Is there a better way

[sailaway78]

Have finally gotten around to pulling the final bit of headliner material out of the V berth area. Since this area is more confined than the rest of the boat, I really don't want to sand/scrape etc. the old foam backing off, as breathing it is no fun at all. For the same reason am hesitant to use acetone, or other strong solvents. Is there a neat way someone has discovered to get this crap off, without the muss and mess of scraping/sanding etc. and breathing the dust or solvent fumes.

 

[RichH]

Get a FEINTOOL with the vibratory scraper/chisel attachment. Will usually be the same speed as shearing sheep to get the 'crap' off.
Basic/start kit .... http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...834&familyName=Fein+MultiMaster+FMM+250+Start

Scraper (comes with the above 'start kit') http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...31&familyName=Fein+MultiMaster+Scraper+Blades

 

[ITMaster]

Part of the Problem with Solvents

Nice n Easy , as you know are the fumes as well as the detrimental impact on the material you are trying to get the junk off of. Acetone, MIBK, MEK and other strong solvents will mess up your brain cells really bad if you work with them for any length of time.

It seems that this Fein tool for $200 plus is going to make a big mess as well. So, if you're going to have the mess, then you may as well break into it with some sort of power sanding tools and dust masks. A couple of mine use a vaccum attachment to help contain the residues.

I don't know if a steamer would work or not. Depends on what the adhesive was that was used to put the headliner in place. That's gonna be tough, I guess that I'm lucky to not have a headliner.

 

[Ctskip]

Re: Part of the Problem with Solvents

Not being sure how "clean" you want the headliner. I wire brushed mine. I used a mask and goggles and brushed in several different directions. It seemed to do the trick. All the old sponge came off along with what seemed to be the adhesive that held it on. It seems to be clean enough to paint now, but I would like to apply a vinyl like covering to it. Not quite sure as to exactly what yet. For now it's just a rough surface that needs something. I worry about the adhesive letting go like it did after 20 something years. I don't want to go through that ever again. Good luck and try a wire brush. The hand held kind. Not the drill kind.

Keep it up,
Ctskip

 

[Don Crowther]

foam backing

Nice N Easy

When I did mine I used a stiff bristle brush with a short handle. The foam rolled right off and there wasn't much dust. When the brush loaded up with foam I would tap it out. Clean up was done with a shop vac. It only took about 2 hrs to do the Vee berth. The aft one took about 3. You could use a longer handle and not have to go to far into the area that your working in.

Don
S/V Nauti-Nauti

 

[Rick Sylvester]

Do you absolutely have to

remove the foam?

I understand all the pros and cons. I just 'remodeled' our v-berth and was going to tear off and refinish the sides where Hunter had used the grey 'mouse fur.'

After some contemplation I left it (it wasn't peeling or smelling) and attached sheets of insulation I ordered from Home Depot. It's a mylar bubble pack kind of stuff that weighs nothing, has an R-3 value and can't retain moisture. It's sort of like the stuff you put in your car windshield. It cuts with scissors and comes in huge rolls.

I covered that with 1/4" ply panels with fabric contact cemented to each. These are held in place with quarter round trim on the edges. No glue and it's easily replaced.

Oh yeah, it was also incredibly cheap.

I don't know if it's similar to what you're doing but I thought I'd share just to give you some ideas.

Good luck.

 

[overby]

insulation

Rick - you mentioned using the sheets of insulation. Does that have to be attached or is it just "inserted" between the hull and the fabric-covered ply?

 

[Rick Sylvester]

Everything floats

No squeaks, no drips, no errors. I can remove the whole shebang in about 60 seconds by removing the half dozen screws per side holding the top (or bottom) trim strips.

Okay, I confess, I used a couple dots of hot glue to hold the mylar insulation in place. If I redo any part of it again I probably won't even bother with that.

If I get tired of this pattern I'll just use these panels as templates, trim new ones and cover those in whatever I please. I can reproduce another set in about two hours for around $70. $35 for four 2'x4'x1/4" sandable ply sections and the rest for about 3 yards (I think) of fabric. You could do it for less with build grade ply but I've really gotten spoiled by the nice stuff.

The difference in performance is amazing. We've got flag blue topsides in St. Pete, Florida. It's dropped the interior surface temp by about 20 degrees. One of these days I'll get an infrared temp gun on it and I'll give you some specific numbers.