Changing cabin interior side covering

[Steve]

This weekend I pulled off all of the “wall paper” from the interior of my O’Day 22. It was a vinyl material that was glued on to the sides. Kind of looked like a wallpaper application. Now I need to replace it with something but I am not sure what my options are. It was discolored and yellow so I don’t regret pulling it down but I have been told that I opened a can of worms because the glue is very difficult to get off from the walls. Does anyone have a suggestion for how to remove the glue? Also, does anyone have a suggestion as to what to replace it with? I would like to keep cost down and would even be happy if I just replaced it with the same kind of vinyl material, where would I find this stuff? Has anyone tried anything different?

 

[Don]

22 inside

Steve, About 3 years ago I restored my O'Day 22 and in the process replaced the liner you speak of. yes, the adhesive is a pain to remove. I opened all the hatches on board and proceeded to wipe down the adhesive with paint remover. It was very slow, but did work to a degree. Te remaining adhesive was sanded off using an orbital sander with 80 grit paper. Make certain you wear a dust mask and safety glasses. This process too me about 8 hours total time.Next step was a new liner. I found a remnent of outdoor carpeting for a great price. Using construction paper, patterns were made for each section. The pattern was transfered to the carpeting and then cut out.3M spray adhesive was used to attached the carpet to the hull. Again, have plenty of ventalation. Only work one section at a time. A wide putty knife will aid in pushing the material into the tight corners.The end result was fantastic. It recieved many complments until I sold the boat. Unfortunitly, I don't have any pictures to send you.Good luck.

 

[Rich]

I'm where you're at

Steve, I'm at the same place you are. I removed the cloth liner from my bow berth and have been trying to dissolve the adhesive with West Marine adhesive remover, but there's so much adhesive it's taking forever. I'm going to try letting it dry and sand it off with a power sander.If you plan to glue new carpet on top of it, I'm not sure that you need to do a thorough job of removing the old stuff--just remove any big chunks that would deflect the shape. I'm trying to do a thorough job because I wanted to make my carpet removable with 2-part epoxy painted on the hull underneath, so I wouldn't have to go through this adhesive removal nightmare again later.An interesting idea for a liner would be to plank the area with the interlocking cedar strips they sell for closets at places like Home Depot. Various books have described ways to attach it, by glassing firring strips onto the hull or bending ribs on top of it. I think those Scunci steam cleaners can be used to bend pieces, but I haven't personally tried it. I'm planning on using some cedar on the hanging locker wall, but the area is flat and doesn't require any special techniques.

 

[Mullet]

I've been thinking about the strips

and was thinking about making them a little long and slipping the top into the space between the cabin liner and the hull and letting the bottoms sit on the glassed-in foam that supports the backrest. Cut some pieces to fit on top of that foam to wedge the bottom of the hull strips, tack them down, then rip a piece of 1/4 round moulding to cover the seams. I'll have to do something at the aft portion to hold it together there but it shouldn't take too much, since they don't support too much weight.We'll see.

 

[DC1417]

sunbrella

The liner on my O'Day 22 had turned a pukish pink. I didn't remove it but covered with Sunbella (many color options) using 3M spray adhesive. I had to reglue a little this spring but for the most part it stayed in place and looks great, easy to clean. Sunbrella is mildew resistant and won't fade. You can get it online or from any canvas shop.