Columbia 10.7 rehab Log entry #5 Clean out

So I began the process of cleaning out the cabin of the sailboat today. I swear there was stuff in every nook and cranny of this boat. I think the previous owners didn't like to throw anything away. I went through each of the 12 lockers in the cabin and removed 6 large 55 gallon trash bags of used parts, and basically useless items.

I needed to clean out the cabin completely and get her smalling good before I could start any updating or repairs. I started with the Galley. 2 hours of heavy duty degreaser and scrubbing proved to be all she needed to get the sinks, walls and stove/oven back to a gleaming white walls and polished stainless steel.

Next I moved to the port settee. I removed the deeply stained cushions and took a scrub brush and cleaner to the teak front and bottom. The white vinyl like liner that covered the back of the upper shelves came clean but I think I am going to remove all the lining carefully and use them as templates. I will replace them with a fiber vinyl material that wont mildew or stain. This is for sure going to be easy to do and will make such a huge impact on the look of the interior.

I then removed the curtains from the rods across the windows. I think they were about to disintegrate in my hands. I decided to keep them as templates for new fresh curtains that I will have made.

I then moved to the starboard side of the cabin and removed the cushions and repeated the same process as I had on the port side.  I took the cushion covers off and the settee backs off and brought them home with me to wash and disinfect. I ran the covers through the washing machine only to find they are too far gone.. I think I am just going to get new foam and a backer board and redo the cushions myself. I will feel better about the entire project this way.

Now the floor... the beautiful teak and holly sole floor that lay beneath the layers of something nasty. I simply hit the floor with the hose and 1/2 a bottle of degreaser and took a scrub brush to it.  Two rounds of that and into the bilge went the water. I dried the floor to find the beautiful but dull alternating light and dark woods.... I will eventually varnish the floor to bring it back to a great shine then lay accent rugs down.

Now I have 6 hours into this cleaning project and I am absolutely beat. BUT... I still need to make the boat smell good and see if I can bring back the teak walls and cabinetry to luster. I used a bottle of pledge orange oil and a clean sponge and wiped down every inch of teak in the main cabin. It came to life with rich colors and vibrant swirls that is typical of teak.  I think once the renovation is finished, I am gonna teak oil the cabin then varnish it so the teak is bright and protected. 

Next, I attacked the head, and the rear quarter berth. The head was an absolute mess. I used my trusty SNO BOL cleaner and simple green and a lot of water to get her shining again. I then dressed the teak with the orange oil. Wow!! It looks like a completely different boat...

The rear quarter berth was a bit simpler. I pulled the cushions and cleaned the walls then dressed them with the orange oil.... Looks and smells really good. I am going to also make a new cushion for back there and I think i am going to carpet the walls in a marine interior carpeting to make it feel cozy.

I removed the 110 refrigerator and decided to junk it and replace with a new shiny fridge. Its about $150 but it will make all the difference.  The area where the fridge was used to be where the chart table was. All of the electric panel is above the area so I think I am going to replace the chart table top so it sits over the refrigerator. This is a great opportunity to modernize the boat with the new refer and to restore to the original chart table.

I decided to plug the boat into shore power to test the on board marine air conditioner. I crossed my fingers and turned the unit on..I could hear the pump starting to draw in the sea water and within 30 seconds, the water began flowing through the unit and out the through hull.. The air conditioner then began blasting ice cold air..... WOW  what a find.. this certainly makes the job easier to do in the air conditioning.. The one issue I found was that whoever installed the air conditioner, didn't put a drain in the bottom of the condensation pan. This means that when the pan fills up, it drips onto the floor. Guess what.... it rotted a small section of the floor in the main v berth cabin that needs to be replaced.....

I next tackled the front V berth, ripping out the side vinyl, the front of the cabinet on the starboard side and cut away the remaining headliner that the previous owner had cut out. This cabin was going to be a jobfor sure.


Here are some before photos of the boats interior... the after photos will be posted soon.