While our boatbuilders, electricians and mechanics have been putting the boat together over the last few weeks as she has passed down the line, there’s another group of associates working in the background waiting for the yacht to arrive in the completion area. I always say to folks here at Sabre that this group is the one that makes the biggest impression on clients when they first visit our boats. This small and dedicated group of craftsmen and women has the responsibility of varnishing the interior woodwork and reassembling the loose pieces which have been removed from the boat for that purpose. They also add the Imron waterline stripe and perform all of the last minute detailing which makes the boat look her best as she leaves our yard.
As our Sabre motoryacht started down the assembly line, large furniture parts were loaded and tabbed into the hull. All of the cupboard and passageway doors, drawers and other loose items were fitted into those components and once that had taken place the loose pieces were removed and sent to varnish. They would eventually meet "their boat" again in final assembly. The varnish crew takes each piece and applies two coats of oil based sealer to the wood, sanding carefully between coats. Sealer is used to raise the soft grain of the wood and to fill the grain. After these two sealer coats have been applied two finish coats are applied and finally, the entire boat is "rubbed down" to obtain and super smooth surface which is silky to the touch. All of this work is done by hand and no varnish is applied with a spray gun. This is true craftsmanship.
Next time we’ll talk about the salon and helm deck tables which represent the ultimate in the varnisher’s skills.