Welcome to The Restoration of The Jessi-Belle a Catalina 25
How it looked in the beginning
This is how it looked at the time I bought her. The galley stove area has been chopped out in preparation for installing a propane two burner stove with oven. The main Saloon bulkheads had speakers mounted in unattractive locations and the veneer was in poor condition.Â
she also had veneer counter tops that needed replacement.
The Galley
As you can see, I had a lot of work in front of me. Note the cabinet that should be under the stove area has also been chopped up. I will have to replace that too
The Main Saloon Bulkheads
Here you can see the poor positioning of the speakers and the discoloration of the veneer.
How it should look
Here is what the galley of a Catalina 25 is supposed to look like.
Nice and clean look. Not the galley of a Catalina 30, but serviceable.
Here is a view without the optional two burner alcohol stove.
More work to do
She also had no ports in her when I bought her. The P.O., (Previous Owner) had removed them in preparation of resealing them. Sense that design of the original Catalina ports allows for three different places for possible leaks, I chose to go another route. I bought Lexan and cut out the material myself 1" bigger all around than the port cut out.
As you can see, no ports installed.
One down, five to go.
Ahh...Looking better already. And keeping out the rain and elements is a good thing.
A Ray of Sunshine
Most of the time, a ray of sunlight means good things. Unfortunately not so when seen thru a dogged down hatch. If the sun light can get thru, so can water from rain or waves.
Here comes the sun and water.
And the other corner
Repaired and ready to go back to the boat for installation.
Galley Bulkheads and Partitions
The galley bulkheads and partitions were also in a sorry state and so were also slated for replacement.
Main Saloon Bulkheads
The Galley Stove top Repair
I must say that this is the part that I was most intimidated by. I had never worked with fibreglass before.
More demolition
First I needed to build a new base for the firbreglass
Glassing work done. Now it needs sanding in preparation for painting.
You can see here where the old glass meets the new glass. When you can close your eyes and move your fingers over the area where they join and not feel anything, then you are ready to paint.
Primer paint applied and a hint of how it will look when complete. Well, minus the paint.
Finished painting
Well I finally finished painting the new galley stove area. I must say that working with boat paint isn't like working with house paint. I discovered quickly that because marine paint is so much thicker and heavier you need to be very careful not to get too much on a vertical surface. The first coat, I did and the paint sagged and also setup fast enough that I couldn't brush it out. I ended up having to sand again after it dried to remove the sagging places. But in the end, I was happy with the result. Next will be installing the finished cabinets.
Time for Cabinet Work
The cabinet under the sink was still there but the frame joints were loose and coming apart. It was also in dire need of refinishing. Only the very bottom of the cabinet below the stove area was there and not salvageable. So I had to build a new one from scratch.
Repaired and refinished below the sink cabinet
and here's the cabinet that goes under the stove area.
The Dinette Table
Surprisingly, the dinette table wasn't in bad shape. However, it had two piano hinges running down the length of it that I just didn't care for. So I elected to build a solid, non folding table.
Stepping Below
Going below, the first thing we encounter is the companionway steps. While the boat's steps were undamaged they were in need of refinishing. So out they come for sanding, refinishing and loving care.
Before
Here they are removed from the boat and ready for transport home.
And After
And here we are almost done. I still need to apply the new non-skid tape. But its ready to go back to the boat.
New Counter Tops
The boat had peeling and faded veneer counter tops when I got her. I removed them all and decided on Formica for the top surfaces. Directly across from the head, the counter top and sink as well as the faucet were missing all together. At some point one of the boat's P.O.s had decided to remove them and use the area instead for an open hanging locker. Nothing wrong with that, just not my preference. So now it would be necessary for me to build a new one as well as the other counter tops.
So Here They Are
Here Is The Headsink Counter Installed
And The Galley Top
Completed Galley
Okay, finally completed the galley rebuild/repair/refinish job. I had to reinstall the galley counter trim work, then install new teak plugs to cover the installation screws. Next, had to trim off the extra wood from the teak plugs and sand flush. Final finish applied then time to install the new cabinets. With the cabinets in, it was time to put in the newly refinished companionway steps. And finally, the new dinette table is installed and ready for use. After owning the boat for three years, the galley is finally restored and looking good. Time to move on to the next project.
Counter trim and cabinets
The galley is done, finally.
Moving Outside
The woodwork outside was no better. If anything it just got worse. You go from some protection from the sun and the elements to none. At some point, one of the P.O.s replaced the companionway hatch boards. The problem is that he decided to make them from pine. And pine out in the sun and weather will warp very quickly. Which it did.
Here's what the companionway wood looked like.
The new Teak hatch boards and companionway trim
Lifelines
So, the boat also had no stanchions or lifelines. Something I really wanted to remedy. Nothing quite like falling off the boat and watching it sail away. The lifelines won't actually keep you on the boat, more a matter of providing a place that you might be able to grab onto just before going overboard. If you truly want to stay on the boat then you need to install jacklines and wear a harness and tether. And yes, those items are on my list.
From this picture taken from the bow you can clearly see there are no stanchions or lifelines.
