Headliner Replacement and Update

[41C]

Hi All. My 1969 41c headliner was stained, torn and just nasty. I had a couple of leaks which I have already addressed. I pulled it down and I am debating on whether to go with Vinyl or try something different.

I came across this PVC Wainscoting that is tongue and grooved. Seems this may be a very affordable and possible and easier installation then pulling and stretching vinyl. I have only found a few pictures of people actually doing the wainscoting, but it looked really good to me.

Wanted to get some opinions and thoughts? I think the easy clean up, ease of installation is pointing me that way but on the fence about going back with Vinyl. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have attached a picture of the wainscoting headliner from someone's boat I found online, hoping to find anyone with experience or pictures of their install. Also, would like to get people's opinions of the look.

 

[Scarlett]

We used that stuff on our aft deck on the walls not on the overhead. It is extremely easy to work with and they even make trim pieces with slots that the flat pieces fit into.

 

[41C]

That looks good! What do you think about it being overhead? I have flush mount LED lights in the salon so I thought with the Teak/Holly floors the white wainscoting might look good.

 

[bostonhatteras]

I vote for real headliner. Its pretty easy if you have the right materials and an upholstery stapler. Go on miami corp website and look at the materials. you need headliner, plastic tack strip which makes the sharp crease between panels and maybe a roll of hydem which is the trim to finish edges if there is no wood trim to cover those areas. All the battens are already in place from when the boat was built. Hatteras sewed the entire thing and installed your headliner as one piece but you'll have each area between the battens as a separate piece of headliner albeit overlapped at seams. Photos are mine, which I did.https://www.miamicorp.com/buy/produ...ating-Interior-Fabric/Hull-Headliner/dept-5TC

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I vote for real headliner. Its pretty easy if you have the right materials and an upholstery stapler. Go on miami corp website and look at the materials. you need headliner, plastic tack strip which makes the sharp crease between panels and maybe a roll of hydem which is the trim to finish edges if there is no wood trim to cover those areas. All the battens are already in place from when the boat was built. Hatteras sewed the entire thing and installed your headliner as one piece but you'll have each area between the battens as a separate piece of headliner albeit overlapped at seams. Photos are mine, which I did.https://www.miamicorp.com/buy/produ...ating-Interior-Fabric/Hull-Headliner/dept-5TC

I agree. I replaced mine several years ago. But I used wood stips instead of vinyl to create the sharp edge at the seams. Either works.

The headliner breathes better so less chance of mold etc.

 

[41C]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I know it's not yacht quality to do something like this and I know for that vinyl would be the best material. I was just hoping to find something that would be more affordable. My boat will never be in Bristol condition as my budget does not allow for that. The boat has been a labor of love and just don't have the open checkbook.

 

[Briankinley2004]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I know it's not yacht quality to do something like this and I know for that vinyl would be the best material. I was just hoping to find something that would be more affordable. My boat will never be in Bristol condition as my budget does not allow for that. The boat has been a labor of love and just don't have the open checkbook.

If you are not going yacht quality I have been on several charter boats that used FRP panels with screws. The screws usually have the decorative washers. This is relatively inexpensive and easy to install. If you ever need to access the ceiling all you have to do is pull down the trim and unscrew the panel. You can also laminate it onto plywood if your furring is too far apart and you are concerned with sagging. You can also use stained wood on the seams instead of the plastic strips. It looks really sharp. I did my office in that manner. I used a hardboard material over plywood but the picture give you an idea of the appearance.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

The original headliner vinyl is not expensive. It's just a chore to put up.

 

[41C]

Thanks for the responses, I am going to try a sample of the FRP headliner just to see what it looks like. I figure it's worth $100 to see if it will look ok or not.

The original headliner was just pulled and stapled which gave it somewhat of a sagging effect. I am either going to go with the FRP or use Luan and fit all the panels to the boat then wrap them with vinyl. I know the work entailed to put in the Luan and Vinyl will double or triple the time as well as the cost.

The boat is a 1966 and will never be yacht quality. We are a younger couple on a very fixed income, so we only have so much money to go to the boat. Recently, I have put in new Nautick flooring. Removed all of the lower helm and built in bulkhead cabinets across that area. Built in a settee in the salon area. I believe the boat has been modified beyond going back. The boat looks good, but far from yacht quality.

Fortunately, the boat was repowered with Cummins 6bta 330hp with low hours and only 60 hours on the generator. So, it has good bones, just need a lot of cosmetic help both interior and exterior.

 

[Bob Bradley]

That was my post on tht last week showing my 43c ceiling using traditional headliner material glued to luaun panels. I used 3m spray adhesive. I stretched it over the panels and stapled it to he back side. Follow the directions on the 3m spray can and spray both the panel and the underside of the headliner material. It helps to have a friend assist in stretching and placing the material on the wood.

 

[UNIQUE_NAME]

That was my post on tht last week showing my 43c ceiling using traditional headliner material glued to luaun panels. I used 3m spray adhesive. I stretched it over the panels and stapled it to he back side. Follow the directions on the 3m spray can and spray both the panel and the underside of the headliner material. It helps to have a friend assist in stretching and placing the material on the wood.

View attachment 71672

i did the same in my aft cabin ceiling.
fitting the luaun wasnt the easiest but i was working alone.
i dont think mine is as smooth as yours.