1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The Salon Headliner Install Begins!

Well…this has been a long time coming. The salon headliner installation has officially begun.

I do like it when I arrive at the boat and find contracted work competently done

That Whisper Wall Osterich Gelato looks outstanding

Thinking back on what a hassle it was getting those LED mounting panels installed at just the right height…it was well worth the effort.

The leading edge turned out great!

Next, I took out my razor knife and started slicing and dicing the new headliner.

Cutting holes for the Kai LED lights

Another light hole and one for a speaker

The recessed Kai LEDs use springs to hold them up inside the 1/2″ plywood mounting panel

New Kai LEDs and an OEM light fixture for the galley

These 10w 12vdc LED corn bulbs are the biggest that fit in the OEM fixture (75w incandescent equivalent)

I found these lights on ebay.

AND THEN THERE WAS LIGHT!

That OEM fixture was on the boat since it was new in 1969. My research concluded the boat went on the hard back in the mid-80s and didn’t move until I found it in late 2007. I didn’t power up the 12v breakers until December 2018.  Which suggests that this fixture hasn’t turned on in something like 35 years.

I had a big ol’ grin on my face when it lit up. It’s funny, the stuff that makes me happy.

The OEM galley fixture has a separate switch from the Kai lights

Two more Kai lights have to go in on the port side

One more to go

Done!

That looks sooooo much better with the headliner installed. It’s just a thin piece of fabric, but it makes a HUGE difference.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Salon Headliner Install II