Marinette Boat Forum

One of the next projects for the boat (there's never an end to them.. ) is going to be the fabrication of a shelf running the length of the port and starboard bulkheads in the forward berth (about 8" from the overhead). I've seen them in pictures of some boats and think they would be a great addition. I'll line the outer edges of the shelves with mini-shelf posts and top that with a retaining railing.

My question... Has anyone done such a project and what wood type would you recommend. It's going to take a fair curve cutout of whatever wood I'm going to use and some type of plywood would seem to be the logical choice. I have a number of wood working tools but lack a planer or joiner which I'm guessing would be needed to create "planks" with enough width to then cut out a curved shelf base and/or rail (though a rail might be able to be "steamed" and then bent in a jig.

Suggestions?

Thx,
Bill

If I understand correctly, you want to make a high shelf for the forward berth. I would laminate the shelf out of thin boards set in a curve. Or make it in one piece from plywood and plan to have the railing cover the raw edge. Big thing is to make a pattern full size. Draw it on the floor or on cardboard or scrap plywood. The left and right sides should be mirror images, but may not be. Check to make sure. You can make a pattern by putting some boards or cardboard or 1/4 plywood up there. Tack, hot glue, or screw the pieces to the rough shape and then scribe to fit until you are happy with the fit. Or make a pattern by measuring offsets from a centerline. Stretch a string down the center at the right height and measure the offset to the hull every few inches and then lay it out on scrap plywood. A thin limber batten of wood or a long straightedge on edge will tie all your marks into a smooth curve. Draw out what you want to build first so you don't get any surprises. Should be an easy job with the right design. Might look at sailboat magazines at the library for ideas. I'm at 907-617-7832 Alaska time zone if you want to call. That's my 2 cents worth--Ed

Outstanding suggestions, Ed. Thanks a lot!!
Merry Christmas

Thanks, and I forgot to mention the wood species. My boat, and I would say most boats use Philippine mahogany. Should be easy to get at any lumber yard, maybe Lowes. Real teak is hard or impossible to find and very expensive. Teak will be a much harder wood, more like walnut. I would bet that all the other wood trim on your boat is mahogany also, so it will match. Very important to only ever use real spar varnish or an oil finish. The sunlight will destroy a varnish finish quickly if it does not have the UV protectants in the varnish. Good luck--Ed