2026

Oct 19,

I've started sanding the interior of the boat. This is going to be a long process. There are a lot of unfinished surfaces that need cleaning up as well as sharp corners that need rounding off.  

2026,

 I've not done a whole lot on the boat this year. I've been distracted by other necessities.  I have done a lot of small stuff and lately I've been working on the ceiling proper. I decided to use 4x8' bead board purchased at the local Lowe Depot (Home Depot and Lowes seem pretty interchangeable). The quality is poor but it has potential and it's made from Southern Yellow Pine which is actually very durable. I mitigate the quality issue by  being very selective.  I rough cut the sheet to 14" x 48" and then do final fitting for each piece. Each piece is sanded and then defects are filled with stainable wood putty. The pieces are re-sanded include the bead.  I use a putty knife with sand paper around the knife to sand in the groove of the bead. I've set up a daddo to create a lap joint so I can use custom lengths. The lap joint is usually superior to the factory one.

Adding veneer to the plywood gusset end grain. Plywood edges should always be dressed. I usually prefer to cap the edges with a piece of wood. This gusset, being curved, lent itself to iron on veneer. I've used this stuff before and it is surprisingly durable. 

I finally got the last of these trim pieces installed on the edges of the bulkheads where the sheer clamp was installed. This one was a bit more difficult. The ply was only 3/8" and I need to use epoxy to fix them in place.

The stained bead board partially installed. No varnish yet. The stain was a little darker than I expected but it goes well with the floors.

A top view of the ceiling partially installed. There is a 1" gap between the bead board and bottom of the cabin top plywood. This will be filled with foam board for insulation after lights and wiring is installed. 

Another view of the ceiling. 

You can see the heavy use of filler on the bead board. The southern yellow pine used in this plywood is not the best quality. The knives that are used to cut the veneering will tear out the grain where the grain is not parallel to the surface. 

The sheet in the foreground has been sanded and most of the wood putty has been removed. The divots that are filled with the putty look like the grain because they follow the grain pattern. 

Once stained, it looks pretty good. 

Even the bead needs sanding. I use a putty knife with 100 grit sandpaper over the edge and move along the grove with a sideways motion. I use the same technique (except with a rag instead of sandpaper) to clean up the excess stain when staining. It's all a lot of work and time.