Heal your headliner
Headlining can be notoriously tricky to replace, but David Parker looks at a couple of different examples to show how it’s done
When writing an article once about how the RNLI build their lifeboats I was fortunate enough to go down below on one of their high-tech offshore models. It was as, you might expect, an impressive bit of kit.
However while we were chatting about the advanced composite hull structure and state-of-the-art casualty rescue facilities, one thing struck me more than anything else about the vessel. The boat systems were exposed so you could see most of the wiring and pipe work. This means that any fault on board could be quickly traced and, with everything so accessible, fixed as quickly as possible. I’d seen similar and cruder set-ups on stripped out ocean race boats (they can also be very noisy by the way – in heavy seas it’s like being in a floating drum). But with the RNLI boats the minimalist approach was all the more noticeable because of the complexity of the vessel itself. Although a highly technical craft, it had been fitted out to make everything very simple to access.
Now I’m not advocating stripping out cruising boats of creature comforts, but this does highlight the point that it can be a time consuming problem tracing a wiring fault or niggling leak behind hidden panels. Also if you’ve ever had to remove old liners to access cabling or pipework you’ll know how messy and disruptive it can be, especially when dealing with headlinings where the backing or adhesive has failed.
However, while fault finding or running new cabling etc is still fiddly, it becomes so much easier and cleaner when you’re working with sound panels which can be removed and refitted relatively easily.
In addition to the practical benefits the better access offers, it also gives the boat a much fresher and brighter feel. After all, we’re not on rescue or racing boats and aesthetic comforts do make it much more pleasant living in a small space.
Because of their size and any secrets they might be hiding, renewing headlinings can seem a bit daunting if you haven’t tackled it before. Here however, I show two different examples of ones I’ve done – one in the wheelhouse and one in the heads. Each has different snags to
consider and shapes to be cut.
Sometimes, of course, headlining material is just stuck directly on to a surface with no removable liner, but if you want to run cables and have access to them they’ll need to be behind a panel. Panels can be covered with a single skin material, but typically they are foam backed. It is the common type of removable foam-backed liner we’ll be looking at here.
The wheelhouse deckhead
The reason to remove a panel may be to trace a wiring fault or cure a leak. If it’s the latter that could well mean a replacement job for the sheet material as well if the backing panel has damaged from water ingress. Then you’ll need to cut a new plywood panel; you can buy WBP (weather and boil proof) grade plywood for this, which is what a boatbuilder or professional yard would often fit to save cost. If budget allows proper marine plywood will last better if a long term undetected leak does occur.
If the plywood panel is OK it could just be that the adhesive has failed over time, allowing the vinyl foam to come away. An especially hot spell on board may even cause older glue/material to finally disintegrate. If you notice one headlining is starting to look dodgy then check the others as well. Headlining panels originally fitted together can also need replacing at around the same time. It may well be practical and cheaper to do several at once.
When renewing more than one panel, there is an additional point to consider. It may be tempting, because it seems easier and more manageable, to go for the smallest section first. But if this is your first time replacing headlinings don’t necessarily try and do the first one based on size: instead look for which will be the most straightforward. By this I mean one which involves the least work on the panel itself, ie the cutting of holes for lights, hatches or vents, or working with tight corners and recesses. These are the places where if you make mistakes it becomes the most noticeable.
I find it helps to get used to handling the foam-backed vinyl first on simpler panels then move on to working with the sections which require more demanding cutting to get neat shapes.
So here we’ll start with the wheelhouse panel first. It’s the biggest but only needs small holes for wiring and has a nice regular shape which is a good place to start when it comes to gluing and trimming material to fit.