Factory cabinet materials?

D

Doryman

New member
Take a look at the photo in this message. I understand that many Brats use mahogany and cherry instead of the spendy teak that the factory uses. But what I don't understand is what material is used to construct the cabinets themselves. Is it something you can buy off the shelf? Where? What is it called?

Thanks.
Warren
 
I believe it's called Decraguard. I dunno where to get it or what color the factory uses, but if you look it up on this forums search feature you'll get lots of hits.
Maybe someone more knowledgable than me can chime in and save you some time looking it up.
Whatcha gonna build?
 
I think something like what David built for Pat would be a good first project for me!

I just found a reference to Decraguard here. However, I don't think that the white surface material is Decraguard because this URL says that it is a woodgrain material. Hopefully someone will set me straight on the white cabinetry material.

Warren
 
The second paragraph of the URL states that DG is available in solid colors. Eggshell white is listed as an option. Assuming I'm looking in the right place.
Again I'm not 100% sure the product is DG, but we'll wait for someone to set us straight.
 
Warren-

Decraguard is indeed the cabinet material.

It's basically 3/4" marine plywood with a hard plastic surface for durability and ease of cleaning, etc.

The early boats using it were made with a wood grain version (teak pattern, I think) on the interior panels of cabinetry.

The rear bulkhead was originally all this wood pattern Decraguard, so the door and both side panels were made with it as seen in the photo you've included.

In 1987, with the switch from the "Classic" model to the newer "Cruiser" and "Angler" models, the main bulkhead was switched to fiberglass (included in the new cabin mold), but the door remained wood-grained Decraguard for a few years.

Later (exact year unknown to me), the door and the rest of the interior cabinetry were switched over to the solid white color.

The switch to the solid white was probably due to two reasons:

1. The trend in boats has been away from dark woods to lighter woods and toward lighter (colored) interiors in general.

2. The cabinet panels are much easier to make out of a flat, pattern-less type of panel as compared to the wood grain. When wood grain is used, the doors and their surrounding wood panels must be cut out of a single sheet of Decraguard, so that the wood grain pattern on the door and the surrounding paneling matches. With the solid white material, any door can go with any surrounding panel, and a cutting error does not ruin that whole section of that sheet of wood paneling.


The trend is to use this light Decraguard, as noted above, and white "Starboard" panels, which are made of solid HDPE (high density poly ethelene) plastic (same stuff in cutting boards with pigment added to eliminate translucency) can also be used in conjunction with the Decraguard, as they match pretty well. The Starboard, being solid plastic, machines much easier than the Decraguard with its plywood layers in alternate directions.

David (Anna Leigh), who made the custom wood cabinetry in Pat Anderson's
boat, is a hobbiest journeyman cabinetmaker, and I suspect he used solid teak for the cabinetry edging in the photo and throughout the boat.

You can really see what this type of approach to cabinetry yields when looking at one of the new C-Ranger 25 Tugs.

I'm writing this out of memory, so their may be a few corrections necessary as others may note.

I'd also like to commend all of you very highly for using the search engine and reading through the archived threads to throughly research the topic. Nice job! Too often, folks just answer a question outright and expect an answer from square one without trying to see if we've answered the question before, perhaps many times!

Joe.
 
Decraguard is not distributed in New England per my discussion with a factory rep several months ago.
I found a suitable replacement, and close color match, at my local West Marine. The piece I bought was about 2'x3'. I couldn't find the stuff searching the West Marine site but the local store manager may be helpful.

Phil
 
Warren,

The Decraguard is 3/4" finished on both sides with the formica looking eggshell surface. This is what I have used for the shelf projects on both my boats as well as Pats boat and two others.

At the time I was able to secure some Decraguard from the factory. Most of the trim I have done I used teak, but I have also used some cherry I had.

What project (size of wood needed) are you contemplating?

David
 
Anna Leigh":12s2jrq1 said:
What project (size of wood needed) are you contemplating?
Click to expand...

Basically, I want to learn the skills needed to build with these materials. I have very little woodworking experience but figured simple boat projects might be a good place to start. So maybe a binocular pocket for next to the helm or something like that. Later on I may tackle something more ambitious.

However, I'm getting the impression that actually acquiring Decraguard sheets (particularly in the large sizes) is not easy. Maybe I will go to the Decraguard factory in Shelton next time I am over on that side and see if I can buy some direct. Or maybe I can get some through the C-Dory factory, as you did. Any suggestions?

Warren
 
You can simulate DecraGuard by using a good closed grain 3/4" plywood such as birch ply. Use cans of spraypaint from Lowes - Heirloom White, Satin Finish (Rustoleum manufacturer). Spray 4 or 5 coats, sanding with 220 sandpaper between the last coats. You will really have to look closely to tell the difference. This will work well for inside the cabin fixtures and cabinets and will save you a bundle over the real DecraGuard.
 
Some call it decraguard and some call it glorified wallpaper. Each have a strong argument .

I used basic 3/4 plywood for some reconstruction work on the cabinets on a 98 22'. I used some west system epoxy with the micro balloons to smooth and fill the little voids. Then painted with Krylon Fusion in a dover white. It has held up to 2 years of abuse to date. It cleans up ok but I always question the rational of white. (Floors, cars, socks ............underwear)

Who thinks you need white cabinets or a white floor? Wouldn't a sand color be a little more user friendly? I understand stuff gets hot in the sun but the cabin sees little direct sunlight. Just a thought.

