So I am very very very slowly doing up my 1970 something New Zealand build Cavalier 32. I have invested in a table saw and other wood working tools and have been making a few things here and there. I want to pull out the really ugly head liner/carpet and I want to install some varnished wood battens. I like the idea of a darker wood.

I live in Geelong. There are a few timber stores around but not as many as when I lived in Sydney and the lockdowns making perusing a bit difficult. So I am looking for a source of timber that is readily available from the common stores like Bowens, Mitre 10 or even Bunnings.

Readily available I can find spotted gum, Tasmanian Oak, Western Red Cedar and all the timbers used for making decking.

Can anyone recommend a readily available timber that would make great ceiling battens?

I can rip it down to size etc.

Western Red Cedar is a durable soft wood, that would be my choice. Its been widely used in custom yachts, my own has a deck made with Western Red strip planking.

See if you can find yourself some Paulownia, it is awesome to work with. They make surfboards out of it. It's Lighter and doesn't splinter like Cedar, takes stain like a boss, and doesn't rot. It's a softwood with a tight hardwood tight grain. I have used it extensively and rate it well above cedar.
Cheers

I used pine panelling in Ramona. I selected as much knot-free stuff as I could. I would have used cedar but the cost was just too much. I finished it off with floor clear instead of varnish. I suppose you could stain it a dark colour.

Hi, personally I prefer a lighter coloured ceiling, makes the cabin feel roomier and brighter and I do like western red cedar although the other suggesion sounds good as well. Any timber can be given a limed finish which allows the grain to shine through but still allows the light and airy feel.

So we are talking battens to cover the joins of some sort of paneling? If so then of the choices offered western red would be the go. Or I think simply Oregon might be in you area, worth a look, there's some new old growth coming into the market if that sense. I love Aussie hardwoods but a tad heavy for pleasure boating IMHO

I used tongue and groove pine with teak edge strips. The link is to a Joulbert 47 on Facebook this morning. From the photos, the deckhead appears to be cedar planking and might give you some ins right on what to expect.

www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/386922572849421/?media_id=0&ref=share_attachment

Call me crazy but have you considered a product like Weathertex weather groove smooth 75 it's used in cladding buildings and you would want to paint it out white but it would given you a nice batten finish and probably curve easy given it's 9.5mm when perpendicular to the grooves .


narangbatimbers.com.au/product/weathergroove-smooth-75mm-1196x3660/?utm_source=Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=Google%20Merchant%20Feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=26576&gclid=CjwKCAjw3riIBhAwEiwAzD3TiTrEKQElVI8dIk0o-5jJ73D2VpDTu7IZ8aJHYdLZrn8jQ0PLGCTDixoCWM4QAvD_BwE

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lemodular said..
Call me crazy but have you considered a product like Weathertex weather groove smooth 75 it's used in cladding buildings and you would want to paint it out white but it would given you a nice batten finish and probably curve easy given it's 9.5mm when perpendicular to the grooves .


narangbatimbers.com.au/product/weathergroove-smooth-75mm-1196x3660/?utm_source=Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=Google%20Merchant%20Feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=26576&gclid=CjwKCAjw3riIBhAwEiwAzD3TiTrEKQElVI8dIk0o-5jJ73D2VpDTu7IZ8aJHYdLZrn8jQ0PLGCTDixoCWM4QAvD_BwE

Thanks. I had considered something like this but in a plastic like material. But I have decided to go with Batens as I fancy them. Some of the old salt house boats also had battens as well.

Tongue and groove has the advantage of just removing some planks to access wiring if you have too. I worked from the outside in with a covering strip in the centre. That way the aerial wires and electrical cables for the mast can be accessed by removing the centre strip and one plank only.

A light coloured panel board with timber cover battens, not hard to do, light reflective, access for wiring, easy clean,

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woko said..
A light coloured panel board with timber cover battens, not hard to do, light reflective, access for wiring, easy clean,

How do you attach the panels to the ceiling of the cabin? I don't see any screws through the panels.

Cheers,
Kinora

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woko said..
A light coloured panel board with timber cover battens, not hard to do, light reflective, access for wiring, easy clean,

Hi woko.

I had considered that with PVC boards. It does look very nice. My main issue is that the ceiling has two levels to it and I wasnt sure how to cover the sloping section in between . See photo of my boat interior.

So my current plan is to do battens covering the front section. See an example of a Cavlier 39 with ceiling battens and a piece of wood glued over that sloping section (possibly it is ply but I am not too sure). One reason I think it wont be too hard is because the end off the battens done have to be covered. I will round them with my router so they look presentable.

Select to expand quote

lemodular said..
Call me crazy but have you considered a product like Weathertex weather groove smooth 75 it's used in cladding buildings and you would want to paint it out white but it would given you a nice batten finish and probably curve easy given it's 9.5mm when perpendicular to the grooves .


narangbatimbers.com.au/product/weathergroove-smooth-75mm-1196x3660/?utm_source=Google%20Shopping&utm_campaign=Google%20Merchant%20Feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=26576&gclid=CjwKCAjw3riIBhAwEiwAzD3TiTrEKQElVI8dIk0o-5jJ73D2VpDTu7IZ8aJHYdLZrn8jQ0PLGCTDixoCWM4QAvD_BwE

I had looked at something like this but made of PVC but could only find it on ebay. Looks good. I was thinking of putting something like this on the bulkheads. Or possibly a cedar cladding.

