I am interested in a Beneteau circa mid-1980's. Something like a First 38. They all seem to have headliners that are in need of repair or probably replacing. Is this something that can be done without too much mess and effort, or is this best left to a marina? Any success stories?
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Headliner Repair
Harry, It is an annoying task to repair them in the aft cabins, both mine were sagging badly. The hull sides of the headliner are fixed in place by woodwork so remove the headliner on the other three sides. The rear or stern plastic strip can be removed and glued back later. With a scraper, scrap of all that old gray dusty foam off the roof and the roof side of the headliner, vacuum up the debris. Get a new sheet of 1/4" closed cell foam. Get a good contact cement and paint it on liberally on the roof side of the foam. Stick it to the cabin roof. Then paint it liberally on the underside of the foam Then paint it liberally on the roof side or topside of the vinyl headliner. Wait for a while till the cement is dry to the touch (read and follow the glue supplier instructions as to waiting time) and push the headliner up against the cabin roof. Then get a small vinyl roller from a hardware store and roll out the headliner firmly against the cabin roof and foam insulation. Bingo. Peter
Harry, It is an annoying task to repair them in the aft cabins, both mine were sagging badly. The hull sides of the headliner are fixed in place by woodwork so remove the headliner on the other three sides. The rear or stern plastic strip can be removed and glued back later. With a scraper, scrap of all that old gray dusty foam off the roof and the roof side of the headliner, vacuum up the debris. Get a new sheet of 1/4" closed cell foam. Get a good contact cement and paint it on liberally on the roof side of the foam. Stick it to the cabin roof. Then paint it liberally on the underside of the foam Then paint it liberally on the roof side or topside of the vinyl headliner. Wait for a while till the cement is dry to the touch (read and follow the glue supplier instructions as to waiting time) and push the headliner up against the cabin roof. Then get a small vinyl roller from a hardware store and roll out the headliner firmly against the cabin roof and foam insulation. Bingo. Peter
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