cbigma
Well-known member
The recent thread on Cupholders Here reminded me to post this project.
My first reaction to the cupholder debate was, "Cupholders? Sure, I got 'em" Several screwed into the Port wall along with a papertowel holder, utility hooks, and a knick-knack shelf. :shock:
More on the starboard side, screwed into the wall, along with a teak binocular holder, cell phone holder, and pen/fid holder. :shock:
Before you fellow Parker Owners threaten to burn me at the stake, look closely.
These are "false walls" Made of 1/4 inch plywood on a 1X3 fir frame that I can screw into to my heart's content without even so much as even scratching gelcoat. The Cupholder Dilemma drove me to it. I am a two-fisted coffee drinker. Each trip out I need two travel mugs full of steaming black coffee. One to give me courage to jump into seawater which is less than 60 degrees, and one to help me recover afterwards. 8)
The day after I bought Perseverance from Stonebuster, I realized that if she and I were to have a happy life together, we would have to find a way to install many cupholders in her Pilothouse.
The concept is really simple. Build a false wall from a lightweight material that can be attached to the "real wall" without damaging it. Use this false wall to attach any number of cupholders, hooks, shelves and anything else you'd like.
Cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood to fit the wall(s) you want to cover. Then frame the piece of plywood by attaching (glue and screw) 1X3 pine strapping around the back edges. This holds the 1/4 inch plywood out from the wall to keep screws in the things you attach to the plywood face from touching the "real" wall. Along the bottom, turn the strapping 90 degrees to form an "L" with the plywood. This will serve as the "foot" which will be fastened to the bottom of the "real" wall.
Now you need to upholster the false wall with fabric that closely matches the OEM Parker fabric. Of course, if your Pilothouse does not have a fabric covering, then you can skip this step. I used some fabric I found at a local fabric store. If I were to do it again, I would find matching OEM fabric by calling Robin at Parker Marine, or just asking you guys here on ClassicParker.com. Just stretch the fabric into place and secure with staples on the reverse side.
To fasten the Port false wall, I installed three screws along the bottom of the false wall by drilling three holes in the fiberglass wall "overhang" that sticks down at the bottom of the port wall. See photo below, it is the lip that runs along, just above the lifejackets shown in the photo. This lip allows you to screw into it without ruining an "exterior" wall and the associated gelcoat.
The top of the port false wall is held in place by slipping it under a
"knob" that I made using a piece of poly tubing screwed into the teak trimpiece just above the curtain.
On the starboard side I fastened the wall along the bottom lip just as the port side. On the top, there was no fastener to use like the port side, so I sewed the corner in place using a curved mattress needle and some stout thread.
I didn't carry the starboard wall all the way forward, but I have what I need, my coffee, my binoculars, a cell phone holder, and lots of space to screw anything else I can think of later.
I am not above mounting screws directly into the beefy Parker Pilothouse overhead. Here is my 4 Cell Maglite mounted right up over the Port Seat, ready for use.
My first reaction to the cupholder debate was, "Cupholders? Sure, I got 'em" Several screwed into the Port wall along with a papertowel holder, utility hooks, and a knick-knack shelf. :shock:
More on the starboard side, screwed into the wall, along with a teak binocular holder, cell phone holder, and pen/fid holder. :shock:
Before you fellow Parker Owners threaten to burn me at the stake, look closely.
These are "false walls" Made of 1/4 inch plywood on a 1X3 fir frame that I can screw into to my heart's content without even so much as even scratching gelcoat. The Cupholder Dilemma drove me to it. I am a two-fisted coffee drinker. Each trip out I need two travel mugs full of steaming black coffee. One to give me courage to jump into seawater which is less than 60 degrees, and one to help me recover afterwards. 8)
The day after I bought Perseverance from Stonebuster, I realized that if she and I were to have a happy life together, we would have to find a way to install many cupholders in her Pilothouse.
The concept is really simple. Build a false wall from a lightweight material that can be attached to the "real wall" without damaging it. Use this false wall to attach any number of cupholders, hooks, shelves and anything else you'd like.
Cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood to fit the wall(s) you want to cover. Then frame the piece of plywood by attaching (glue and screw) 1X3 pine strapping around the back edges. This holds the 1/4 inch plywood out from the wall to keep screws in the things you attach to the plywood face from touching the "real" wall. Along the bottom, turn the strapping 90 degrees to form an "L" with the plywood. This will serve as the "foot" which will be fastened to the bottom of the "real" wall.
Now you need to upholster the false wall with fabric that closely matches the OEM Parker fabric. Of course, if your Pilothouse does not have a fabric covering, then you can skip this step. I used some fabric I found at a local fabric store. If I were to do it again, I would find matching OEM fabric by calling Robin at Parker Marine, or just asking you guys here on ClassicParker.com. Just stretch the fabric into place and secure with staples on the reverse side.
To fasten the Port false wall, I installed three screws along the bottom of the false wall by drilling three holes in the fiberglass wall "overhang" that sticks down at the bottom of the port wall. See photo below, it is the lip that runs along, just above the lifejackets shown in the photo. This lip allows you to screw into it without ruining an "exterior" wall and the associated gelcoat.
The top of the port false wall is held in place by slipping it under a
"knob" that I made using a piece of poly tubing screwed into the teak trimpiece just above the curtain.
On the starboard side I fastened the wall along the bottom lip just as the port side. On the top, there was no fastener to use like the port side, so I sewed the corner in place using a curved mattress needle and some stout thread.
I didn't carry the starboard wall all the way forward, but I have what I need, my coffee, my binoculars, a cell phone holder, and lots of space to screw anything else I can think of later.
I am not above mounting screws directly into the beefy Parker Pilothouse overhead. Here is my 4 Cell Maglite mounted right up over the Port Seat, ready for use.
