Forecabin Fitting Out - Slats and Headlining....help and advice please.....

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martinteeluck

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Hi all,
Are any of you able to share your experiences, thoughts and advice regarding the fit out of a yacht forecabin?
The more aesthetic elements of this job will clearly be subjective so I'm hoping that you will be able to let me know your thoughts on the more "fundamental" aspects involved.
My own logic and thoughts are to place horizontal slatted wood strips (mahogany or close equivalent to match our saloon/chart/galley etc...) along the sides of the forecabin with a v.small gap between each and a thin cavity behind to allow moisture to condensate against the hull rather than us and our sleeping bags! That seems to make sense to me anyway...
The way I think this can be achieved is by using structural adhesive (I have seen some work done with CT1 adhesive which seems to do a bloody good job!) to secure 3x vertical plywood battens along the forecabin sides and then securing the wooden slats to these with screws. The forecabin sides are circa 2.2m long and 0.6m deep (Contessa 32).
What I'm not so positive on are aspects such as batten thickness (ie: to allow the breathable cavity behind slats) and grain, will marine ply be fit for purpose, what considerations should be given to grain direction, how to deal with curvature (although this visually appears to be very slight), what thickness do the wooden slats need to be to allow flex where required, how much machining of the wood should be done by experts and what can you do yourself at the boat with minimal tools, etc etc...I'm hoping a glued on PVC headliner will be easy after that but any comments on this would also be v.helpful!!!
I've had an oogle at Google but there doesn't seem to be any "how-to" guide for the above....as always, I bow to your collective wisdom and hope you are able to share some pointers!
Cheers all!
Martin
 
That construction is more or less what our old boat came with from new. In our case the vertical battens were glassed onto the hull, but decent adhesive sounds reasonable too.

Not sure whether you're suggesting using ply for the slats; I wouldn't, use solid wood for those. Ply would be ok for the battens; marine ply is overkill, it's meant for building boat hulls that are immersed, you only have to cope with a little dampness so "exterior" grade or WBP will be fine. If they're too thick to curve to the shape of the hull, make some saw cuts two-thirds of the way through to allow them to flex.

Machining a nice edge profile on the slats would need a spindle moulder or a router, the latter preferably in a table. In theory you could do it by hand with a plane, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you don't have a router and don't want to buy one (though it is a very handy tool for boat interiors) then your timber supplier may be able to do it for you, for a price. I know that Robbins in Bristol do this, they have a good reputation.

My slats were, from memory, roughly 10mm thick. They were relatively light and flexible wood though (not sure what species) - if you're using a dense hardwood like mahogany then you may need thinner. Depends how much flex you need.

You'll want some kind of finish on the slats, either oil or varnish. Personally I like oil for most interior work. You need to remove every bit of sanding dust to get a good finish - as well as hoovering, brushing, and wiping with thinners, finish off by firm wiping with a "tack cloth" (B&Q or paint supplier) that pulls the last bits of dust out of the grain of the wood leaving a slightly polished-looking surface. The oil will then give a nice medium-glossy result.

By the way, the slats mounted on the side of the hull like this are technically called "ceiling". You can sound extra-salty by dropping such terms into conversation :p

Pete
 
What you propose is standard hull lining on Hallberg Rassy yachts, even in lockers. Ply laths, about 10mm thick, bonded to hull, with 7-8mm x 25mm mahogany strips with rounded edge, fixed using raised head countersunk screws. At 2.2m length, 3 verticals may not be enough to prevent springing, 400mm centres as on HR works, so 5 or 6 slats for your length.
 
For what it's worth, the vertical battens on my boat were about two feet apart. Obviously not up to Hallberg Rassy standards :)

It still held the ceiling strips perfectly satisfactorily.

The batten and strip technique seems like a good one if you're worried about damp on the hull sides. If that's not a consideration, it's worth knowing that Robbins (again) do a product specifically for lining hull sides. It's a thin flexible plywood with horizontal grooves milled in it to mimic the strips in traditional ceiling. Just cut to size and glue in place. I assume it probably wants painting as the grooves would expose the layers of the ply otherwise. White gloss would look traditional.

Just mentioned as I was looking at their catalogue last night and saw this product; might be useful for someone else reading this thread.

Pete
 
I too am considering using this method of lining but am keen to know of the best and, well cheapest timber to use and the best supplier?
 
