Recommendations on v-berth wall material?

[monstera]

Hello,

I am trying to "panel" the walls of my v-berth on a budget. Thin, flexible lumber at the Lowe's near me (Oahu) is over $11 per board and way out of my price range right now. I've already tried faux wood (large rectangle, thin composite cardboard beneath the faux wood on the surface, cut to size), but it ended up being $40 down the drain

I'm considering a roll of vinyl as it's flexible, waterproof, and easy to clean. I am unsure about the price.

If anyone has any experience on v-berth remodeling on a budget, materials they used on the surface, and materials they used to adhere to a fiberglass hull, please do share.

I've read that an epoxy adhesive works best, but will likely require a lot of resin ($$).

Looking to do the remodel for <$200 (just the walls).

Thank you.

[Pete7]

I have just taken out a wardrobe and replaced with a freezer. This left the GRP exposed so used a roll of vinyl with a foam backing, but first put a 5mm layer of insulation on the GRP and the vinyl on top of that. The insulation was closed cell foam and pre glued, just heat up the insulation and the grp with a hot air gun and stick in place. You only get one shot though. I was just about to finish off the edges when we went into lock down.

This is the stuff, but they had a bin of off cuts much cheaper. Must be something similar in the US.

https://www.hawkehouse.co.uk/product...-single-sided/

https://www.hawkehouse.co.uk/product...dlining-vinyl/

[Fore and Aft]

My first thought was what is cheap on Craigslist? We ended up with black Laminex bench and table top in our yacht since it was so cheap on Gumtree.
Cheers

[tkeithlu]

Really cheap would be the heavy wall papers designed to cover up wall irregularities. I'm familiar with the burlap version.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by monstera

If anyone has any experience on v-berth remodeling on a budget, materials they used on the surface, and materials they used to adhere to a fiberglass hull, please do share.

We replaced our original hull liner (had a foam backing) with a decent but thin berber carpet, no additional backing Looks good. The installer used a hot glue, but dunno what it was exactly.

-Chris

[denverd0n]

Can't help you with the material, but a point of interest concerning the terminology. On a boat that "wall" is actually called the "ceiling." "Ceiling" being defined as any inner surface that covers the hull. And what we think of as the "ceiling," that's called the "overhead."


So, good luck finding a suitable material for your ceiling.

[Exctyengr]

I have seen some V berth ceilings covered in carpet. Find a short nap carpet material and glue it in place.

[Greg Mason]

I used a roll of cork, glued with contact cement.

[Sailshabby]

On a previous boat, I stripped the old stuff off to bare glass. I then epoxied old pieces of line (3/4” or larger) from the top down, spaced about 18” apart. Once it all cured, slapped some oil based white paint over everything. Got the best looking fir strips (thin and flexible) I could find and sanded them down, and painted them, as well. Screwed them into the rope using grass screws and finish washers, with a gap the thickness of a fir strip between each slat. It was time consuming, but cheap, and it looked pretty good.

[somanyboats]

Hull liner might be an option. It's nylon, a short nap, doesn't mold, and has a bit of stretch. We have used it and are pleased with the results.

[billdre]

My '79 O'Day still has it's original carpeting on the sides throughout the cabin and V-berth. I think it has to be the least expensive covering given the availability of carpet remnants. I have made repairs to wiring up behind the carpeting and bought carpet cement (glue) from a carpet store to secure it. Worked great.

[Halien]

I'm doing that project now. We're applying 5mm adhesive backed closed cell foam to the hull(insulation), and then foam backed perforated vinyl. It'll look great and reduce the condensation. Not sure how inexpensive you consider the $200 we spent. The foam backed perforated vinyl was about $30/yard (54" width).

[Clivevon]

I would suggest using a cheap carpet made from some synthetic fibre - acrylic? Not foam backed - that will deteriorate over time from the heat. Make sure you check out the long term heat resistance of the adhesive you use as the external hull will no doubt get hot from the sun? Also be sure to open all hatches & use a good mask when applying contact cement.

[KiwiKen]

Look at smooth finish boat carpet, it its polypropylene, not affected by moisture, and very durable, just contact glue in place, there are special marine contact glues available.


It looks good when finished

[Jack C]

We have redone the V berth in an O'Day39/Jeanneau Sun Fizz and are now completing the same on a Mayflower/Stadel 48. To prevent condensation we use 10mm or 1/4" close cell foam glued with contact cement to the hull. It is important to remove previous crumbly foam and any other residue to get a sealed glue joint with the closed cell foam. Any spaces where warm moist air can get to will result in water and hidden mould.
We cover the foam with cloth. We use fabric spray on adhesive. We use a spray on cloth protecter.
For the ceilings on the Mayflower we have thin 6mm plywood that we cover with leatherette. We have a big air gap under the deck so no insulation.

On the O'Day, we used Reflectex, aluminium coated bubble wrap above the ceiling panels where we used low cost fiberglass panels from Home Depot or Lowes. The panels used in industrial walk in refrigerators and bathrooms. About $27 for a 4'x8' panel. It is very flexible and can be shaped with a hair dryer.

All low cost, very effective and does not create hidden mould or cause dripping.


Cloth with open cell foam backing should not be used. The backing rots.

Note that Reflectex does need an air gap to be effective and can block GPS signals.