Nautical Picture Hanging

[tcbro]

Good Morning Sailors,  A nice, framed picture hanging in a boat always seemed to make the boat more "homey" (that's homey, not homely) to me. I am soliciting ideas on the absolute best way to hang a picture on a sailboat bulkhead. The mechanics of the hanging arrangement should be invisible yet hold the picture firmly. The picture should be able to be removed without too much difficulty and without leaving any big scars on the bulkhead. There's got to be a better way than just screwing through the frame into the bulkhead. Anybody got any ideas??  As a sidebar, what is your favorite type of picture aboard sailboats? I tend to lean towards serene pictures of sailboats at anchor or meandering past a lighthouse.Thanks,Tom

 

[Rich Stidger]

I used HD velcro

There is a heavy duty industrial-strength velcro that is strong enough to hold a 2-3 pound picture. We've had it up for 7 years without any problems.I don't know what the wooden bulkhead will look like after it is removed. It might leave a shadow.If I were to hang it again, I would look at the 3M brand of quick-release hanger adhesive devices. They are the ones that release by stretching a tongue on the base.I have a picture of Watch Hill lighthouse with sailboats in the foreground. We used to pass that light frequently in our old sailing grounds.

 

[Don]

Cafe Dumonde

Have a picture of the outdoor cafe on our bulkhead -that's about the only place I'd rather be in the morning other than the boat.DonPS another velcro vote

 

[Ed Schenck]

Also velcro.

No favorite pictures but velcro is the least damaging of the hanging options. Be sure to clean any wax from the area. You want to give the adhesive a chance. I use the 1" wide stuff from Lowes. Velcro is nice because the picture lies flat and does not move. Movement would scratch the varnish on my teak bulkheads.

 

[Victor23952]

Velcro works

I had the same criteria for picture hanging and finally used Velcro because there is no movement, the mount is completely invisible and the picture is easily removable. The only consideration is that you will always have a picture there of that size or larger. Regardless of how you hang it, the wood underneath will not weather like the exposed wood around it, leaving a shadow. Since I simply have to open the hatch to see scenes of ocean and boats, I prefer pictures of reefs and fish to remind me to get under the boat more often.

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persistence]

Radio Shack Hook and Loop fasteners

work great! They make both a clear and a black heavy duty one. I use them for anything that I don't want to move. They can be peeled off the bulkhead with no visible damage after at least 2 years. They are the best fasteners I have ever seen. They are made of a heavy duty plastic rather than the velcro material. I use velcro for other less demanding holding solutions.

 

[Honeyman]

3M

3M makes several products for hanging things on walls/bulkheads with an adhesive backing that is removeable later and leaves absolutely NO mark. With velcro, you must glue one part of it to the bulkhead and that part is very difficult to remove later. Look in your local Lowes or Home Depot in the area with other fasteners.

 

[ncgarya]

Velcro and 3M Command Removable

We have used a combination of velcro and the 3M Command adhesive strips. In this photo, you can see a wood inlay item on the port side showing a sailboat and a lighthouse. On the right, you see a serving tray that doubles as colorful art. The serving tray is held in place by two of the 3M Command adhesive hooks and can easily be removed from the wall when needed as a serving tray.

 

[PAUL L]

LOWES/HOME DEPOT

WHY WOULD YOU WASTE YOUR VALUABLE TIME BUYING VELCRO OR 3M STUFF AT THE BOXES WHEN YOU CAN GET THEM AT YOUR LOCAL HARDWARE STORE? JUST MY 2 CENTS.

 

[Rich]

and after the velcro...

Since you're all wondering how easy it will be to get the velcro off later, my experience in having to remove a lot of velcro and sticky foam from my saloon areas (curtains, hooks, you name it) is that Goo Gone and West Marine's new adhesive remover formula won't damage or stain fiberglass or unvarnished wood. The wood may get wet when you're using it, but as long as you only rub gently with your fingers it shouldn't lighten the color. West Marine's version of "Armor All" for fiberglass, which comes in pull-out cloth from a dispenser, also seems to work well as a cleaner because it makes the edges of the glue blob unable to hang on and works its way under as you pick at it.

 

[Big Windy]

More On Velcro

The PO of my boat must have had a big picture on the bulk head, because the velcro is 9" X 3". And, contrary to what I have read above, it will absolutely not come off without pulling the varnish with it. Maybe it's the length of time it has been on or the Texas heat, but it is stuck.

 

[Trevor - SailboatOwners.com]

Silicone, the stinky stuff

Although I like the idea in the previous post about using an attractive platter for art and hors d'oevres server (removed from velcrow mountings), I've been using a few daps of silicone on the backs of pictures and Indian artifacts to hang artwork on boats. Make sure you get the stinky industrial stuff - just use blue tape to hold it on while it cures and remove later. Any residue peels off easily with fingers. When moving to new boats, we've removed some coveted pieces of artwork and remounted several times this way.Just another method!Trevor

 

[Andy and Susie]

Sticky but not permanent

the velcro felt too permanent to me - I like the sticky stuff previously described. Let's you change pictures when you want.Unlike previous posts, we decorate with family pix (people).