1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the OEM lights On The Aft Deck

It is such a pleasure coming up the ladder to the aft deck and NOT seeing ceiling frames or insulation. That Whisper Wall headliner makes a YUGE difference not just in the appearance of the aft deck…it’s good for the soul. The IMTRA LEDs and Infinity Kappa speakers are very nice, too, but I still need to wrap up the OEM light fixture upgrade and install.

I’ve  been trying out different kinds of LED lighting, from the stick-on strip lights you can buy on Amazon that I used for engine room lighting, to 12v ‘corn’ LED lights on ebay to replace incandescent bulbs in OEM fixtures in the salon. What I learned from my ‘temporary’ knockabout boat, a 1968 Chris Craft Commander 42, is that the corn lights cannot tolerate heat. The OEM fixtures on our Commander are open-ended on the bottom, but there’s no way for built up heat to escape from the top. So they cook. Which is fine for glass and metal incandescents, but these LED corn lights are in plastic frames that melt and twist and eventually fail long before their claimed service life is up.

So…if you upgrade to corn bulbs in your OEM fixtures, make sure there’s a chimney hole or two…or more…for the heat to escape.

Ventilated OEM Chris Craft light fixture

I stewed for ages over how I’d protect what I thought was chromed steel if I drill vent holes in the reflector. This is a boat, and rusted steel doesn’t reflect light quite as well as shiny metal does. Imagine how surprised I was to find out that they’re just stamped aluminum.

With the corn bulb in place, you can’t see the holes…not that that matters

Oh, and the missing section of OEM cork gasket…that’s the air intake. I didn’t plan it that way, but from a physics perspective if there’s a chimney vent for heat there has to be an inlet for the cooling effect to work efficiently. Also, for these fixtures, 10w corn bulb LEDs are as bright as you can go. the 12w and 15w units are brighter, but they’re too wide and stop the glass and stainless trim ring from closing.

Upgraded OEM light fixture installed at the helm station

I like it!

The aft switch is for the IMTRA LEDs.

This is making me very happy!

Now for the aft-most OEM light fixture to fill that last hole

This fixture was in slightly rougher shape, so it got the full Collinite 810 treatment

The ‘air intake’ gasket gap on this one is slightly larger

Think of it as better cooling…like an intercooler for an ultra high-tech LED light upgrade…not as a brittle, busted up cork gasket.

Ready for showtime!

NICE!

That wraps up almost all of the aft deck headliner work. The only thing left is installing the One-Mile Ray searchlight controls, but that can happen much later. But I still have some mahogany panel work on the aft deck that has to happen if the plywood stack is ever going away. When the plywood stack is gone, the project should be done.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Side Cabinets

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up The Aft Deck Headliner Installation

I had a bit of bad luck last week. For the second time on this refit, I lost a memory card that had all of the pictures on it, which is why I didn’t post any articles. I was able to recover some pix from a backup, so I’ll be working with those unless the card reappears.

On the good news side, the headliner on the aft deck is installed!

The Whisper Wall headliner is looking great!

The installer put the final panels in later this day

The big hole is for the OEM light fixture

I like that ostrich pattern in the headliner material

The radio box turned out really nice

While the installer put in the last few panels, I installed the speakers and lights

It’s always nerve-wracking slicing into the new headliner.

One down, five to go

The last Whisper Wall panel getting tacked into the tracks

Infinity Kappa speakers were next

Installing the last LED

A little push and the springs pull the light into position

Done!

What a massive transformation! I’ve been staring at ceiling frames and insulation for ten years. It was oppressive! Getting the headliner, LED lights, and speakers installed really did a lot to transform the space. It’s starting to look less like a project boat. Now if I can just stop losing the dang memory cards…

UPDATE: The goddess of the seas did me a solid! Just after I saved this article, I found the memory card!

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the OEM lights On The Aft Deck

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

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Headliner Track Prep II

At long last, the aft deck headliner track preparations are done. The necessary woodwork is installed. The ceiling wiring is done. The One-Mile Ray searchlight is sufficiently installed. And the helm radio box is done. Time to call the Whisper Wall headliner installer.

That’s a good sign

That’s an empty Whisper Wall track tube. Which means all of the track that was in it has been used. That’s a good thing, since those tubes have been under foot and otherwise in the way for years.

Looks great!

Port aft corner of the aft deck hardtop

The tracks here are only fitted and stapled in place. The installer still  has to drill and screw, then staple the heck out of the tracks to lock them in place.

The new speaker mounts are at the perfect height

The tracks further forward are fully screwed and stapled in place

This is gonna look great

Leaping ahead just a bit, I’m hoping I can tap into the boating braintrust of readers of this blog and get some ideas for sliding door hardware. One of the future challenges I’ve got to deal with is making then installing doors for each space on the boat. Hinged doors are challenging enough, but I’ve already got the hardware for those. The bigger challenge is that I need to find low-profile sliding door hardware. For more than two years I’ve been pondering on this challenge, even ordering various bits and pieces to see if I can cobble something together using unconventional approaches. Sliding drawer slides…total bust. Sailboat traveler cars and tracks….extremely low profile tracks (<1/2″), but they’re bloody expensive and the traveler cars are too wide. So if anybody has suggestions for low-profile sliding door tracks and rollers (~1″ overall height), I’m all ears.

