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| Saffier SC 10m |
I'm not an interior decorator, but I've been spending a lot of time lately looking at boat interiors. I want the space to be functional, but I also want it to be an inviting place where the girls will feel comfortable. A place they'll enjoy spending a bit of time on a rainy afternoon. Given the unpredictability of Irish weather, there could well be quite a few of those. It's essential that we get this right, otherwise I'll be facing a mutiny.
Traditional yacht interiors usually have lots of dark wood panelling, while traditional work boats tend to feature mostly white panelling with wood trim. In such a small space as ours I think we need to maximize the amount of light, so the "dark underground cave" is definitely out. At the same time the "hospital corridor" look can be very cold and uninviting.
I keep coming back to two boat interiors in particular, which are quite different and which I like for different reasons. The first is the Saffier SC 10m with its off-white hull and deckhead, warm wood furniture, and lovely powder blue upholstery. For me it strikes the perfect balance in terms of warmth, light, and comfort. The other one is the RM 880, which gives up some of the warmth, but gains in light and practicality.
Alongside these “emotional” requirements, I also have a list of “functional” features that I want to incorporate. There is a fair bit of leeway in fitting out the interior, the main constraint being the position of the bulkheads. So the division of space is pretty much fixed, but you have plenty of freedom in filling out those spaces.
My list of functional features has been put together and refined after studying existing Cape Henrys (especially the Water Craft boat), other small boats like Cornish Crabbers, bigger boats like the RM 880 and the small Bavarias, and even camper vans. I have also read all the threads on the Cape Cutter forum, where improving the cooking facilities is a common theme.
My list of functional features has been put together and refined after studying existing Cape Henrys (especially the Water Craft boat), other small boats like Cornish Crabbers, bigger boats like the RM 880 and the small Bavarias, and even camper vans. I have also read all the threads on the Cape Cutter forum, where improving the cooking facilities is a common theme.
On a comfort scale from one to ten, boats range all the way from “camping in a leaky tent” to “floating gin palace”. Small boats like ours are pretty much all found at the lower end of this scale, but I’m getting too old for leaky tents. And girls like comfort. We have to try to nudge things up the scale a bit. Bucket and chuck it is definitely out. The ambiance should be more like "glamping" than "camping". And good tea-making facilities are top priority.
With that in mind, my main “must have" functional items are a sink, cooker, built-in coolbox, and a portapotty. The sink should have a built-in water tank with a pump faucet. The cooker should have two gas burners. The berths should be long enough and wide enough for comfortable lounging and sleeping. There should be plenty of natural light during the day. There should be electric light for reading or playing Scrabble at night, and we need facilities for recharging phones and gadgets. A wet locker would be good, and if there was a way of fitting some kind of heating I'd like that too.
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| Galley of an RM 880 |
Doesn’t feel like I'm asking too much (except maybe for the heating...), but the main problem is that we just don’t know if we’ll be able to fit everything into the limited space available. Ideally I would like to have the cool things to starboard (sink and coolbox) and hot things to port (gimballed cooker). The portapotty should sit forward under the v-berth, against the hull and facing in towards the centre-line so that a curtain can be pulled across giving some privacy.
I bounce my ideas off Tiernan, who is open to pretty much anything but tries to steer me towards simple solutions. He suggests that I consider a portable cooler that could be filled at home, taken on the boat, and brought ashore for picnics on the islands. He explains that the number of electric items on board has to be determined by the size of battery and the facilities for charging the battery. Since we won't be going anywhere near marinas with shore power, the charging will either have to come from wind or solar. He doesn't like the idea of bonding insulation to the hull for a built-in coolbox and he doesn't like restricting access to the hull from the inside.
Thoughts on the galley are constantly evolving, as I discover that there is not really enough room for a sink and coolbox on the same side. We spend a lot of time looking for suitable portable coolers, but it looks like the only ones that fit will be very small. Things are complicated by the fact that I don't want to be looking at an ugly plastic cooler so it would have to be kept in an enclosed cupboard.
Tiernan comes up with the idea of using drawers in the galley units. At first I'm not sure, but the more I think about it the more I like it. You can easily access all the contents of a drawer, even stuff that's right at the back. Sliding a drawer out brings the contents out from the dark bowels of the boat into the light, there is much less stooping and digging required. When closed the clutter is all hidden out of view. Brilliant! I start looking for industrial strength stainless drawer sliders, and get sidetracked by the apparently common Australian practice of equipping pickup trucks with coolboxes on slides. Do a Google Image search for "pickup fridge slides" and you'll see what I mean. But Tiernan has other ideas. He wants to do something more traditional. Wooden sliders with "stops" to retain the drawers in place.
We mull over all these considerations and continue to search the internet for suitable hardware while work on the hull continues apace. Planking is on and the bottom is glassed and painted with CopperPlus. The hull was rolled over on Saturday, Dec. 7th. Current plans are to put a combined sink and cooker to port. Tiernan found one that has a useful sized sink, two burner hob, and will just fit. He's also thinking about insulating a big drawer for a coolbox. He has reservations about cutting out the bulkhead for access to the heads, since this is right under the mast. We might just set the portapotty facing aft instead, which rules out the curtain idea and any privacy. Probably not a real issue, we'll see.
