Your preferred marine headliner system?

[JuneC]

The spline tool is too thick, Mike.  You need something with a strong metal blade.  I've heard of folks making their own.  If you have a grinder, any stainless trowel or paint scraper from the hardware store, or a sturdy pizza cutter from the kitchen supply will work a treat if you take off the sharp corners and edges.  Next project I get I'm going to try a wheeled pizza cutter and do just that.  I have the TriV pizza cutter, but it's just a curved blade, not a wheel.

Peppy, getting the track in the correct place would be the most difficult part of the job.  Along the edges would probably be easy - just follow the lines of the boat.  Overhead, if there aren't stringers or something else to follow, measuring and getting the curved pieces across the beam evenly spaced and looking "straight" might be a time killer.  You could run them fore-aft, but I think cross beam makes boat look roomier (JMHO).

June

[forsailbyowner]

While looking online at the whisper wall I ran across many stretched ceiling companies. What a cool concept. There's just a perimeter track and a lightweight membrane that is stretched in place. Maybe not suitable for marine? Says the average room can be completed in 2-4 hours depending on protrusions. I've literally done square miles of ceilings and never seen anything like this.Barrisol is one manufacterer.

[Mike]

Id think it hard to streach a fabric saw 8' around the perimiter and fet it tight enough not to sag in the middle. Even the method i used abovd had rafter a out 44" apart a ross the ceiling.
Is there any of the original headliner still in the boat ?

[forsailbyowner]

As for original headliner no theres none. There is a couple of pieces the owner started glueing up with hand prints and dents that is coming down.

June for purposes of doing a takeoff on the track. How far apart would you recommend laying out the centers? In  the salon area there is plywood above. down below there are the framing timbers. They looked to be on pretty close centers. I didnt measure but they looked max of 16", This is a wood boat thus the wood timbers etc.,,,

[Mike]

On the hatteras i last did the eooden rafter were im gueese about 36" apart

[JuneC]

If the framing timbers are 16" apart, I'd put track on every-other-one.  You could tension 32-36" of headliner easily without any appreciable sag in between, especially if there are light fixtures and/or hatches which helps to hold the whole thing up when you staple around them. 

June

[Miami Mike]

Steve, I'm in Tampa FL tonight and will be in the area tomorrow. Email my work or call me. I need to show you the fast mount system. You can go to you tube and look it up. Nice videos on it.

[forsailbyowner]

One last question before I head out to get this job started. On fastening the track, space of and type of fastener? Im guessing "stitched" on with staples?

[JuneC]

I'm not sure staples would hold it well enough.  I like #6 or #8 wood screws - 1/2" to 3/4", depending on how thick your framing is.  Stainless, of course.

June