Chris
 
Chris Bulovsky":3oxk2h1s said:
Who thinks you need white cabinets or a white floor? Wouldn't a sand color be a little more user friendly? I understand stuff gets hot in the sun but the cabin sees little direct sunlight. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

Here's my opinion, FWIW: White helps make the small cabins of our C-Dorys appear larger, visually, by taking advantage of all the light that does get in. The big boats can usually get away with the darker cherry and mahogany interiors because their cabins are bigger. The open feeling of the Tom Cat's cabin is one of the major reasons why my wife insisted that we buy it.

Warren
 
I am planning to add some shelves and door in my 89 22 ft cruiser where the cooler used to be. The interior is the older woodgrain Decraguard finish. Does anyone know a readily available (say Home Depot or Lowes) stain color that matches the older finish? I was encouraged by the recommendation of using birch with paint/stain mentioned earlier.

thanks,

Karl
 
Lori Ann":2ivg6bvk said:
Chris Bulovsky":2ivg6bvk said:
Who thinks you need white cabinets or a white floor? Wouldn't a sand color be a little more user friendly? I understand stuff gets hot in the sun but the cabin sees little direct sunlight. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

Here's my opinion, FWIW: White helps make the small cabins of our C-Dorys appear larger, visually, by taking advantage of all the light that does get in. The big boats can usually get away with the darker cherry and mahogany interiors because their cabins are bigger. The open feeling of the Tom Cat's cabin is one of the major reasons why my wife insisted that we buy it.

Warren
Click to expand...

Additionally, it's been my experience that they just don't use dark woods much anymore, and when you see them in a used boat, they make it look very dated and old. In fact, a lot of good, older boats suffer from having interiors that look out of synch with modern trends and uncomfortably out of date. And it's not just the wood, but also the dated styles in fabrics, carpets, accent colors, appliances, etc. Nothing like a 20 year old Bayliner with a blue, purple, and pink color scheme!

There are a lot of tricks in manipulating the sense of spaciousness in small, confined spaces, like apartments, motorhomes, boats, and the like. The use of light colors is fundamental. Others are to have lots of windows, and use mirrors to give the illusion of extra space. One should also avoid dividing up the existing space into defined areas, and instead keep the overall space as intact and as large as possible.

One of the reasons I prefer the traditional cruiser lines to those of the European Express Cruiser is because of the open, spacious interior in the former as opposed to the "cave effect" of the design of the curved down foredeck on the cabin in the latter.

And, while all the above is true (IMHO), the C-Dory lines older members wear the older wood interiors very well as they complimnet the traditional "Monterey Trawler" lines very well and seem appropriate.

Joe.
 
I agree that the painted birch plywood works well for the cabinet sides, shelves, and other low traffic areas. Even the decraguard doesn't hold up well in normal use for the tops. For those, I used Formica, antique white 932-58 It's a good color match and is easy to work with.
 
DaveS":12ad78bz said:
Sea Wolf":12ad78bz said:
use mirrors to give the illusion of extra space.
Joe.
Click to expand...

Joe, mirrors are good......although some might think a bit kinky in the V-Berth...... :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

And another thing, Dave!

With a mind like that, no wonder you're thinking ahead cautiously about your daughter's boyfriends and showing them the family shotgun during their introductions!

Joe.
 
Here's a post transferred from another thread because it fits in here better and also because it can be found easier with the Search engine here:

*******************************************************************************

Jack in Alaska wrote:
That is not wood grained plywood on the older CD's. It is like a Formica surface and yes it gets to look crummy with age.
I painted mine (1983 model)several years ago with epoxy white paint and it looks like new and brightens the boat.

Jack-

Good idea!

That wood-grained Formica-like stuff is called Decraguard. It's tough stuff and wears well, generally.

Inside the boat, you'd have to be really abusive to get it to show wear.

When it's used on the exterior, it can fade if left out in the sun/ultraviolet light for long periods, like when moored in the open or left on the trailer uncovered.

The "Classic" 1980-86 models had the entire rear cabin bulkhead and door made of Decraguard. With the intrduction of the CD-22 "Cruiser" in 1987 and for several years thereafter, the cabin door was the only exterior item made of Decraguard. Thereafter, the door was converted to white Decraguard, then, more recently, to a clear plastic (Lexan?)

Not too much can be done with the Decraguard once it's really faded, and opaque paint is the easiest answer. The door and/or bulkhead usually look good painted in white or the hull trim color. I like the bulkhead painted in off-white to match the hull, and the door in the trim color.

If you catch the process early enough, you can darken and save the wood-grain appearance of the Decraguard. My CD-22 was 11 years old when I got it, and when wetted down, the wood-grain still looked fine.

I considered a couple of different coating options, and decided to use Varathane Diamond Glaze Polyurethane clear finish on it inside and out on it to shine it up and darken the look. I think I used satin, but it might have been gloss. Had to re-apply the exterior door once, after about 7 years. Still looks good.

One could also use something darker that might hide some of the bleaching/fading as an alternative. I think I remember someone using Cetol on the Decraguard.

Be sure to use something with a ultraviolet inhibitor in it that will limit the rate of deterioration as much as possible. I'd stay away from soft finishes, too.

Whatever one does, they should carefully test/check the new finish out for appearance carefully before committing to the whole project.

Joe.
 
I checked into laminates at Home Depot.... but not finding the color I wanted I went to a place that makes cabinets.... they had a huge selection of half sheets and cut off pieces....they had just the material I wanted and charged me $5 for a big piece..... they even offered to glue it on and route it to the shape I wanted...but I have all that stuff at home so I did it myself.... came out super....
What I did was install a new stove (propane) and it was about 1" smaller all around.... I made some shims, and applied a new counter top...(blue)...total cost $5 plus some glue and a couple of sticks....looks factory perfect and I like it alot.... matches the blue of the hull...

Joel
SEA3PO
 
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