We arrive in Ireland for the Christmas holidays, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the boat. Tiernan has mocked up some basic elements of the interior, so we'll get a better idea of what the space is like and especially the headroom. Things are interesting weather-wise as cyclone Dirk passes over the British Isles and leaves us without electricity on Christmas Eve. The gusts during the night are the most violent I've ever heard, like giant hammer blows against the house. And this house has two foot think stone walls. I lie awake for some time hoping the roof doesn't come off.
The aftermath of the storm leaves low-lying areas flooded and many roads blocked by fallen trees and branches. We planned to meet on the 27th so I'm keeping a close eye on the news hoping that the wind will die down and the roads will be passable. If not I'll just have to walk!
Finally the day arrives and we set off late morning towards Ballydehob and Roeboats. Tiernan and Bainne are once again there to greet us and we head straight for the workshop. Initially we are stunned by the size of the thing. It looks huge! Tiernan assures us that all boats shrink when immersed in water. We climb aboard and try sitting in various different positions inside and out, getting a feel for the ergonomics. I have to say that I am relieved. The interior feels roomy, not at all claustrophobic. Plenty of headroom. Comfy. He wants to make the cockpit coamings a bit wider than designed, and I agree that it will improve the seating in the cockpit. The only thing I can find fault with is the step down into the cabin which is quite high. Not sure if we need to do something about that. I can see the usefulness of the step as a seat and table also. And adding another step will take away some footroom. Eventually I have to be dragged out of the workshop and into the kitchen to warm up, but I'm consoled with complementary tea and home made mince pies. Merry Christmas!
I bounce my ideas off Tiernan, who is open to pretty much anything but tries to steer me towards simple solutions. He suggests that I consider a portable cooler that could be filled at home, taken on the boat, and brought ashore for picnics on the islands. He explains that the number of electric items on board has to be determined by the size of battery and the facilities for charging the battery. Since we won't be going anywhere near marinas with shore power, the charging will either have to come from wind or solar. He doesn't like the idea of bonding insulation to the hull for a built-in coolbox and he doesn't like restricting access to the hull from the inside.
Thoughts on the galley are constantly evolving, as I discover that there is not really enough room for a sink and coolbox on the same side. We spend a lot of time looking for suitable portable coolers, but it looks like the only ones that fit will be very small. Things are complicated by the fact that I don't want to be looking at an ugly plastic cooler so it would have to be kept in an enclosed cupboard.
Tiernan comes up with the idea of using drawers in the galley units. At first I'm not sure, but the more I think about it the more I like it. You can easily access all the contents of a drawer, even stuff that's right at the back. Sliding a drawer out brings the contents out from the dark bowels of the boat into the light, there is much less stooping and digging required. When closed the clutter is all hidden out of view. Brilliant! I start looking for industrial strength stainless drawer sliders, and get sidetracked by the apparently common Australian practice of equipping pickup trucks with coolboxes on slides. Do a Google Image search for "pickup fridge slides" and you'll see what I mean. But Tiernan has other ideas. He wants to do something more traditional. Wooden sliders with "stops" to retain the drawers in place.
We mull over all these considerations and continue to search the internet for suitable hardware while work on the hull continues apace. Planking is on and the bottom is glassed and painted with CopperPlus. The hull was rolled over on Saturday, Dec. 7th. Current plans are to put a combined sink and cooker to port. Tiernan found one that has a useful sized sink, two burner hob, and will just fit. He's also thinking about insulating a big drawer for a coolbox. He has reservations about cutting out the bulkhead for access to the heads, since this is right under the mast. We might just set the portapotty facing aft instead, which rules out the curtain idea and any privacy. Probably not a real issue, we'll see.
The aftermath of the storm leaves low-lying areas flooded and many roads blocked by fallen trees and branches. We planned to meet on the 27th so I'm keeping a close eye on the news hoping that the wind will die down and the roads will be passable. If not I'll just have to walk!
Finally the day arrives and we set off late morning towards Ballydehob and Roeboats. Tiernan and Bainne are once again there to greet us and we head straight for the workshop. Initially we are stunned by the size of the thing. It looks huge! Tiernan assures us that all boats shrink when immersed in water. We climb aboard and try sitting in various different positions inside and out, getting a feel for the ergonomics. I have to say that I am relieved. The interior feels roomy, not at all claustrophobic. Plenty of headroom. Comfy. He wants to make the cockpit coamings a bit wider than designed, and I agree that it will improve the seating in the cockpit. The only thing I can find fault with is the step down into the cabin which is quite high. Not sure if we need to do something about that. I can see the usefulness of the step as a seat and table also. And adding another step will take away some footroom. Eventually I have to be dragged out of the workshop and into the kitchen to warm up, but I'm consoled with complementary tea and home made mince pies. Merry Christmas!
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