Head Liners and Hull Liners

[sailingdog]

Recently, I was on Max-on's Dehler 33. It's a very pretty leadmine .

However, it's got a problem that a lot of boats share, especially newer ones. The interior is finished with a hull liner and head liner that essentially act to stiffen the boat from what I can see. But there is no way to get past either to do any work on the deck or hull in 95% of the places.

One recent member here on sailnet did a fairly large hardware upgrade on his boat and he went from this:



to this:



But to do so, his cabin ended up looking like he has a bad infestation of fiberglass termites:



My boat has basically the same issues, but my headliner isn't a rigid fiberglass one like Max-on's and cutting through the material is a much simpler option. Eventually, I plan on taking down the current headliner and replacing it with one that is easily removable for maintenance and hardware installation.

I'm planning on installing furring strips, which will be epoxied/glassed to the underside of the cabintop, and using those to mount the new headliner. I also plan on leaving openings for the existing hardware and such to make inspection and maintenance easier to do.

Have any of you done something like this? If so, do you have any regrets or things you'd change about how you did the installation? What tips and tricks would you mention to someone doing this?

[drynoc]

I did an amateurish job of this sort last summer. After years of racing by the PO, my boat had no head liner at all, so I installed a cloth one using furring strips as you describe. I went with cloth because it would be easy to take down in case of maintenance.

I may not be very good at using epoxy, but I had a hard time getting the furring strips to stick to the overhead using West System. I ended up screwing the strips to the overhead with self drilling sheet metal screws. It was also a lot faster and cheaper, by the way. It seems to have worked out well - no issues so far. The most difficult part of the effort was trying to flatten the overhead - it had all sorts of indentations and anomalies built in, no doubt because the builder never thought that it would see the light of day. I ended up using blocks of wood under the furring strips to account for the various inconsistencies. Lastly, I'm not much of a seamstress, so there are some (ahem) less than perfect areas, but overhaul I'm happy with the result. I don't want this post to get too long, since I don't know your specific questions, but feel free to ask. What you are talking about makes sense and can be done.

[Freesail99]

I will be up front and say, I love the look of varnish, it really floats my boat. That be said, I was on a boat on Friday where the guy replaced his headliner with 2'' x 4' luan plywood strips. He cut a sheet of luan plywood into 2 inch wide strips epoxied hardwood nailers to the hull and used brass screws to attach the luan (mahogany) strips, which he had varnished. It really was a stunning look.

Also because he screwed the strips in place, they are easy removed to get to backing plates and such. The small air space behind the strips also helped cool the boat.

[jbondy]

For a tempoprary fix, you might consider these plugs from Grainger:

Hardware > Supplies > Hole Plugs > Hole Plug,Hole D 1 1/2 In,Wh,PK 25 : Grainger Industrial Supply

They come in all sorts of sizes, from 1/4" to 2" and cost under $3 for a pack of 25. They give the holes a finished look. I used these where there was a headliner I did not want to replace.

I did replace part of the ceiling using this (I think) from Home Depot:

PGM Products L.L.C. 4 In. Bead Cape Cod Planking - 617137 at The Home Depot

It's a vinyl tongue and groove panel. What I used came white, so I didn'r need to paint it. It's whilte all the way thru, so it should never need painting or touch up. It's waterproof, with the obvious benefit.

I put firring strips across the ceiling using self tapping screws. I've had good success with polyurethane construction adhesive, so I might try that if you don't want to screw into the underside of the deck. It has enough holding power to keep the stripsin place until it cures. I ran the tongue and groove for and aft, attaching to the firring strips with 1/2" screws. The vinyl is soft enough that the screws went in flush without the need to countersink. I then put decorative teak strips from side to side to cover the screws and lend a nautical look.

The only complexities arose from the uneveness of the surface, as mentioned above. I used the same approach of using wood shims to even the firring strips up. Also, the side edges of the vinyl are exposed and presented a challenge to my woodworking skills to get them looking good. I may end up installig more teak strips to create a frame appearance, but it hasn't bothered me enougfh yet to do anything about it. My wife thinks I'm being too picky, but when you DIY, you are too aware of all the faults.

Good luck.

[chucklesR]

SD,
While all sailors are in love with vast expanses of varnished wood work especially when it is interior on one time only for the work I don't think your boat would benefit from having a dark overhead. You need to keep it light and airy, secure so it doesn't come down (when not if you eventually flip the boat) and easy to remove so you can have access to the wire runs, backing plates and what not so you can continue with your endless tinkering.. i.e, a ceiling just like I need for the same reasons..

I 'll be following this thread and see what folks come up with.

[sailingdog]

Chuckles-

Trust me, I wasn't planning on a dark overhead surface... either white or a very pale off-white.

[capttb]

If you are using a tensioned suspended fabric headliner as I think from your description, you may consider using heavy duty zippers to provide access for your inspection openings.
Pretty neat job in the photos, he should really like everything to the cockpit like that.

[craigtoo]

I like the holes.

Gives it that sporty... "I modified the crap out of my boat look...."

One option we're discussing to cover the termite infestation is strips of thin teak. In rows.

Sabre used white electrical outlet covers. Looks cheap to me.

My dad recently installed a new headliner on his boat.. all vinyl.. I'll need to ask him how he did that. I know he's removed it all to rebed a bunch of hardware this winter... and I don't think it was too bad at all...

C'mon down to Annapolis and we'll check it out!

craig

[sailingdog]

Thanks for the invite, I might have to take you up on it.

Originally Posted by craigtoo

I like the holes.

Gives it that sporty... "I modified the crap out of my boat look...."

One option we're discussing to cover the termite infestation is strips of thin teak. In rows.

Sabre used white electrical outlet covers. Looks cheap to me.

My dad recently installed a new headliner on his boat.. all vinyl.. I'll need to ask him how he did that. I know he's removed it all to rebed a bunch of hardware this winter... and I don't think it was too bad at all...

C'mon down to Annapolis and we'll check it out!

craig

[craigtoo]

Always Welcome SD!

As long as you help me pot all the holes in my deck with epoxy! I'll buy the beer!




EDIT: Isn't your season coming to an end next week anyway????