As part of the OP's requirement was to alleviate condensation problems, would it be worth gluing some closed cell foam sheets to the hull between battens? Might have to paint them white I suppose.
 
I too am considering renewing the headlinings in my boat with vinyl glued to ply in one or two panels.About the possible condensation I suggest that the membrane used for DIY wooden flooring insulation that you can get from B&Q in a largish roll would be a solution.
In my proposed method I'll epoxy glue a spine of 1 1/4" wide ply to the deck head and a 2" capping epoxied to it,giving 3/8"overlap. The 2 panels will be vinyl covered and slide beneath the spine,with the outer edges fitting beneath a similar spine that will also act as a trim, both spines to be varnished; the intention is to use the bend of the panel to spring into each spine and eliminate any screws. The side panels are the first element to complete so that the vinyl trim edge is secured by the side 'spines( without any membrane here.)
I'm trying to avoid removing windows and frames so finish around these has to be very accurate and well secured.
Kayospruce have a very good sample folder of all suitable linings, foambacked or plain ,and different shades of white cream or grey etc. ( Other sources are Hawke House or The Range store.) Price for the non foam backed material is £8.80 per metre linear but about 1.5 mtrs wide, they also do a fluted version of the foambacked @£20.40 ; Brand name is 'Nautolex' with 'Prefixx'.


ianat182
 
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I think you'd be lucky to slide the panel in without snagging the vinyl.... i'd fit the 'cap' after putting the panel in place.

I've got a similar set up on my headlining, but instead of sliding in, there are teak strips (suitably profiled as per a post earlier) of about 1 1/2" x 1/2", that are screwed in to hold the panels in place, and then the screw heads plugged over.... looks great, but fiddly to fit and remove, and quite an expensive solution.
 
parsifal said:
There is some nice work shown in this old thread:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?249614-Lining-the-Hull
Click to expand...

I just finished the job as it happens. A few lessons learned. I decided in the end to have the battens tight against each other. Having a gap proved too much hassle. I think it looks much better. I glued the vertical battens in place with Tech7 and then the longitudinal battens to those. Didn't last long. The glue was strong as an ox but the shape of the hull contorted the battens in couple of different directions and the vertical battens were pulled off the hull in two places. Ended up grassing them to the hull and stapled them to the glass wile it was wet from the side with stainless staples. The lengthwise battens are now screwed to them and the screw holes pluggedd with hardwood plugs.

Have lots of pics of the process if you want them. I could have saved a lot of hassle and a bit of money if I had known the hull twist would have this effect!
 
Euphonyx said:
Have lots of pics of the process if you want them. I could have saved a lot of hassle and a bit of money if I had known the hull twist would have this effect!
Click to expand...

Hi Eup and thanks for sharing your experience, are you able to post pics on this thread showing diff stages of progress, it would really help me gauge and benchmark (for better or for worse!!!) what I'm doing...
Martin
 
martinteeluck said:
Hi Eup and thanks for sharing your experience, are you able to post pics on this thread showing diff stages of progress, it would really help me gauge and benchmark (for better or for worse!!!) what I'm doing...
Martin
Click to expand...

I've set up an online album. Let me see if I can post a link to it. I've run out of my data quota on the forum!!
 
Where does the condensation end up ?

I have been thinking of making similar mods to my UFO 34 but I'm interested to know where the condensation ends up when it runs down the hull behind the ceilings and gets as far as the bunk tops ? Are there limber holes in the bunk tops with a longitudinal strip near the hull to prevent the water running into the berth cushions ? Or what ?

Boo2
 
Euphonyx said:
here's a link to a few I posted earlier:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?332919-Operation-Restoration-UFO-31

and the the online album:

https://picasaweb.google.com/102297104571006242033/Restoration?authkey=Gv1sRgCNGRlKaQ547l7QE
Click to expand...

WOW Eup!!! That's some truly inspirational work dude, many thanks for taking the time to post these.

'hope you don't mind me asking a few questions, if you have the time to comment I'd owe you one!

Did you have to brace the vertical supports to hold strips in forecabin and if so did u do them individually or en masse?
In retrospect would you start fixing the horizontal strips from the deck head level or from mattress level?
Would you varnish the strips before or after fixing?

Thanks again....I applaud and bow to your superior skills! :)
Martin
 
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