Transforming Our Boat Cabinets: A DIY Journey with MJ Sailing

If you're an avid follower of MJ Sailing, you may recall Jessica's persistent quest to beautify their boat's interior cabinets. With Matt’s request for her to stop spending so much time on them- she finally found a work-around to still get her dream cabinets. For this week’s featured video, Jessica teamed up with her friend Connor to tackle the monumental task of prepping and painting their cabinets.

Jessica introduces Connor, a former cruiser turned landlubber who's now chipping in to help with the boat's interior transformation. Jessica and Connor's chemistry makes for an exciting collaboration, filled with laughter and camaraderie.


Preparation and Planning:

The video begins with the duo's plans for the currently happening Annapolis boat show. Connor, who's assisting with the event, decided to lend a hand with the cabinet project while he's in the area. The cabinets, which have been a work-in-progress for nearly two years, are finally receiving the attention they deserve.


Sanding and Fairing:

With their enthusiasm peaking, the team embarks on the extensive sanding and fairing process. Connor takes on the challenge of making the cabinet surfaces smooth and ready for paint. They pay special attention to the seams and corners to achieve a professional finish. TotalBoat TotalFair, a fantastic fairing compound, plays a crucial role in the process.


 

Topside Primer and Paint:

The team switched to applying paint, and we were so intrigued to see how Jessica tackled this step to really personalize the cabinets. She opted to mix our Wet Edge TopSide Paint, with TotalBilge Epoxy Bilge Paint to achieve her ideal results. The TotalBilge provides the strength and durability necessary for the cabinets, but because she didn’t want a super high gloss finish and preferred a more ‘soft’ feel and look, she mixed it with Wet Edge flat white. This helped to create a beautiful semi-gloss finish.


In order to speed things along and get as much done as possible in that day, Jessica jumped in to help Connor, and primed all the shelves that had still only been faired with Topside Primer.

 

Overcoming Challenges:

The team doesn't shy away from showing the hard work that goes into these projects, including the challenges of tight spaces and relentless sanding. The dedication and attention to detail required for these tasks are taken seriously by Matt and Jessica, so they were very grateful for Connor’s help.

As the video concludes, Connor leaves with a sense of accomplishment and newfound respect for the hard work that goes into boat renovations. Jessica, with his help, is making steady progress on their cabinets, and this project promises to make a remarkable difference in their boat's interior that she’ll be proud of.

If you're eager to see how this cabinet transformation unfolds, make sure to watch the full video on the MJ Sailing channel. Don’t forget to subscribe to stay tuned for more exciting updates and boat projects from MJ Sailing!

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