Bulletproof vacation week: Headliner questions

[Bulletproof]

Hello All,

I've taken the week off to work on the boat, imagine 7 days straight of working on the best boat ever built!!! I'm in heaven. Okay not quite, I'm working in the V Berth and the headliner is one of my projects.

I still have the old headliners for patterns. I've even stripped off the old vinyl. Now I'm wondering if I can re-use the old plywood, which is covered with the old contact. Tomorrow I'm going to try to wash off the contact cement with laquer thinner so we'll see how that works.

I'm hoping someone out there can recommend a new vinyl headlliner material that I can laminate to the plywood (new or old). Any ideas, web sites, product lines???? I'm open to suggestings. I'll have the laptop on the boat all day so please post your ideas right away!

Thanks!
Paul

[Mack]

I did the headliner in the main salon last winter and elected to use new marine grade plywood, about a gallon of "DAP" contact cemnet (use good ventalation) and the best marine grade vynl I could find. The outer teak trim covered up the slight mis-meausures in the curved parts so in the end it turned out to be one of the best looking parts of the boat. I considered doing the v-berth over the summer, however elected to use the boat heavily instead. If I were to do the v-berth in my boat, I would probably use the existing ply since it is in very good shape. Cutting new ply to precisely fit is not within my patience threshold right now.

As long as your existing ply is not full of mold or rotted, I would go with it. You will see when you take it down that the fit is tricky. You could use Azek or some other type of material, however the v-berth fit is a pain in th ass at best.

Again, use the Dap conctact cement, use several coats and choose a good grade of marine vynl that you can get at a marine apulstry shop. Plan on replacing the carpet as well. It will look outstanding when you are done.

Just my $0.02. Everyone has their own way of doing it.

Good luck.

[John F.]

Cutting new ply is pretty easy and I think goes quciker than trying to clean up old ply--its up to you as to what you need. I can tell you from personal experience (unfortunately) that if you coat stuff with contact cement--like ply and heavy vinyl--and then cement them together before letting the cement dry enough per instructions, the cement will show through the vinyl in yellowish blotches a few weeks down the road. Capt Pat can tell you just how, and follow his directions.

John F.

[Rawleigh]

Don't forget to check the windshield bonding straps while you have the V berth headliner down!!!

[thereheis]

redoing mine also but i am using FRP board glued to the old boards and then put it up. in the salon area gonna use the same stuff FRP board,but i am gonna use some super doopper vel-crow to hold it up with instead of screws,,easy to clean and last a long time...

phil

[Ric]

Laminate and router the headliners, the replacement of the ply is a good idea, laminating the ply and finding the ribs (transfering holes) for screwing can be labor intensive.
but you will have a clean finish and application that will last . I took all that carpet out of there and laid up the inside and faired it out so that it looks like the outside of the hull and that meant i had to make the headliners bigger to make up for tyhe carpet space i eliminated and by making them bigger meant that its a bitch to get them back into the v/berth.,.,.,.,good luck

[capy]

I threw out the old ply wood and used 1/8 thick PVC foam board or "Sintra".

Seamless, durable, easy to clean and very light.

capy

[Pete Fallon]

Paul,
If you know anyone that can lay-up white gel coated 3/8" core mat 4'x8' panels, thats what I used for my headliner and cockpit panels. They will never rot, high gloss finish and you only have to do them once. Just remember that the center transom panel is over 100". Stop by Dion's in Salem and talk to Dana Sponagale he's been in the fiber glass industry for over 30 years. He'll might be looking for side work during the winter. He's in the second shed on the right as you drive into the yard. Your boat is looking good, I'll be up next summer for a test ride. Off to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow to see the rest of the faithful.
Pete Fallon