1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Headliner Install Begins

The headliner installer showed up and finished screwing and stapling the Whisper Wall tracks in place. Then he started installing the headliner panel at the windshield. Turns out that panel was a complicated job, what with all of the angles along the front edge and the radio box. It’s much easier installing the headliner when all of the edges are parallel to their opposite side. It took him half of a day to get that one panel installed, but I have to say…it looks great!

Setting up shop

Tools of the trade–gotta have a spray bottle

He spritzes the material with water after tacking one edge into the track. That allows it to stretch easier. And when the water dries, the material tightens up like a drum. It’s pretty cool stuff.

Let the tacking begin!

Around the radio box, he tacked, pulled, and retacked about a dozen times

Once he got the material tacked around the radio box, the angled mahogany panels above the windshields were giving him real trouble. The material would be tight almost everywhere, but there’d be a flappy spot in a corner. So he’d pull the material from the tracks and start over. It turned out the order of tacking was the key. Starting in the center and tacking the front and back, then working outwards solved the problem.

That’s more like it!

That curve to the overhead frame made it challenging, too

It sure turned out nice, though

Tight like a drum

Panel 1 is done!

So, a funny thing happened a while back. I was cleaning the aft stateroom when I came upon a box of IMTRA Ventura LED lights that I’d forgotten about. I used Kai lights in the aft stateroom, salon, and V-berth, but for the V-berth and aft stateroom heads I used these. I was planning on just having the OEM light fixtures on the aft deck, but since I found these six leftovers…

Soooo, while the headliner installer was griping about the grief the radio box was causing (I kept jazzing him, telling him it’s a skill problem!) I was making and installing LED light mount panels like mad. Once the headliner goes up, the window for putting these in closes.

Fortunately, I’ve got the process for making and installing these nailed

Ready to install

The first panel’s installed and the wiring is rough-cut to size

Port side panels are installed

Installing the wiring

Making sure the starboard panels are on the same plane as the headliner will be

I use anything handy that’s long and flat to span the space between the headliner tracks, then balance the plywood mounting panel on it while clamping the cleats for the mounting panels at just the right height. With my third hand, I take pix so I can share the adventure. LOL

Mounting panels…check Wiring…check

Next, I put spade connectors on the light wires

Nice flush fit

Held in place with springs

Last step, I added a separate switch at the helm for the new LEDs

That’s a wrap

With the unexpectedly new lights installed and working, I pulled the lights from the mounting panels and went home. When the installer comes next, the headliner should go in pretty quickly.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up The Aft Deck Headliner Installation