1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing Salon Headliner Tracks

The prep work for installing the salon headliner is pretty much done. The few things I have to do before the Whisper Wall goes in don’t conflict with the headliner track, so I called the installer to come back and get on it.

This pic is from February 2019

Six months ago, I used a 6′ straight edge and a Sharpie to mark off where the leading edge of the forwardmost Whisper Wall track would go.

The line I scribed followed the curve of the overhead salon ceiling frames…more or less

I also installed cleats for the tracks to attach to

Fast forward to August, and the tracks were finally being installed

Whisper Wall track joinery

Looking good!

There will be an access hatch for the under-side of the dashboard

Looks good at the front, too

The installer didn’t follow the curve, but it looks fine

We’re just about ready for Whisper Wall panels!

There are safety rails on either side of the cabin sides adjacent to the helm station. One of the chromed bronze rail ends will be held in place with machine screws that can be accessed from the helm area. But the bolts for the center rail support and forward rail end are accessed from the salon, so they’ll have to be installed before the headliner goes in.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing Safety Rails

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing Salon Entryway Panels and Screens

Four months ago, I made a new salon entryway mahogany panel to replace a damaged, ugly original one.  Then I modified some sliding cabinet door tracks to use as sliding screen tracks at the salon entryway. I sent the new mahogany panel off to the paint shop along with the gorgeous aft stateroom fascia boards. Next I focused on getting the aft stateroom headliner installed, and followed up on that by wrapping up the V-berth headliner. With the final refurb done on the salon entryway sliding screens, I’m ready to install all the bits and pieces here so we can wrap up the headliner track installation in the salon then get the Whisper Wall installed.

First, I installed the panels, taped off the joint line, then removed the panels

Next, I wetted out the contact areas of each panel with epoxy…

…and applied wood flour-thickened epoxy as glue

Chris Craft only used screws and caulk to join these mahogany panels to the entryway. The reason the original mahogany panel broke was because the slot where the screen slider tracks attach make the wood there particularly thin. A crack developed because, presumably, it got bumped hard enough at some point to cause the lower end to move. So I’m using epoxy to attach not just the entire flat contact zone along its length, but also along the contact zones at the ends. Instead of four independent panels held in place by fasteners, they’ll all be bonded together as a three-sided box. I think that will be stronger, and hopefully cracks won’t develop again.

Clamp and screw it all together, then apply a bit of caulk for the screen slider track

Install the slider tracks and screens

Not bad!

Critical piece of stainless

Chris Craft used two different sizes of screen frame here, with one longer than the other. When you pull the lower screen out, it slides along until it hits the stainless piece that’s attached to the leading edge of the upper screen, at which point you’re pulling both screens out of their recessed pocket up above the headliner. When you push the lower screen back toward the recessed pocket opening, it slides along until it hits the stainless piece in the opposite direction, at which point you’re pushing both of them into the recessed pocket. It’s a slick, space-saving approach.

Done!

Now that the entryway panels are installed, we can put the headliner tracks in and butt them up against the panels. This is a big step toward getting the headliner done!

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing Salon Headliner Tracks

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The V-berth Headliner Install Begins

This has been a long time coming.

Drum roll please…

The V-berth headliner installation has begun.

This roll of Whisper Wall Gelato Baby Osterich has been in storage for five years

It sure looks different from usual headliner

Tools of the trade

The guy cuts the headliner into roughly the right shape and size. Then he sprays the fabric with water and uses the spatulas to jam the headliner into the tracks.

V-berth Panel #1 is in!

This stuff looks great!

Nicely trimmed!

Next day, the headliner has dried and is tightly tensioned

I installed a Kai LED while another panel got installed

The headliner looks great, but take a gander at that hatch opening in the pic above. Chris Craft used stainless sheet, aluminum extrusions, and stainless nails to cover what was underneath. I’m thinking solid mahogany finished bright will look better. The headliner installer does lots of custom wood bits and pieces, and he says he can make something pretty.

Looks good!

And then, there was light!

V-berth Panel #2 is in

Looks great~!

The transition from mahogany to headliner looks great!

