spoke36 wrote:I have made new coaming out of 1x8 red cedar for the sides and 1x6 red cedar for the transom. It looks good now but has not been "sea trial tested" or time tested. The side pieces were 8 feet long; I did a free hand taper from the front to match the 1x6 used in the back. The back piece was under 5 feet but I purchased a 6 foot piece which I fitted after the sides were in place. The wood cost about $50 in the summer of 2019. I had to sand the wood with a belt sander on the rough side and where the saber caw cuts were made. I stained the wood with a clear stain/sealer and then used Epifane (a UV-resistant varnish). I spread the sides with boards and clamps to keep the new coaming in place. I used 2 inch stainless #8 screws at 12 inch intervals to hold the new coaming in place. I put the plastic sealing pieces in place -- on starboard with a glue/sealer like 4400 and did not use any glue/sealer on port - just compression from the screws.
I am looking for suggestions for making floor boards. The wood for the coaming and floor boards all rotted. From the forums, it seems to have been Philippine mahogany. Has anyone tried an inexpensive wood and, if so, can share the measurements and any construction hints?
What are the pros and cons of having floor boards? Appearance? Safety?
I am so happy I stumbled upon this thread. As a relatively new DS1 owner - and an old and neglected one at that - I also need to replace my coamings and the seats on either side of the centerboard due to rot.
I will follow the instructions for using red cedar for the coamings. Was it easy to bend the cedar alone port and starboard? Did you also replace the seats?