designdenizen: The Allegre

I'll begin with an entry on the story of the Allegre. It began last summer (...August to be exact)...when my husband and I returned from our annual summer trip to Maine. While there, we watched the serenity of sailboats on the water. On a whim, we decided to visit several local marinas in our home town. We saw a note posted in a scrawled handwriting that said, "Sailboat for sale - call Matt." We called and made arrangements to go see the boat that was for sale. It ended up being a 25' O'Day dating back to the 1980s. Never having had any experience with actually being on a sailboat, I was a bit surprised at the room and "compactness" of the boat.

On first glance, the boat looked like it was in pretty good shape. With my "closet designer" eye, I did notice that the sailbag (front of the boat) was a bit dirty and worn. The sail cover was in the same condition. But...Allegre did have great possibilities.

We opened the door and stepped inside only to find an "80's explosion of plaid!" As you can see from the following pictures, there was much work to be done. The plaid fabric was stained, musty, and just ... old! The curtains on the windows were the same in addition to being torn and falling off of the windows. I am sure that seasoned "sailors" would not have thought there was a permeating odor in the boat. However, there was! I think that the old fabric and mustiness contributed to the overall effect.

There was also a good deal of "stuff" on the floors, small counters, and in general--all over.

The counter in the third picture had a small sink covered with a piece of wood that was splintering from years of use. To the right of the opening, a small cabinet with shelves housed more junk. To the left of the opening there was a long cushion and space called a "coffin," which could serve as another sleeping area...ugghhhh!

Much of the wood was in bad need of oil and/or polish. In addition, to the front of the boat (you can see the opening in the second picture) was a small boat bathroom with two small windows--both of which had remained opened and the torn screen allowed wasps to have a field day on the lake all winter and spring. The wasps had "set up" mud nests all over the forward area of the sailboat.

I should also mention that along with the 80s inspired plaid cushions, Allegre came with a set of outdoor, fake leather, off-white, interestingly stained cushions that looked as if they took part in many a par-tay back in the day!

Given all of this, Allegre was minimally priced...so, she was ours for several $$$. But, with my "closet designer" skills kicking into gear, we quickly doubled the original price within one month!

Here's what I did:

I began by ripping out all of the cushions. After much searching, I found an upholstery place with experienced upholsterers who were willing to assist me with recovering the inside cushions. I wanted to go with a nautical theme and ordered sunbrella in a deep blue with pale blue accents. The same firm also redid the outdoor cushions in "sailboat worthy" outdoor faux leather--deep blue with pale blue accents.

In keeping with the color theme, I found a minimally striped fabric at Hancock. and covered the wall cushions using a heavy duty staple gun and glue gun. I added an accent of dark blue ribbon with a slight deep red border. I did this while the cushions were being reupholstered.

As you can see from the pictures to the left, there are shelves behind the wall cushions. At first, I organized some of the life jackets and other materials and originally used the shelves to store these. However, after pouring over catalogs, I found this really cool large waterproof bag for the life jackets and now they are conveniently stored in the forward area of the sailboat.

Next, I completely disinfected the inside and cleaned out all of the wasps nests. Armed with a case of fabreeze, clorox wipes, etc., I scrubbed, polished, and cleaned. Allegre began looking good!

I worked on the wood and got it to the point where it looked like it was no longer thirsty for moisture. Then, I got the idea that I could use blue and white tiles to fix the wood cover on the small sink. I tiled the wood and also tiled the cover on the insulated ice compartment.

Having just come from Maine, I decided that we needed a simulated lobster crate! I thought the crate would be a great accent and also would serve to secure the mini fridge that I bought (...since every sailboat needs one!). My husband made the crate and it fit snugly into the small space that was once the "coffin." I added a black metal shelf to store my toolcase, papertowels, and additional cans of coke.

I had a very small microwave that I was using in my office on occasion. I decided to bring that to Allegre also (top picture). We also needed plates, cups, glasses, etc. I purchased a set of camping "dinnerware" in blue speck and then found a wooden wine rack that fit perfectly in the cabinet below the microwave.

I am still working on Allegre and plan to complete the window curtains this spring. I also replaced the portable toilet (gross!) with a new one and replaced the sailbag (which cost a whopping $80 for a new one). I also HAD to order a new life float inscribed with, Allegre, Nashville TN. The updates ran up the $$$ but it was worth it.

I plan to purchase new sails as the ones that are currently on Allegre are fine, but stained and very dirty. I hope to sail with a clean, crisp, white sail sometime next fall. Maybe, also, one colorful strip somewhere on the sail -- Allegre deserves it!

A new sail cover is probably next. We will also be installing the grill that I bought for my husband as a birthday present. I guess I should also mention that we purchased a very large, new, motor--which is awesome.

Throughout the makeover process, I kept thinking of all of the people who may have sailed on Allegre and hoped that they felt the relaxation and enjoyment we feel when we sail her.

The picture above shows the Allegre with her new makeover and adorned with Halloween lights! We also had her decorated for Christmas with lights, wreath, and Santa!

She is still a work in progress, but... isn't she looking good?!