I like the fact that Whisper Wall tracks allow there to be a smooth transition from wall panel to headliner without fascia panels or moldings to hide a line of staples.

Very well done!

If you were wondering how this was going to turn out a couple of posts back…

It turns out like this!

Remember this ugly duckling section of track at this complex corner?

It turned into a beautiful swan!

Close-up of the track

The stainless staples the installer brought were too heavy gauge. They were causing the tracks to crack. Craftsman brand 1/2″ crown x 1/4″ leg that I had in stock solved that problem.

Before the installer puts in the headliner panel that goes around the hatch opening, he’s going to make a piece of mahogany furniture to fill the space between the headliner and the bottom of the aluminum hatch.  But for now, the headliner installer is heading into the aft stateroom to make more immediate progress.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The Aft Stateroom Headliner Install Begins

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the V-berth Headliner Tracks

Things aren’t going as quickly as I’d hoped, but we’re still making fair progress in the right direction. The V-berth headliner tracks are installed now.

The Whisper Wall headliner installer knocked out the V-berth tracks in a day

Nothing’s square on a boat

Even the 90° corners aren’t 90°, which makes miter joints challenging…and there are lots of miter joints in the headliner track.

perimeter track meets transverse track

Lots of kerf cuts at the round corners

He uses cardboard as spacers where necessary

The height of the tracks where they join is apparently critical for a good look. The installer uses water resistant cardboard-like material as a spacer because it can be compressed to just the right height.

Complex joint

With the headliner tracks installed in the V-berth, next I have to apply ICA base coat varnish to the unfinished mahogany veneers on the galley bulkhead. There’s no sense in just doing them on the V-berth side, so I’ll paint the galley side at the same time.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: ICA Base Coat on the V-berth/Galley Bulkhead

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Getting the V-berth Ready for Headliner Track Installation

The aft stateroom is ready for the headliner to be installed. Now I’ve got to get the V-berth ready.

The Kai LED mounting panels have to be at just the right height

The Whisper Wall headliner tracks are 1/2″ high, so the plywood mounting panels for the lights need to be at the same height and in the same plane as the headliner fabric will be.

The LEDs in the V-berth work!

Beautiful mahogany…but no place to attach headliner tracks

Dry fitting the first mahogany track mount

Port-side mounting pieces are dry fitted

Had to “adjust” the curve of the front cleat to match the side mounts

Starboard side

It’s more challenging making the mounting pieces for the sides because of the angle  and curvature of the panels. The mounting pieces need to be cut at angles that match the wall so they’re in the same plane as the transverse mahogany cleats at the front bulkhead and the galley bulkhead. The headliner installer is really picky about that. He says if it’s off, the headliner will look goofy…can’t have that!

Push sticks hold the slider door box in place while the epoxy glue cures

Standard mahogany cleat above the head door opening

The last mounting pieces over the closet are fitted and glued and screwed in place

US Composites 635 epoxy with wood flour glues them in

Done!

The perimeter is ready for headliner track!

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Fitting the V-berth Hatch Screen Track

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Stateroom Headliner Prep V

I’m still working on the aft stateroom headliner prep. Using Whisper Walls on a boat that was never designed for this kind of headliner system takes a lot of work. But I think it will be worth it when all is said and done. I’ve got most of the perimeter mounting panels installed, but I’ve still got to make the corner pieces on either side of the ceiling near the transom. I’m also cranking out a completed porthole or two per weekend.

I’ll put this original piece of timber to work now

This is one of the many large pieces of mahogany we saved when we started the refit and demolition back in December 2007. I didn’t know what I’d use if for when it went into the “save” pile, but it’s perfect for these corner pieces I need to make.

A couple of passes on the table saw trues the lumber

Cut to size on the chop saw

Ready for the fine cuts

EurekaZone track saw is great for making angled cuts

Knock off just a bit to match the existing framing

The ceiling corner at the transom is where that chunk of mahogany will go

Looks like something’s missing here…

Nice fit!

Epoxy is mixed…ready to glue and screw (or clamp)

Wood flour-thickened epoxy is the glue

Port-side corner piece got clamped in place

Looks good!

Starboard side got glued and screwed in place

I’ve got ceiling corners!

