One of Helyn's attractive features is that she has retained many (sadly not all) of her original vinyl cushions, and all the cabin linings. These are in dark blue grained vinyl with white piping and are in excellent condition. Presumably Helyn was the de luxe model, or else these were ordered separately. In order to clean and paint the boat out, Jim removed all the linings, taking the vinyl off the hardboard backing, replacing the inner foam layer and, today, replacing the original vinyl over the top. All the foam has been taken out of the cushion covers, and both foam and covers have been washed and dried. Amazingly, this 1970 vintage foam is still in good shape.
The most frustrating thing, which has haunted us ever since we bought Helyn, is that the previous owner, immediately prior to selling her, thought it would be a good idea to brighten up the interior with a coat of white emulsion. Ever since we have had the boat, this steadily flaked off. Indeed, the main reason for removing everything from the interior was so that we could finally strip it all off and paint it properly, which has now been done. However, the flakes of white paint which wouldn't stick to the walls and ceiling are adhering resolutely to the vinyl, having to be scraped off individually with fingernails. Grrrr.
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