Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

[juryduty]

Hi all, I have a 28' Uniflite mega with a nice v-berth that sleeps two. I recently tore down all the white carpeting from the top of the v-berth as it was getting skanky. Problem is, I had no idea how tough of a job this would be to put something new back up.

The v-berth in this boat has several dips, angles, and shapes that are going to make installation of a new hull-blanket type material very hard. Anybody else done something creative here? Is it possible to slather/spray/paint anything up there?

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

Got some pictures to share? That would help folks get a better visual.

Have you checked out headliner material from online and local sources?

 

[juryduty]

Re: Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

I have attached a pic. Having a hard time figuring out what to line the ceiling of this vberth with. The blanket headliners seem too thin and would require a lot of cuts and seams. Is there a better way...panels maybe? Not sure how to handle the corners. Totally lost here!

 

[redneck joe]

Re: Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

I struggled with the same thing on mine. Easy to come down then what.... Either way you're gonna have to clean down to bare fiberglass. I used a wire wheel in my drill.


It was suggested for me to use truck liner material, regular paint, bottom paint. At the end of the day, it was well worth the money to have my upholstery guy do it. Looks like mine was a lot more involved that yours - you seem just to have a basic cuddy. Mine has a complete cabin and we came down the walls pretty good. He charged me time and materials, $1000 (cash, no receipt we do our business that way). Comparable to what I would think you have, probably $300 for your job and the headliner is thin, but works well.

over on the bayliner club there was a great thread where A guy epoxied wood strip to use as nailers, then insulated and made panels. His was a cabin not cuddy as well.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

Yup, I'd vote for the Foam Backed Suede like Headliner material. It's fairly inexpensive, conforms well to irregular shapes and can be applied with Contact cement. You need to get the substrate smooth and clean first. Razor Blade scraper and a Heat Gun should do the trick. This Ebay vendor has Great Prices on the Liner.

Automotive Vinyls, Marine Canvas items in Marine Vinyl store on eBay!

 

[redneck joe]

Re: Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

My guy and i decided against the foam backed; with all the cuts and angles it was easier (he felt) to hide all the cuts and seams.

Auto and Marine Fabric, Tops and Trim - Outdoor and Contract Fabric

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

I helped a buddy do part of the headliner in his old searay, and pretty much the whole thing in his 260 liberator cabin.. Used marine headliner/carpet material and a 3M spray adhesive product, started at the front of the v birth and worked (slowly) aft.. it is just a crappy job no mater what..:laugh: but its very doable as long as you work on a small area at a time. the spray tacks up in about 30 seconds, although you only get (generally) one shot, cause it sticks GOOD once you pat the carpet/material down.. er up :lol: Once you get to the 'middle' of the area you are doing, work from the center out towards the walls/sides of the cabin. A few carefully thought out cuts here and there will get hidden surprisingly well once its all up, and it can help to have the material 'pre cut' to the rough shape, but with extra left on the edges as any bumps/angles/wires/ect will effectively take up a bit of length here and there..

 

[juryduty]

Re: Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

Thanks for the great ideas. What kind of upholstery guy could do this, seems different than furniture upholstery? This thing has a lot of angles and it seems like it would be rough to make it look good with all the seams. RJoe yours does look more complicated though.

Would something like this work: scrape to bare fiberglass, roll on some kind of coating (like resin or epoxy), sand smooth, then paint?

 

[redneck joe]

Re: Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

my guy is Tullahaoma Seat Cover, an auto upholstery place but he'll do anything for $. He just finished a small plane refit, he does pontoons, lots of classic cars refits, he was doing a custom canvas for a deer hunting 4 wheeler when I stopped by this week (hes doing the beds for the carver). Look around you for a similar place. Or tackle it yourself. The material ain't too expensive - give it a shot if it doesn't work try again.


My decision about not using paint/epoxy etc was what I expected the 'feel' of the cabin would end up as. Cold and uninviting. The headliner gives it a more 'warm' and 'cozy' feeling to me and being a bald guy I want something soft when I hit my head, no early warning system non-bald men have.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

Or tackle it yourself. The material ain't too expensive - give it a shot if it doesn't work try again.

yup. that's what i usually do :lol:

My decision about not using paint/epoxy etc was what I expected the 'feel' of the cabin would end up as. Cold and uninviting. The headliner gives it a more 'warm' and 'cozy' feeling to me and being a bald guy I want something soft when I hit my head, no early warning system non-bald men have.

I agree, and i'm not 'bald' per say, but keep my hair buzzed quite short, so ya.. hard surfaces in a boat cabin don't work well with me either..


Heres your pic, with some scribbles on it :laugh: If i were doing it, I'd start with the area in yellow, the 'hump' around the hatch, glue/wrap the carpet around it and trim it off flush to the top/roof of the cabin. Then rough cut and fit the green or blue sections next, as separate pieces.. in the end as long as you leave a bit for overlap, and final trim nicely at the edges, it will look seamless.

OR, you could do the green part second, and leave an 'even' amount of overhang into the blue area, (say 1/2 to 1") and in the end the blue area's carpet would overlap it.. could easily be trimmed and glued nicely, and I think it would be almost unnoticeable. One thought further there, if it is noticeable, you could run a thin teak/other wood trim right over it, all the way along that edge to 'hide' it :lol: and it wouldn't look out of place in that cabin..

I guess it depends on the thickness (pile?) of carpet you use, and the color as well..

 

[juryduty]

Re: Headliner in v-berth... tough one, need ideas.. Uniflite 28 Mega

That's looks like an awesome idea, I think I will give it a shot over the long weekend... thanks!