1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Even More V-berth Cabinetry IV

I’m still making good progress on the V-berth, cutting and fitting at least one panel with each trip to the yard. I’ve also been spending lots of time spec’ing out marine air conditioners and thinking about duct routing. I don’t want to get a cabinet done and then have to rip in and relocate it to accommodate ducting.

The V-berth “desk-like structure”

With the “desk-like structure” roughed out,  and all of the V-berth bed foundation vertical panels cut, now I can cut the last of the top panels and the 1/4″ ribbon striped mahogany plywood that will top all of that.

Sticks and a hot glue gun help make another template

Transfer the pattern to the plywood and start cutting

Looking good!

Figuring out the orientation of the top panels for the ribbon-striped mahogany

I think I’ve got just enough of the ribbon stripe panel leftovers to finish up the room. It’s going to be close.

Tracing the panel shape onto the ribbon-stripe ply

Because of the bevel cuts in the plywood, I have to be really careful to make the top surface of the ribbon-stripe panels stick out farther than the fir plywood.

Pretty good fit! Just needs a little trimming

Tendonitis is slowing me down a bit…but that’s a nice fit to the curvy side wall

Brushed a few coats of varnish on the underside of the desk-like structure

Cutting the last ribbon-stripe mahogany panel

Talk about cutting it close… I don’t have any more ribbon stripe scraps left over that are big enough to finish this last panel. If I mess up the cuts, I’ll have to buy more.

Man…that’s close

Hand plane helps knock off just a teensy bit of material on the bevel for a nice fit

My new favorite jigsaw blades: Bosch T234X

These bad boys cut a very nice line and are super sharp. The alternating blades leave a very clean V on the leading edge of the cut (you can see it in the pic above). Just line the tip of one side of the V up to the pencil line and go, then test fit the panel and sand any high spots back.

Boom

With all of the V-berth bed foundation and desk-like structure panels cut and dry fitted, next I need to make a complicated molding to hold one joint together, then disassemble the whole thing in preparation for insulating the back-side, sealing the edges, base coat refinishing, and final assembly.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: V-berth Cabinetry Corner Molding