Alan Gomes
Sustaining Partner
Yes, this is one of the main reasons I dislike fabric headliners: they sometimes limit much-needed access to hardware and can hide leaks until the damage is already done. They can also make installation of new hardware a royal pain, depending upon the location of the new hardware. My recent winch upgrade was a painful case in point. I managed to do it without damaging my existing headliner, but it would have been much easier if I were Gumby. It was horrendously difficult getting the fender washers, lock washers, and nuts on some of those bolts.Yeah, I know people have done this, and it is hard to beat the appearance of Ericson's factory headliner.
But, while much of the deck hardware is accessible above headliner zippers, I'm finding this isn't the case with stanchions bases. And stanchion bases can face a lot of twisting forces under the long lever-arm of the stanchion poles. While I might have been able to pull of a headliner R&R once, the possibility of a second time was too much for me!
Headliner panels are not perfect in this regard, as they can also hide what's going on underneath. But they can be installed so as to be easily removable, allowing for periodic inspection at least. Plus, they can also be quite attractive if done with care.
Replacing the headliner in my main cabin should not be too arduous of an undertaking, though that headliner is in decent shape. The one in the vee berth is a real mess in places. (A bow pulpit leg that had been leaking well before I bought the boat did a number on part of it.) But unfortunately, the compound curves in places will make it a bit more of a challenge than in the main cabin--at least for my limited skill set. Still cogitating on what to do about that one.