H34 -- Headliner replacement -- creative options?

[mark_swart]

Hello all,
I'm the proud new skipper of an 84 H34. Unfortunately the girl has seen better days -- a leaking instrument pod has left the starboard headliner soggy and drooping to the point that the fastener screws have pulled through the board. The port one looks like the vinyl covering is starting to peel away at the edges.

I'm looking at a few options -- 1/4 or 1/8 ply covered with vinyl (white, tan or grey), or possibly wall paneling cut to fit. Has anyone else tackled this and if so what did you come up with?

My wife is all about putting wood / woodgrain up there, but I'm not sure if it would darken the boat too much. I'd be really interested to see pics if anyone else has gone this route.

I plan to mount my speakers up in the headliner. Gets them out of the way and acoustics should be good.

Also, are there any H34 online groups or resources other than this board? I am coming over from an O'Day and they have a pretty vivarant group on yahoo that even has an automated daily email of discussions.

Don't get me wrong, I love this site, but for some reason it's blocked from my work computer

-Mark
H34 "Rogue"

 

[Dan Johnson]

The headliner panels...

don't have much depth behind them, making a speaker mount somewhat difficult. I found that out when I replaced the plastic light units with more substantial ones. The panel pieces themselves are not very thick and may be difficult to replace with a commercial product.

I'm having the same leaking issues and attribute it to the cover panel over the companionway. Others have taken it off and rebedded it and that looks like it will be added to my spring worklist. If I have to replace the interior panels, I would consider doing it in sections, not one long piece as done by the factory, to make it easier to get to the light wiring and find leaks, etc.

Keep this list informed as to what you do as there are a lot of us with H34's that want to keep them up to their potential for enjoyment too.

 

[mark_swart]

Re: The headliner panels...

I am actually surprised that Hunter built them in one piece. I was looking at making replacements in probably three sections. Makes it easier to find suitable sized materials, and also like you said, you can actually pull sections of it down for access instead of the whole thing. Not to mention that NEXT time it leaks, maybe it'll only take out one section...

Mine has instrument pods added on the cabintop on both side. I'm blaming them because one is cracked, but it could very well be the big cover.

Will keep you informed, but it will be a while before I do anything with it. I'm in Afghanistan, bought the boat sight-unseen (with survey) two weeks ago. I don't get back until May, but she's tarped up until then. I guess it will give me a lot of time to mull over all of these little projects in my head!!
-Mark

 

[kloudie1]

Take pictures, Mark.. It will be interesting to see what you do up there.. I think some really nice beaded board, in a blonde natural color would be good looking. followed by replacing the V berth carpet with the same stuff. The starboard overhead one is too long for std parts .. I haven’t found what I want in 3/16 thick material yet..
LEAK: I know my companionway cover leaks at its forward edge. I removed the big rope tunnel and sea hood cover a few years back and found that in the normal nose down trim at slip, water that lands on the lexan cover has no real place to go except in the cabin. I drilled a couple of holes forward in the pocket to connect the pocket to the rope tunnels so that water could drain. This has helped but I think Katrina blew a bushel of pine straw up in there and there is no good way to clear the holes.. It still pours water in when in really driving rain.. Going to have to think on that one some more.. I used to leave a small piece of 5/16 line stuffed into the stbd corner and drooping into the sink to guide the leak to a drain. I quit using the line after drilling the drain holes since it doesn’t leak nearly as bad. It looks like Hunter forgot to put a useful drain on the cover pocket.. Other folks wrestled with this one?? (he said as he quietly stole the thread?)

 

[Hunter voyager]

I have finally got mine watertight( I think)

The GRP cover over the sliding hatch is fixed down with screws which on mine leaked resulting in water getting between the roof mouldings and dripping out at the window frames!. I tried removing the cover but mine is held down with 5200 adhesive and impossible to remove. So I cut out holes in the cover about 3/4 inch dia with a dremel and filled the screwholes with 5200 and put the screws back in place. I then filled the 3/4 inch holes with more 5200. I also used 5200 round the port hatch frame as this was also leaking.

I still got drips at the galley sink so I cut away the grp at the aft end of the hatch slides so the hatch could be removed into the cockpit. I built up a lip using 5200 on the undersides of both sides and the forward edge of the hatch about 1/4 inch high then slid the hatch back in. This works as a drip strip to stop the water running back along the underside of the hatch.

I also drilled 1/2 inch holes in the GRP cover just in front of the sprayhood at the lowest point so that water can drain out of the space below the cover. Without these holes the water cannot fully drain away. I might make these much bigger because when you get a wave come over the deck loads of water goes through the rope holes at the front and comes out in the cockpit behind the sprayhood. I also want to make the forward holes almost watertight with rubber sheet.

The internal headling sheet can be replaced with a PVC sheet product called foamex Its availabe in 3 and 6 mm thickness here in europe but I'm not sure its available in USA. Probably under a different name. This could also be covered in wood effect Vinyl if required. I did this on a beneteau 305 and it looked really good. Use a pin as you put the vinyl on to puncture any airbubbles.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Geeeze, Mark...

Keep your head down and stay frosty. We want to hear about what you've done on your H34 AFTER you get back.

