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Photo AlbumAug 22, '11 7:06 AM
by Nicholas for everyone
Having experienced first-hand the comfort and functionality of the dinette in my Swedish friend Mats’s Albin Ballad Taifun, I decided to go ahead and gut the starboard side settee in order to do the same on Moments of Clarity. The material I used was mainly 10mm & 12mm marine ply, while the trimming was made from teak-tinted oak slats that I had found in the garbage last year. Also, I was lucky enough to be able to match the original tint of the Ballad interior with a paint I found in Dulux's paint catalogue. The paint I used was exterior grade satin acrylic--easy on the eyes and to clean.

The photos are mostly self-explanatory but a few comments may be useful: 1) The storage space below the seats has increased enormously—although I had to substitute the starboard side 100-litre flexible water tank with a 50-litre one as the length of the original could not be accommodated under the forward seat. 2) Now, two people can dine in great comfort without having to deal with the big original table. I constructed a folding table that measures 50 x 65 while folded and can open up to 110 x 65, effectively reaching the port settee, if more people need to be accommodated. In the latter form, it can be used as a huge chart table while in port. In either form, it can also be used as an extra working space while preparing a meal. 3) The increased height of the seats allows one to look straight out the windows; it’s not really a deck saloon view but you can have a nice look at your surroundings while at anchor. 4) Although this is not an option I took, if need be, the table can be designed to be dropped level with the seats and, with the addition of a cushion, the dinette could be converted into an almost double bed (OK, for a really loving couple).

I used the dinette throughout last week’s cruise and I don’t know how I’d managed without it. Eating, reading and working on my laptop have become even more enjoyable and I can’t wait to use it when the weather turns foul towards the end of the year. Even in the middle of a Greek summer, the dinette arrangement offers an escape from the scorching midday sun.

Nicholas


Before
  

The gutted starboard side
  

Mini bulkheads epoxied in place.
  

Fore and aft seat bases taking shape-1
  

Fore and aft seat bases taking shape-2
  

Fore and aft seat bases taking shape-3
  

Seat lids with trim-1
  

Seat lids with trim-2
  

Seat lids with trim-3
  

Foot rest storage space (can accommodate 14 bottles of water or wine)
  

Storage under forward seat
  

Storage under aft seat
  

Dinette complete without cushions
  

The end result
  


sail24hrs wrote on Aug 28, '11
Hi Nicholas,

Quite a job you've done! Congratulations! I was just curious which are, in your opinion, the biggest advantanges of the dinette over the 'traditional' set up of the Ballad's interior.

Best regards,

Frans van der Wel
Aemilia 3 / B-978
patentnick wrote on Aug 29, '11
Hi Frans:

Thanks for your comments. My Ballad is the version with the additional outboard berths and, ever since I bought her, I've been trying to think of a way to make the seating more comfortable. (Originally, in my version, the settees provided all the comfort of a church bench.) From what I understand, it's far more common to come across the other version, the one with the forward-facing chart table and the more comfortable seat backs. If I owned that version, I'd probably be a lot more hesitant to start the project. In the 2nd paragraph of my posting, you'll read what I consider to be the greatest advantages of the dinette--increased storage, better view, a ready-set table that's also out of the way. This may not work if more than two people are on board, but all the work I've done on Moments of Clarity was either with solo or two-handed sailing in mind. So, for me, sacrificing one berth was not a problem. In the extremely rare occasion where there're three or four of us on board--it has happened five times in 12 years--it's usually during a summer weekend when people prefer to eat and sleep in the cockpit anyway. To be honest, I wouldn't have dared open my toolbox had I not seen how Mats Wik had done the dinette on his boat. But having put my dinette through the test during a cruise with another sailing buddy two weeks ago, I'm convinced that it's a better set-up for my needs. As I've mentioned in a different posting, there're many boats shorter and narrower than the Ballad where a dinette has worked really well.

Nicholas
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