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

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Stateroom Headliner Prep IV

I don’t know when I’ll be splashing the boat, but I want to get it in the water as soon as possible. This summer, I intend to weld in the stand pipes for the main engine raw water inlets and get the raw water and fuel systems connected. That’ll be some big steps toward splashing, but I also made the decision to use ICA clear coat for the interior varnish…and that complicates things.

ICA is a spray-only product, and I’ve never sprayed before. I have my Boatamalan* painter, who talked me into using ICA because that’s what he used in the boat builder shop he worked at, where they made multimillion dollar sportfishermen. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for my boat! But he lives around Annapolis and doesn’t want to do long commutes to come spray the boat if I move it. I’ve got all of the ICA basecoat and topcoat I need to finish the boat, so I want to get the varnish sprayed before I splash. The V-berth, salon, and aft stateroom major wall panels have already been sprayed with the basecoat. But before he can spray the topcoat, we have to get the Whisper Wall headliner installed. The painter knows from experience that the topcoat can easily get scratched during the headliner install, which is bad, but it’s not a big deal if the basecoat gets scratched.

* Boatamalan: portmanteau indicating highly skilled boat workers of Central American origin. They’re actually from Honduras, but Boatamalan rolls off the tongue better. 🙂

So…to splash the boat, I’ve been doing lots of stuff recently that doesn’t appear to be directly related to getting the bottom wet. Like doing the wiring for overhead lights, and installing mounting panels for the new LEDs in the V-berth, salon and aft stateroom. I’ve also been fitting panels around the perimeter of the aft stateroom so the Whisper Wall headliner tracks will have something to mount on. It’s time to glue and screw all of those in place.

Kreg pocket screw jig is really handy

In the picture above, if you look really closely, you can see a line of staple holes on that horizontal ceiling frame I’m drilling into. Those were from the original headliner installation. Chris Craft used a painted fascia board to cover the staples and the ugly, horizontal mahogany frame after the headliner was installed. But this time around, I plan to install mahogany fascia boards first, so the Whisper Wall tracks will butt up against pretty mahogany. That’s coming soon.

Pocket screws drilled

Perimeter panels are ready to install

Edge sealing and wetting out each panel face with US Composites epoxy

Wood flour-thickened epoxy glue squeezes out nicely

Nice!

The starboard corner piece looks good

On to the port side

Nice!

The port corner is looking good, too

So…these little patch panels are done, and the aft stateroom headliner tracks have something to attach to.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Stateroom Headliner Prep V

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Stateroom Headliner Prep III

I’m still cutting and fitting plywood panels around the perimeter of the aft stateroom so the Whisper Wall headliner tracks will have something to attach to.

The starboard-side panels are all fitted

Knocking out the port-side panels

And a-one, and a-two…

The last panel will be a bit of a challenge

The headliner tracks need a continuous attachment point all around the perimeter. Tying the new plywood panel into the original mahogany cleat at the transom ceiling won’t be hard, but that angled aluminum frame complicates things. Fortunately, I found a new use for my little Bosch router.

Handcrafted perfection

Lookin’ good!

Tap with a mallet to set it in place

Port-side panels are all fitted

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Porthole Upgrade Success!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Stateroom Headliner Prep II

I’m cutting lots of little panels to fit between the overhead frames in the aft stateroom so the Whisper Walls headliner track will have something to attach to around the perimeter.

Time to use this 3/4″ okume plywood scrap

There’s always that question about whether or not to keep a plywood scrap. This particular one has been in my way for three years, but I’m glad I kept it.

That should be just enough

Some panels are square on both ends and easy to fit

Others are more complicated

The little rabbet I had to cut there was necessary to clear a screw head sticking out from the overhead frame.

Aluminum framing gets in the way, too

You can just see a corner of the aluminum frame that attaches the wooden overhead frame to the hull.

This one required a deep rabbet

Looking good!

Three down, seven to go

The corner is a bit challenging

There’s not much to attach to here.

There’s just enough of a lip on the board to the left

On the right side…it’s complex

That ought to do it

Not bad

Nice, tight joint

Halfway done

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Stateroom Headliner Prep III