Best methods for mounting things to cabin ceiling?

[PNWSailing]

Hey, so I'm looking to do an overhead TV mount that folds up/down to save space on my boat, but I'm not quite sure the best way to go about mounting the arm to the cabin ceiling, as it is just the bottom side of the deck.


Am pretty new to this, so could use some advice on what the best method would be for mounting semi-heavy objects (~20lb) from the ceiling, without punching holes up in the deck.


My first thought would be to sand a spot and fiberglass in a piece of marine wood that has been adhered to the ceiling with something like 5200 and just mount to that. Is there a simpler method to doing this? Any and all advice would be appreciated!

[chrisr]

personally i would not use 5200. epoxy i think would be better.

however are you really going to be happy having 20lb of TV hanging off this while you are bouncing to windward in a 4ft chop ??

sometimes you just have to bolt through the deck. do it right and it won't leak and bolt heads can be hidden all sorts of ways

cheers,

[Bill O]

Would really depend on your headliner, etc. for suggesting the way to mount it. A pic or description of the boat would help.

Maybe you've though of this already, but do you have enough head room? Will it stay up in rough weather? Good route for wiring?

[Chotu]

Yes. Get to the actual laminate. Definitely don’t mount it to anything decorative. Epoxy some blocks to actual fiberglass. Then screw into that.

[c.K.]

Originally Posted by PNWSailing

Hey, so I'm looking to do an overhead TV mount that folds up/down to save space on my boat, but I'm not quite sure the best way to go about mounting the arm to the cabin ceiling, as it is just the bottom side of the deck.


Am pretty new to this, so could use some advice on what the best method would be for mounting semi-heavy objects (~20lb) from the ceiling, without punching holes up in the deck.


My first thought would be to sand a spot and fiberglass in a piece of marine wood that has been adhered to the ceiling with something like 5200 and just mount to that. Is there a simpler method to doing this? Any and all advice would be appreciated!

hEY
rIGHT NOW i HAVE A 40'' FLAT SCREEN
AND GOT A PIECE OF CARBON PLASTIC AT LEAST 1/4'' THAT i MOUNTED ON THE BACK OF THE TV THIS PLASTIC EXTEND OFCOURSE ABOVE THE TV
SHAPE THE TOP OF THIS PLASTIC TO THE CEILING CURVESMAINTAINING LEVEL AT THE BOTTOM i MOUNTED 2 HINGES AND BOLTED THE ENTIRE THING TO ALREADY PROTRUDING BOLTS FROM WINCHES ON THE CABIN TOP
fOR BEST RESULTS YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THE CORRECT ANGLES BY CHECK FITTING FLAT TO THE CEILING WITHOUT BOLTING IT DOWN
aFTER ALL DONE i USE A WIRE ACROSS THE CEILING IN THE STORED POSITION AND HOOK THAT TO AN EYE
mY COMPUTER SKILLS ARE SUCH THAT i CAN'T SHOW A PICTURE

[YachtBoyRMK]

Originally Posted by c.K.

mY COMPUTER SKILLS ARE SUCH THAT i CAN'T SHOW A PICTURE

We understood that from your use of the "Caps Lock" key.

[CrispyCringle]

In general, I wouldn't advise hanging a TV by the ceiling. Boats typically have a interior ceiling liner of some sort. When you push on the ceiling, does it flex? If so, it would be a little involved to do it right, because there is a gap between the interior ceiling and the exterior.

It is much more common to use TV mounts bolted to a wood bulkhead.