Headlining 25 feet sailboat

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letoosh

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I recently became the owner of a Jeanneau Eolia 25 feet sailboat.

The previous owner headlined the boat with what looks like standard home carpet with some similar kind of glue. It doesn’t fully dry and has a distinctive smell. Looks like brown jelly where it’s visible.

I’m looking to replace it, but worried about removing the glue. Search results mostly suggest using boiling water, which would be hard to do on a boat. What would be a good way to do this? Can I scrape it off somehow?

Any advice on the best material to use? Foam backed?

Many thanks,

Alex
 
Probably lined with van lining which is like carpet. You can brush the glue off with a wire brush. There are some How-to sheets and good advice from Hawke House | Bespoke Marine Interiors | Hawke House Ltd I used them to supply the adhesive for my vinyl ceiling panels on my 25-footer but I used van carpet on the hull sides. If you want to replace like for like, eBay is good for van carpet and spray adhesive, and Youtube is a must for instructions! If you stick foam-backed vinyl direct to the GRP, it will come of within 10 years as the foam disintegrates. I made removeable ply panels and stuck the foam to the ply and stapled on the other side. The panels are screwed to ply pads on the roof stuck on with Sikaflex.
 
I heard that alcohol works very well.

As in, buying a crate of beers and asking some friend to help you.

More seriously, is the glue water based? Have you tried some isopropanol to see if it moves it?

What is your replacement plan?

Horrible job, has to be said ...
 
My Westerly Pageant has corded carpet glued on throughout the inside the saloon and forward bunk. I don't like it but I leave it as is, because I couldn't face trying to remove and replace it. It's glued on with Evo Stick, which I believe can be removed with petrol, and that's enough reason to leave it alone and let the next owner deal with it.
 
I'm interest to hear how this goes and is replaced? Is the glue flammable? Stirring up a gunk with removers is horrible, I wondered if it is possible to crisp it up, dry it, and then scrap out. A bit of careful, say, hot air gun work?

Read a useful hack Roger Taylor of the Arctic Circle sailing books, who insulates his boats. He used some kind of glue or sealant to hold it on ... but double sided tape to hold it in place until the glue set.
 
It is almost certainly water based. Scrape a bit off and try to burn it. If it's OK then heating and scraping may work well.
To renew I would bond 12mm ply squares to the roof in a set pattern, then use 6mm ply covered with vinyl floor covering screwed to the squares Using matching screw caps. This will give a professional looking finish.
 
12mm (18/20mm total) seems generous, but if you have the headroom, then why not. On the old GRP boats, only ones I know, they must have use squares of 6mm, held in place with a layer of matting then quite thick, but short screws to hold the trims in place.

I suppose doing it that way, you could add upto 12mm of insulation? Perhaps that sliver backed bubblewrap stuff?

It's off topic but I'm interested in insulating solutions and had thought to do similar. Is the gunk to hold them in place strong enough to last? How far apart did you space them?
 
If it is water based, could you steam it off?

If you have to use an organic solvent - isopropanol, white spirit, acetone or the like, get a proper mask of the sort paint sprayers use. It's easy to build up a seriously toxic - and explosive - atmosphere in an enclosed space like a boat cabin. Use the same mask when putting solvent-based contact adhesive on for the new lining.
 
sur-la-mer said:
12mm (18/20mm total) seems generous, but if you have the headroom, then why not. On the old GRP boats, only ones I know, they must have use squares of 6mm, held in place with a layer of matting then quite thick, but short screws to hold the trims in place.

I suppose doing it that way, you could add upto 12mm of insulation? Perhaps that sliver backed bubblewrap stuff?

It's off topic but I'm interested in insulating solutions and had thought to do similar. Is the gunk to hold them in place strong enough to last? How far apart did you space them?
Click to expand...

With insulation, better if possible to not have an air gap twixt hull and whatever is doing the insulating. I've used self-adhesive closed cell foam mat before (from Hawke House) which helped a lot with insulating and reducing condensation. That, in conjunction with headlining using covered thin ply boards is a way better solution than gluing carpet on and, as others have said, foam backed vinyl is horrible stuff...
 
My foam back lining has lasted well over 20 years ... but now sagging in various areas. The dust from the dried out foam is awful ...

I am looking to redo my boat - but dreading the job. I will likely use the Van Carpet lining as it stretches / moulds to the curvatures easily ... and has no foam backing to fail 10yrs down the line.

I found a reasonable cream like colour from one supplier instead of the usual grey.
 
I used copydex to fix a new lining on my W25 years ago. It did not create a lot of heavy fume like evo stick type contact adhesive. I would try an electric heat gun to soften the old glue as you remove it with a scraper.
 
While you're looking at Hawke House (who having been in the business for at lest 40 years have outlasted all of the boatbuilders they've supplied) take a look at their vinyl linings. It feels like rubber to touch and does add a little insulation too - use a thixotropic adhesive.
 
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