floor in another boat. You can ge trolls of it f various thinkness and sizes, and looks like it would be easy to put down. Any thoughts on suitablility?

[@RefitandSail]

Cork can work well, it’s a little soft but that can be nice under bare feet, it’s also insulating

[@petrospapapanagiotou]

For goodness sake George, put some gloves! That was silly!!!

[@RefitandSail]

😂 thanks!

[@ammartinezguzman]

great finish although not a good idea for inspection to glue down

[@RefitandSail]

It’s glued to the sub-floor which is fixed apart from the opening hatches that can still be opened for inspection/access so I don’t think it’s an issue (and this is standard for this class of boat). Thanks for the comment and watching

[@ammartinezguzman]

@@RefitandSail I though you laminated the ply on top of the water tank.

[@RefitandSail]

@@ammartinezguzman the plywood subfloor is bonded down so not really removable but hatches allow access. May see odd if you are used to completely removable floors but it’s how all these boats are built. Beciae there is a water tank that is also bonded in under the floor having a completely removable flow would not achieve much as you you a just see the top of the tank (which is also glassed in and the two sides of the hull are bonded together with a sheet of laminate.

[@SlowCarToChina]

I always thought Teak and Holly flooring came in sheets, like plywood! 🤦‍♂️

[@RefitandSail]

In recent times that’s exactly how most boat builders buy it, a thin veneer on plywood, but it’s super thin and easily damaged or sanded through.

[@trevormackenzie2525]

Wear gloves with any chemicals, and be silly as you like.