Lining GRP cabin

alistairedw

alistairedw

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My 'new' dayboat has no lining over the GRP on the roof and walls of the small cabin. It doesn't look very nice so I am thinking of getting a carpet offcut , cutting panels to fit and then lining it. To allow removal for cleaning, winter ventilation etc I propose to stick velcro to the rough GRP and then velcro the carpet panels in place.

My main concern is what adhesive I should use to stick the velcro to the rough GRP. Any suggestions?

Any reason not to use short pile wool carpet? Cabin is very dry.
 
Use a synthetic carpet.... it won't rot, and won't smell!

For the headlining, consider gluing battens of wood on, and then using thin (2mm ish) boards of ply with the carpet stuck to them.... this will give you a bit of space for fixtures and fittings eg nuts behind winches etc etc, plus forms excellent insulation.....
 
The sticky back ribbed carpet from Hawke House Marine is very good, cover a large area in one. Not difficult to apply, and comes in about 6 colours.
PBO did a thin ply & vinyl headlining panel article a couple of years ago.
 
I`m into this right now myself. my headlinings are ok but the side linings hanging off . I`ve decided to go down the covered ply route, screwing them to pads stuck on the sides. Has anyone done this or can remember what thickness of ply to go for, 4 or 6mm ?
Hope I`ve not highjacked centreboarder`s thread !

pete
 
I did my headlining on ply panels. Partly held in place with (small self tapping)screws into bits of 9 mm ply with matching buttons on the screw heads and partly with strips of Velcro so as not to have too many screw heads. The pads are attached with car body filler, the type that is sold for bridging holes consisting of resin mixed with glass fibre. If I were doing it now I would try the adhesive Sikaflex although the body filler has worked perfectly well and the setting time can be reduced by adding a bit extra hardener and warming the surface as well. The Velcro seems to stick well with an impact adhesive such as Evo stick. The vinyl can be stuck to the ply panels with a water resistant PVA wood glue.

I used quite thin ply for the panels 3mm maybe 4mm.

I prefered to stick the side lining on direct using impact adhesive on the grp and spray on adhesive on the back of the vinyl
 
I'm halfway through this now. I'm using 4mm ply covered with foam-backed vinyl and screwed onto battens on the cabin roof. For the sides I have either fixed ply first and then covered it or stuck the foam direct to the hull grp.

4mm ply is perfectly strong enough. Sand the cut edges to remove splinters (wear thick gloves!) and sand the corners round.

I stuck small blocks of hardwood (about 1" x 2") to the grp with Plastic Padding fibreglasss repair kit (the green stuff in a tube) and screwed the battens to these. I found I couldn't hold a long batten in place long enough for the grp to set but the blocks could just be pressed onto a blob of wet grp filler and they stayed stuck in position.
 
Thanks for all that, guys.4mm ply it is, screwed on to blocks. I`m using panels on the sides so that they can be removed to get at other things which loom in the near future, like rubbing strake bolts,chain plates,sheet block tracks etc,etc. I too am a great believer in Plastic Padding.Given half a chance - v.clean surfaces and plenty time, the stuff`s grip is unreal.
The headlining is made up of foam backed vinyl on hardboard panels,believe it or not, and they`re still ok after 30 years ! - an underrated material ?
Pete
 
I'm about to replace my headlining as the present ones must be 30 years old and have seen better days.

Do you think the foam backed vinyl is better? The present lining is not backed.

I have some bare GRP areas on the sides at present and plan to glue the vinyl directly to this.
 
The foam backed vinyl provides insulation and reduces condensation. It also covers up minor blemishes on the surface and looks/feels expensive ........ probably because it is!
 
yes, the foam backed vinyl gives a much better finish and is only marginally more expensive,even so it pays not to waste any. I was given a tip the other day by trimmers,that is to use clear polythene sheet, sticking it up with tape or whatever, to make templates. Also ,since most of the glue in use for this seem to be contact adhesives, you only get one shot at sticking the vinyl up in the right place. the trick is to put markers ( in removable pencil or whatever) on the vinyl and the cabin sides by temporarily sticking it up with tape before you apply the glue, so that these marks line up when the vinyl is in the correct position ( say at the top edge ).Either that or simply to use so much vinyl that you have a big overlap all round, stick it up so that the area you want is nice and flat then trim off all that excess.
Mind you, it ain`t easy - give me nuts and bolts jobs anytime but this..............
Pete /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
I am using the trim it oversize technique. I find that doing it on my own I can't hold the vinyl (or even a template) in place with one hand and cut to shape with the other. I am using a one part contact adhesive (applied to the boat only) and if I apply some in the centre of the panel it holds it in place while I trim the vinyl to shape. I then lift the vinyl at the untreated edges, apply more adhesive and stick down. It may not be the professional way but is working for me.

I have been having exactly the same thoughts regarding nuts and bolts jobs. At least everything is the right shape and size and will fit together.

My advice to anyone contemplating replacing their lining is to practice on someone elses boat first as you get better with practice. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I don't like the sound of playing hit and miss with contact adhesive. I think I will get a better result using velcro.

The cabin is already fairly small so I am reluctant to lose any more space by using battens.
 
We are doing GL at the moment. Alan at Hawke House does a very useful leaflet. the thing is really only to stick vinyl up where you never need to remove it and use panels elsewhere. Basically that equates to panels on the coach roof and side decks, and glued panels on the hull and coach roof sides. Our old ones looked like there was no foam, because foam degrades after years into a yellow dust. Panels are a piece of pi$$ to make and cover, and we will be using velcro pads to attach them (the Jan/Feb 2004 PBO's have articles on glued lining and panels respectively) because of the difficulty of relocating screws once you drop a panel to get to wiring etc.
 
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