A couple of options
I have that ugly fuzzy adhesive upholstery stuff on my boat and am scraping it all down to bare 'glass for painting. I can suggest these things from experience: 1. New fuzzy stuff. There is also a very sleek white vinyl over 1/4" closed-cell foam that is nice to snuggle against. Be sure any foam you install is CLOSED-CELL (so it will not soak up water). This can be had at any place specialising in marine upholstery. You can glue it on with mild contact cement (roll on with brush) or even just flooring glue (which is even non-toxic). 2. Gelcoat. Just slosh it on with a decent throw-away 3- or 4-inch brush. It is thick enough to mostly fill the hollows and, better still, will chemically seal the raw fibreglass surface as to prohibit saturation from sweat, slime, salt, etc. Prep the area by sloshing styrene or acetone over it with a rag (this is the nastiest part, but the most crucial part) and work quickly but carefully with the gelcoat. 3. Easiest-- latex paint. No kidding. Again, prep the area well, vacuum thoroughly, and use a big thick brush. We used to use a thick dark-brown latex house paint on the inside of the Cherubini 44 hulls before attaching the 'ceiling' --those varnished fir strips that formed the backs of settees and bunks. Worked just fine, bonded extremely well after washing down with acetone first. Going to all that work to fill the hollows in the fibreglass lay-up seems like a waste to me. The boat is fibreglass and is going to look like it. All you really need is a presentable and properly-sealed surface to look at. I can't see the point in having a sterile moulded-and-gelcoated white finish for the inside of the hull. JC 2
