Headliner Structure Questions

[Padres_fan]

Hello,

I've been looking at a '75 Ericson 35. Overall the boat looks great, and I'm ready to jump at it. My question/concern involves the headliner on the interior of the boat. There is one section, above the vberth, where the headliner has drooped down a fair amount. I would estimate it to be less than an inch but it's noticeable.

The other area of concern is on the starboard side where one of the shrouds is connected to the deck. The plate on top of the deck is shaped similar to an upside down "T" and is backed by a plate on the interior. This interior plate has pulled through the headliner roughly 1/4", but appears to have been stopped by the deck from advancing any farther.

I sounded both areas of the deck along with many other places and it appears sound. Visually the chainplate(is that the proper term) looks great and so does the exterior area. My question is is how much of a gap is there generally between the headliner and the deck, and are the issues I'm describing normal/common?

thanks
-Chris

 

[Guy Stevens]

Completely common

The headliner is vinyl is attached with staples. It is generally about 1/2 off of the bottom of the deck.

The headliners in most of the older ericsons are due for replacement.

Once you touch the headliner to try and do anything to it, you are going to have to replace it. There are a lot of solutions out there, most of them more like traditional ceilings (In the nautical sense of the word, thin, narrow, and long strips of wood applied fore and aft as a decorative or protective cover for the hull or deck surface inside a boat).

If it doesn't look too bad, put it off as a project. It is a big one, but one that most people do just fine.

Guy

 

[Frank Langer]

The headliner on our boat is still in good condition, but some of the staples have rusted or broken off. As a result, the headliner has pulled out from under the trim in a few places.

I don't want to replace the headliner yet, so am considering removing the trim (held on by screws) to access where the staples are. I am thinking to re-staple the headliner to the veneer above the windows--ie. simply reattach it to where it was.

Has anyone done this? Can one buy the right kind of stapler and correct size staples to go into this wood veneer?

Thanks for any tips.

Frank

 

[footrope]

Frank,

As part of my portlight re-bed project I have been replacing the teak veneer plywood on the interior. The veneer was separating and the plywood was rotting around the port cutouts. That job requires the vinyl headliner to be pulled way and then re-stapled. The rusting of the old staples didn't damage the headliner except for slight discoloration. The vinyl on my 1980 is still flexible and otherwise sound. There is a thin sheet of foam above the headliner, too, that is now worthless.

Restoring the headliner afterwards wasn't too hard, using a regular large stapler, and Arrow staples 1/2" wide. If you can get your hands on an upholstery-type stapler, that might be better. You just have to stretch it a little and try not to make wrinkles. I had to be creative when restoring the wood backing for the staples since it was in bad shape, too. The backing has to take a staple about 3/8" deep to assure security. I also moved the headliner upwards at the top, which meant trimming the headliner back about 1/2". I glued a strip of cheap trim along there. With a little practice, it can be stapled back up and it looks fine. I found the vinyl to be forgiving - I had to start over a couple times, which meant removing a few staples and re-doing them.

The worst part is the covering for the staples. In my case its a vinyl hinged strip about 3/8" wide that is falling apart. I will need to replace all of that with something decorative, and with attractive fasteners or countersunk/ plugs. Saving that for the headliner total replacement. Someday.

I think it's something you can tackle, assuming the vinyl is still in decent shape. Good luck.

 

[Frank Langer]

Thanks, Craig/Ellen, for your very detailed and helpful reply!

Frank