40x8 DAR ?? would that suit

www.cedarsales.com.au/screening-square-dressed/dressed-all-round-dar

You could go with no lining and just paint it. this is a pic of my boat. I quite like that I can see where all the deck hardware comes through, less places for leaks to hide.

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cammd said..
You could go with no lining and just paint it. this is a pic of my boat. I quite like that I can see where all the deck hardware comes through, less places for leaks to hide.

That looks amazing. however what is under the head lining is rough woven fibreglass. I am actually going to have a go at fairing some parts of it but I am not confident in doing the lot and getting a result like what you have

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Kinora said..

woko said..
A light coloured panel board with timber cover battens, not hard to do, light reflective, access for wiring, easy clean,

How do you attach the panels to the ceiling of the cabin? I don't see any screws through the panels.

Cheers,
Kinora

The panels are tacked up to the deck beams with screws & and the cover strips are not only to hide a certain amount of hack, but add to the integrity of the ceiling

Painting rough glass does come up ok, saves a loss of headroom and easy to clean

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woko said..

Kinora said..

woko said..
A light coloured panel board with timber cover battens, not hard to do, light reflective, access for wiring, easy clean,

How do you attach the panels to the ceiling of the cabin? I don't see any screws through the panels.

Cheers,
Kinora

The panels are tacked up to the deck beams with screws & and the cover strips are not only to hide a certain amount of hack, but add to the integrity of the ceiling

Thanks, woko.

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cammd said..
You could go with no lining and just paint it. this is a pic of my boat. I quite like that I can see where all the deck hardware comes through, less places for leaks to hide.

The paintwork on that deckhead is exceptional! On Ricochet I have a varnished ply deckhead in the saloon while in the cabin deckhead over the galley and chart table I have tossed the lining and have just a painted finish with all the hardware bolts exposed. The last couple of days I have been body filling all the little defects in the cabin side that I can see from the chart table that will annoy me if I don't fix it now.

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Ramona said..

On Ricochet I have a varnished ply deckhead in the saloon while in the cabin deckhead over the galley and chart table I have tossed the lining and have just a painted finish with all the hardware bolts exposed. The last couple of days I have been body filling all the little defects in the cabin side that I can see from the chart table that will annoy me if I don't fix it now.

Would be nice to see a pic if you have one available, here's another photo that show's some defect's under the paint on the cabin side, I guess they are leftover's from the construction process, probably where boards were fastened to the mold I am thinking but not really sure.

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Newmo said..







Painting rough glass does come up ok, saves a loss of headroom and easy to clean

Looks good.

In the V-Berth on my boat they painted the ceiling and walls. After 20 years it is a flaky mess....

Hey mate I was very careful to strip everything off, a very big job. The glue from the headliner carpet was a P.I.T.A to get off. I found a wire wheel on a drill did the job, a little dusty though but got it done .cleaned it well. The paint is was done in 3 coats of Interprotect Epoxy left over from the bottom paint, half a can left over seemed a shame to waste it. The pics is the first coat. That stuff isn't going anywhere soon.

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cammd said..
You could go with no lining and just paint it. this is a pic of my boat. I quite like that I can see where all the deck hardware comes through, less places for leaks to hide.

Oooooh very nice indeed!!! Sayer????

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jbarnes85 said..

woko said..
A light coloured panel board with timber cover battens, not hard to do, light reflective, access for wiring, easy clean,

Hi woko.

I had considered that with PVC boards. It does look very nice. My main issue is that the ceiling has two levels to it and I wasnt sure how to cover the sloping section in between . See photo of my boat interior.

So my current plan is to do battens covering the front section. See an example of a Cavlier 39 with ceiling battens and a piece of wood glued over that sloping section (possibly it is ply but I am not too sure). One reason I think it wont be too hard is because the end off the battens done have to be covered. I will round them with my router so they look presentable.

Could you use some lightweight ply sheets popped up into the ceiling? The battens and underlying structure, as seen in the lovely Cav 39, could cost you a fair bit of headroom.

Like you, I don't have access to a speciality wood shop - only a Bunnings. I used their marine ply for fitting out my shed and the boathouse, and certainly wouldn't have it on a boat. It's not all bad, but at least one sheet had bad voids, and there's something about the texture that un-nerves me. The specialists are happy to ship their good stuff.

In Sydney, and I assume Melbourne, there's some places that purchase salvaged timber from old houses. You can get Australian cedar, kauri floorboards and other timber that's just not around anymore. It may be worth a drive, particularly for the sloping section.

The other nice thing about using salvaged timber is that it you can tell people that you're being a responsible enthusiast by using salvaged wood, and pretend that some of the stuff-ups are actually the fault of the guy who used the wood in the 1930s. That's my excuse!