Cabin Liner, Removing and Replacing

[L124C]

I'm preparing to replace the toe rails on my 40 YO boat and need access to the nuts below deck. The cabin liner is fiberglass, and prevents access to the nuts in some locations, so I need to remove it. I also want access to clean up the wiring which has been fished through the spaces over the years (You'll see what I mean below!). I'm looking for a way to replace the liner after the work is done. I want continued access. So far, I've tried reinstalling the cut out section of liner, fastening it with hardware and covering it with Naugahyde. It looked pretty good, but the fasteners were problematic, and I had to glue on the Naugahyde so it was a pain to remove. Now, I'm trying pieces of Luan, fastened to the remaining liner with "industrial strength" Velcro. Had to use Velcro glue to fasten Velcro to the remaining fiberglass, but so far it seems to work well. I could either varnish or paint the Luan. While I want it to look decent, it's not in real obvious areas, so function is more important then form. Any other ideas? Has anyone used the industrial Velcro on boats, did it work?
Pictures: 1.Exsisting liner. 2. Liner removed (I KNOW.... I'TS UGLY!) Velco tape on sides. 3.Luan replacement in place.

[Faster]

Neat trick.. One of our former boats had 'drop down' valances like that all the way around the hull/deck joint.. they were screwed in place onto cleats but essentially the same idea.

I believe Jeanneau (or maybe GibSea or someone else) at one time secured the overhead panels with Velcro.. no reason to think it wouldn't work, especially if pulling them down was a relatively infrequent requirement.

[sailingdog]

INdustrial strength velcro generally won't work well in areas it is supporting loads in tension, rather than shear, especially in areas that have higher temps, since the adhesive will often soften and weaken in the heat.

[L124C]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Industrial strength velcro generally won't work well in areas it is supporting loads in tension, rather than shear, especially in areas that have higher temps, since the adhesive will often soften and weaken in the heat.

I'm assuming the load in my case is shear, and a fairly small one at that. Is that correct, and if so, are you saying it should work? No heat is involved, though unfortunately moisture may be. Velcro claims the stuff is indoor/outdoor.

[mitiempo]

Industrial velcro should work well. Click the link to learn more about velcro.

YouTube - Letterman in a Suit of Velcro

[RhythmDoctor]

FYI, my son has an oak desk in our house. I built a small extension table on the side for a printer out of luan, stained it with Minwax Golden Oak and then a few coats of Minwax Clear Polyurethane. It has held up very nicely for 10 years. It's not in a marine environment, but I would expect similarly good appearance inside a boat. So I'd recommend clear PU-type "varnish" over your luan instead of paint.

FYI, on my boat I am restoring some interior teak. After stripping I did a few coats of Minwax Natural oil to buy time while I decided what to do for a long term solution. I've always had such good results with Minwax PU that I'll probably use that, although I'll probably use their Spar formulation in the vicinity of the companionway due to UV exposure. I used their Spar PU on a bay window about 25 years ago, and it got daily sun exposure (south side of the house) for 10 years with no signs of degradation. We sold the house after that, so I don't know how much longer it lasted. But I've gained a lot of confidence in it for interior marine applications.

[ambianceack]

The velcro might work but if dirt gets on there by taking the panels on and off it might loosen its holding. We had some velcro on our boat and I removed most of it due to mold and mildew build up. If there is enough fiberglass/headliner left behind to attach velcro would simple 1/2-inch pan head wood screws work better and more closely match the boards below your panel? This idea is similar to what Faster was describing.

[L124C]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

Industrial velcro should work well. Click the link to learn more about velcro.

YouTube - Letterman in a Suit of Velcro

Thanks! The video inspired an exterior project - Eliminating the need for Jack Lines in the cockpit!
It also made me feel very old. Letterman looks like he is 10!

[L124C]

Originally Posted by ambianceack

The Velcro might work but if dirt gets on there by taking the panels on and off it might loosen its holding. We had some Velcro on our boat and I removed most of it due to mold and mildew build up. If there is enough fiberglass/headliner left behind to attach Velcro would simple 1/2-inch pan head wood screws work better and more closely match the boards below your panel? This idea is similar to what Faster was describing.

I tried screws, but the remaining liner is so flexy in places that they didn't work very well. In addition, due to the wiring and exhaust hose that run in back of the liner, I never felt good about having screw tips back there. Bolts would work better if I had access to the back, but in many places I don't.

[mitiempo]

Yeah, I remember when it was broadcast too.