No more Monkey Fur!

doke01

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 19, 2008
Messages
583
Fluid Motion Model
R-25 Classic
Hull Identification Number
FMLT2507I607
Vessel Name
Nauti Dream (2007)
I got tired of the old monkey fur on my 2007 R-25. There was no teak panelling on the cabin or v-berth walls or ceiling, unlike newer models. It was all monkey fur and it's all gone now.

Before: http://www.tugnuts.com/gallery2.php?g2_itemId=70201&g2_imageViewsIndex=1


After: http://www.tugnuts.com/gallery2.php?g2_itemId=70168






I literally ripped it all out, put cedar and teak panelling everywhere. Replaced V-berth header with pine and cedar, the headboards with foam backed-vinyl, and the cabin header with foam-backed vinyl. Added a cabinet in the V-berth, redid the cave in foam-backed vinyl (no pics of the cave yet), reupholstered, put in a new captain's chair, added new LED reading lights and flush LED lighting in the V-berth and cave with separate blue LED-backlit power switches and new insulation everywhere!

Also added a wifi booster and HDTV powered antenna, new cockpit seating and replaced cockpit teak doors (no pics of these yet). Also added AC venting to the V-berth and cave. Added some nice copper accents as well.

Don't ask how long it took 😉 The boat went in the water a little late this year.

[

Check out my Album for more details: http://www.tugnuts.com/gallery2.php?g2_itemId=70155

It feels like a new boat and the insulation made a huge difference when we used the AC. The new captain's chair is my favorite of all.
 
Looks awesome ! What a project. All that work paid off. Your custom interior and upholstery places your R25 as a one of a kind Ranger Tug. Nice Job!
 
Fantastic! Can you share with us where you got your teak paneling from, and an idea of the cost? I've got a sailboat I've been considering a similar treatment for.
 
Doug: What an awesome upgrade and obviously it was a labor of love. Well done. I don't blame you wanting to toss the monkey fur. Your 2007 R25 must be one of the first R25 models manufactured.
 
This looks absolutely stunning. Can you share the make & model of the helm seat and where you got it?
 
I used a boat seat from Tempress:

https://tempress.com/store/ProBax-Orthopedic-Boat-Seat-p95075250

With add-on armrests:

https://tempress.com/store/Add-On-Armrest-c25587031

Tempress has an awesome seat selection. Something for just about any budget and great quality.

Seat Slide (the locking handle was too short and I needed to pick up a longer one from Garelick):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001I0H3LK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Locking Seat Swivel:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BVV5WSM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bolted the seat swivel and seat slide together, bolted on the seat, and then bolted the entire thing onto a 1/2" thick piece of starboard, where I routed the edges for a nice finish. I used the original hinges.


They also have a bench seat that is just about a drop-in replacement for the cockpit seating on an R-25 classic (I installed this as well, need to upload pics):

https://tempress.com/store/31-Folding-Boat-Bench-Seat-p54481380
 
For insulation I used Reflectix, because it is thin with a good R rating, glues up easily, cuts with scissors, and can be built up to increase the R rating:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Reflectix-...ve-Roll-Insulation-48-in-W-x-100-ft-L/3775461

You can see it on the headliner in this picture:


I used 3M Hi-Strength 90 adhesive to attach it: https://www.lowes.com/pd/3M-17-6-fl-oz-Bonding-Clear-Multipurpose-Adhesive/1160531

For installing the wood:

I glued on 1/4" x 1" furring strips using the 3M adhesive as the base for installing the wood. I glued the insulation between the furring strips, then I then used adhesive and stainless screws in the v-berth, and adhesive and brass screws in the cabin, to affix the wood to the furring strips. I also loosened the window frames in the cabin and clamped the wood between the frame and bulkhead for additional support. This worked really well.

Since the v-berth is basically curved everywhere, I cut the furring strips into 3.5 inch lengths, the same width as the panelling. The key here is to make sure they are glued right next to each other so there is something to screw into (lesson learned). Each plank was individually cut and put in place for fit (no two planks were the same), then pulled down, varnished, insulation added, and then the planks replaced and varnished again.

The best way to do this in the v-berth was to set up the port and starboard side, then the aft-facing bulkheads areas, then the ceiling itself. The forward cabinet was put in last. The porthole frame was painted copper and foam-vinyl was used as a surround.

I used cedar tongue and groove wall planking from Lowe's, stained to look like teak in the v-berth. And 1/8" marine plywood with teak veneer for the cabin.

Examples:

Furring strips and insulation in v-berth:


Furring strips in cabin (on bulkhead on right side of picture):


One of the toughest things to finish was the large, half-circle edge in the v-berth. I finally found flexible corner moulding, which is stainable and paintable, and it worked great. Not really cheap for one 12' piece, but it saved hours of work and looked better than any other option I could think of (doesn't hurt to bad if you bang your head into it too 🙂 ). I just painted it copper and nailed it in using a nail gun and small, 1/2" nails:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KSHLK1X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Before all of this was done, I had to remove the monkey fur, but that was actually pretty straightforward because I was able to just pull most of it off by hand.

I was worried that the adhesive wouldn't hold up to the summer heat, but it worked perfectly. 3M 90 is the way to go. I tried Gorilla spray adhesive with mixed results. 3M 77 is better for cloth and foam-backed vinyl than 3M 90, by the way. Other than a little re-glueing of some of the foam-based vinyl, everything has held up extremely well.
 
I've used the reflectix in the paste. Good stuff. Easy to work with and has the added benefit of greatly improving your radar profile.
 
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