 

[mark_swart]

Guys -- thanks already for all of the quick replies! I can see this will be a fun board to post on. Right now, it's looking like the best solution might be a companionway cover. Aside from saving the hatchboards, and in this case preventing leaks, they are also pretty handy on those drizzly days where you want to keep the water out but maybe not fool with the hatch boards.
I just got a special delivery today - my wife sent me the documents from the boat, which include a lot of original documentation, from plumbing to wiring. If anybody wants a copy let me know and I can scan it in and post it.
-Mark

 

[Eric Jones]

I finally did this

to cover discoloration from leaks. After stopping the leaks, that is.
/Eric
Foxfire

 

[Dan Johnson]

Yo Eric!!!

Majorly nice interior refurb job! I like the radio rack, the dorade vent frame, and the port shade covers--nice touches to a really nice looking boat!

 

[Bob Poff]

Re: I finally did this

Wow Eric that looks sharp!

What material did you use?

 

[Richard Bryer]

What a beautiful job, Eric!! (we need a "green with envy "emoticon here).

Are the headliner strips custom milled or did you find something off the shelf?

What did you do with your fixed ports? It looks like the same frames as the original aluminum but white? If you took the originals apart and refurbed them would you decribe the process in some detail for me? Either an email or a new thread- I have these ports on my job list for next year and I am not sure how they are put together. How did you disassemble and what did you use for new lenses and what kind of paint on the frames (inside and out). Thanks in advance

 

[mark_swart]

Re: I finally did this

Eric -- that is the absolutely best H34 interior that I have seen, and I have looked at a bunch of them while shopping for mine. The wooden table and the replacement of the carpet on the walls are both things I am considering as well. Excellent job!
What kind of wood did you use?

-Mark
http://huntermarine34.googlepages.com

 

[Rick Sylvester]

Eric, you are the freekin' MAN

I gotta tell ya, I'm pretty dang fussy about aesthetics, but WOAH!

 

[Rick Sylvester]

Oh, and here's some panels

from a recent v-berth remodel.

I also posted this in another thread. Sorry.

It's fabric over 1/4" ply. Cheap. Easy. Pretty much the story of my life.

 

[Eric Jones]

Thank you all for the good words.

Here's a rundown on how this happened, probably more than you want to know. I wish I had seen Rick Sylvester's approach earlier -- that's a sensible one! Nice boat!

The first photo is what you want to avoid -- that's November 2005, sole replacement that turned into holding tank, refrigerator, head, and water heater replacements, too. Well, that's twenty years for most of that stuff so I shouldn't complain. You can see the results of a persistent window leak on the starboard forward piece of sole and in the bilge. The bilge is now a desert and I am determined to keep it that way.

Since I had to disassemble the salon, I took the pieces home and sanded and varnished them over the winter. Added a few trim doo-dads to make those long flat surfaces a little more interesting.

The salon table and galley refurb started simply to replace the cracked melamine surfaces. The project got a life of its own and consumed most of a winter. The table surface is teak sliced as thin as I dared cut it on a table saw. Same with the reefer, trash and galley storage tops.

The ceiling replacing the carpeting has a functional value -- I installed bubble wrap insulation behind. Really makes a difference in the winter, especially in the quarterberth, as we used to use the boat as a floating condo in the winter. The material is cypress. I had a millwork shop slice 1/2"X1-1/2" and bullnose the edges, then sealer and semi-gloss varnish. Essentially maintenance-free for 12 years.

Leather cushions courtesy of U.S.Yacht Cushions of St. Petersburg. They made the original cushions for the H34. Fixed ports (this year's addition) from Mark Plastics of Corona, CA.

To answer Richard Bryer's question, the 85 H34 had cheesy plastic ports that I unsuccessfully messed around with for years. Sounds like you have the aluminum ones, which probably are worth saving and re-glassing. They're only held in with a few fasteners and a lot of heavy mastic sealer. You might break the Lexan whenyou disassemble if it's original and crazed.

Lots of Monarch teak veneer from Constantines. Beautiful stuff and a fraction of the cost of teak plywood or .. gasp.. solid teak. Used that on the sliding doors and on the enclosures in the V-berth. The solid wood in the V-berth is Ipe, 1/4 the cost of teak. Weird wood. It doesn't float, so don't drop it over the side. Hard as iron, won't take varnish, dulls your tools, but 1/4 the cost of teak and hard to tell the difference when finished with lacquer or Cetol. Did I say it's about 1/4 the cost of teak? Cheap enough to make mistakes, which is my general approach to projects. That way I get to do them twice.

The headliner. Straight from Lowe's plus some solid teak trim. Satin varnish on the face, semi-gloss on the teak border. The backing and the face are 3/16" maple plywood paneling. Pretty cheap, actually. I sliced it on a table saw and chamfered the edges 45 degrees and glued it on the backing. Used a router to trim it before glueing on the teak trim. The only real challenge is getting a decent measurement of the center section, which has just enough camber to make a difference at the edges, and has to be built in two pieces. Same with the hatch and Dorade trim, the challenge is getting the camber right.

That's about it. What I learned is that a router beats a saw anytime for cross-grain cuts, and that wet sandpaper is the only way to go to get clean, smooth and fast surfaces. The trick is to use paint thinner/mineral spirits instead of water for lubrication. Doesn't raise the wood grain and helps the sandpaper cut smoothly.

Oh. I forgot. I also replaced the sole.

 

[mark_swart]

Thanks again Eric, and everyone! Not even close to being more than I want to know. In fact, I have another question -- the countertops -- is that covering or did you replace them with new material too?
-Mark