There is something so gratifying and heartwarming when I’m sitting in a room that has its own personality. It can quietly speak to me, with a warming energy that makes me what to sit and enjoy the view and style in comfort. This article is one for the girls… not that the guys won’t enjoy it because the transformations are just amazing.
As Dan did on our last blog A SHIPYARD STORY –> What it Takes to Keep a Big Hatteras Going….#24 , I’m going to start at the beginning with my honest opinion of what she looked like and my reaction of my first visit. When we bought “Sheer Luck”, as she was named. She was located Alameda, California. I was still working my IT job, so Dan took a trip to see her alone. We had been looking for over a year and had made multiple offers on different boats from California to Florida. For one reason or another they just didn’t work out. 
Dan came home from this trip and was very excited, so we made an offer. We discuss and knew she needed some work. The offer was accepted and during the survey process I flew down with Dan to see her for the first time. When I walked in to see her, I was shocked and disappointed. I had a very upset tummy and did not think that she could ever be something I would be comfortable in. Dan promised that I could redo & remodel her as I saw fit. So I tentatively said ok.
Dan and I both loved Hatteras yachts, the classic lines, beautiful wood and enough room spaced out in a fashion that we preferred. This yacht had no wood other than non-original cabinets that were cheap and didn’t give me the sense of warmth and welcoming. Along with not much useable storage. The decor was all beige… I was having an issue envisioning anything other than a gut job.
The very first Hatteras Dan and I toured is now owned by our friends Loren and Stephanie, “Cat in the Hat” (I was in LOVE) The previous owners had put a lot of money into remodeling her and it was gorgeous. Our Hatteras had some of the key factors we were looking for but all the wood had been painted white years ago. We found out she was used as a charter boat in the Caribbean Sea for years. Just prior to this endeavor she had a major remodel and they painted walls, doors and stateroom cabinets. We found pictures to show you what she looked like back in the 90’s.
It took Dan and I a few months to find and decide on the replacement floor. We didn’t want it to look too different from the beautiful teak in the galley and helm area. So tongue and groove teak was sourced from East Teak in Sultan WA. We got encouragement from our friends that we could lay and finish the floor ourselves. We hadn’t done it before but Dan and I were hard workers and willing to try. We could save thousands of dollars by doing it ourselves. So we did. It certainly wasn’t easy, but we have a grand story to tell about our efforts. We are really happy with the way it looks.
Next was the cabinets. I contacted a couple different yacht cabinet builders, ultimately ended up with Oregon Custom Cabinet in Canby Oregon. 
They hadn’t done anything like this before and I’m sure they learned a lot. With all the angles of a boat, nothing is straight. After taking out the carpeting and previous cabinet we could see where the original cabinets were. I decided to go back to a “close to original” layout. They turned out awesome and we are really happy with the look, style and function of the cabinets. I had wood tops put on rather than a hard stone surface. I felt the room needed as much wood accents as possible because the teak walls had been painted.
Next was the walls. Wallpaper is a risk, because mold can grow in places that you can’t see. I wanted to have a conversation with an expert before deciding. In Portland there is only one location where you can actually see wallpaper books and talk to an expert, Miller Paint Store. 
I purchased a primer that is mold resistant and real looking vinyl grasscloth wallpaper. (which looks very real, if I might add) Real grasscloth can easily grow mold too, so vinyl was a must! I installed it myself with a bit if “holding” help from Dan and Clark (our friend). We are so grateful for all our friends that helped us. Couldn’t have done it without you all!
The Wood Vinyl covered valance header boards over the windows were calling my name. I think Dan thought I was crazy!! Dan helped me take them all down. I knew I was either going to have wood headers or recover them with a better fabric. When I uncovered one board, there was real teak wood that was beautiful under the years of fabric. 
But with the 3+ layers of fabric and the thousands and thousands of staples that I needed to pull. They left large holes and some were rusted. The boards were not in good shape. Choices are complicated. Do we buy new teak wood boards, cover with a different fabric or pull all staples and cover with teak veneer. Of course I pick the hardest, but cheapest choice. I pull 6000+ staples out of 5 boards. Then Dan and I did something again we had never done, we veneer the boards ourselves. They turned out pretty good for our first attempt.
To finish off the salon I only had furniture, blinds and rug remaining. I knew I wanted blues and greys. We are pretty happy with the result!
The bolsters are also getting new vinyl to match the new white paint!
We are excited to get back in our home, Angelique & share our final pictures with you in March. As always we are eager to have our friends and family visit us too.
Next blog “SPLASH DOWN @ Opequimar”