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

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Headliner Track Prep

The aft deck headliner prep is coming to a close. I got the aft deck wiring done. The searchlight is installed. The radio antennas and wiring are done. The helm radio box is looking very fine. Now I’ve just got to wrap up the lighting and speaker wiring and mounting panel installation, and we’re ready for Whisper Wall tracks. Almost.

OEM light fixture is great, but everything else needs help

The pic above was taken before we started on the helm mahogany parts, but it shows what I started with on the OEM light fixtures. The light mounting panels are at the wrong height for Whisper Wall tracks, the switches are in rough shape, and that OEM headliner fragment….well…it’s gotta go. But first…

I’ve been very impressed with Infinity Kappa speakers

Mahogany plywood scrap makes good speaker mounting panel

I’ve wrestled with the “throw it away or keep it” problem for this entire refit, when it comes to wood scraps. Turns out I was right to keep these two!

Ready to install

The attachment cleats have to place the speaker mount plywood face exactly 1/2″ above the frames

Everything that comes through the headliner, like speakers or lights, have to be on exactly the same plane as the headliner. It makes this install more detail-oriented than a standard-type marine headliner. But I think it’s worth it, based on the way the salon headliner, aft stateroom, and V-berth turned out.

Ready for speakers!

Next, I got wooden cleats for the headliner tracks glued and screwed all the way around the perimeter

This is gonna be awesome

MAHOGANY PORN ALERT!!!

While I was admiring my handiwork, the headliner installer popped in and popped my bubble. Turns out overly angular hiccups in the spacers for the transverse overhead frames aren’t pretty when you attach headliner to them. Better to find and fix that now than to live with ugly forever…

Smoothing out some transitions for the Whisper Wall track

While the Whisper Wall guy was on-site, he finished up the last access panel for the salon.

Salon headliner install wasn’t quite done

Now that’s pretty

This panel with the Pearl Ostrich Whisper Wall and foam backing it is a friction fit to the dashboard access hole. But the installer insisted on backing the ends with Velcro. Now you need a putty knife to remove it!

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Headliner Track Prep II

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: V-berth Bed Surround Padded Headliner

There are lots of things going on simultaneously, from the aft cabin back wall to resawing big mahogany boards, so I’ll continue jumping around the various projects before we finally launch into getting the aft deck headliner installed. But first, I thought I’d thank everybody who’s hit the tip jar and give a run-down of the refit plan going forward.

To install the aft deck headliner, all of the wiring in the ceiling of the hardtop–12v supply for marine radio, stereo, speakers, overhead lights etc–have to be installed. To install the headliner track, it has to have something to attach to, so we’ll have to install wooden cleats all around the perimeter and spacers across every 2nd ceiling frame, same as we did in the v-berth, salon, and aft stateroom. The headliner tracks also have to butt up against finished surfaces, whether painted fiberglass or varnished wood, which means lots of solid mahogany and plywood panel work is coming up on the aft deck.

Once the aft deck is done, I need to install the raw water standpipes for the main engines, then install the hoses, valves and strainers. I need to finish installing the diesel supply lines, and attach them to the engines. While I’m working in the engine room, I’ll have the painter come in and spray ICA top coat in the V-berth, salon, and aft stateroom.

The swim platform has been ready to install for years. Once that’s done, the boat will be able to float. But I also have to install all of the big chromed bronze cleats, so dock lines have something to attach to. And as long as I’m installing big pieces of chrome, I might as well finish installing the stanchions and safety rails. There are also a bunch of bilge vents that are open to the weather. I need to polish and install the stainless steel scoops that will keep the rain out. I also need to have canvas made for the aft end of the aft deck and helm doors on either side to keep the weather out.

At that point, the project won’t be done, but the boat will be ready to come out of the tent and maybe even float. I have no idea how long it will take to do all this stuff. When it’s done and ready to float, I’ll make the call for the travel lift.

That said, the headliner installer had a nice little surprise for me recently. He installed padded Whisper Wall around the V-berth bed surround, just exactly as I requested!

First, tracks get installed all around

Acute corners need filler panels

Basically, the tracks need to butt up against the finished panel at 90°, otherwise it’s impossible to push the fabric into the track.

Tracks are done. Time for padding

5/8″ thick foam surface is just a wee bit higher than the track

Spray glue does the job

That looks great!

Some day, I’ll finish off the plywood edges with moldings

Nice!

If you’re wondering how that bed will work out, here’s the thing. There’s eight feet between the pointy ends of the bunk. 18″ forward of the aft edge, where the edge of the mattress will be, that’s down to 6’2″. I’m 5′ 10″, so if the missus and I have a spat, which is unusual anyway, this will be a cozy doghouse. Granted, the forwardmost part of the bunk is only 3′ across, but we don’t plan on having guests stay onboard all the time. When they do, having a slightly uncomfortable space can have it’s advantages (they won’t want to stay long!). Most of the guests we’ve had on our boats have been individuals. And unless we have someone visit who’s freakishly tall, this odd-shaped bunk will be just fine.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Mahogany

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up the Salon Headliner Install

There are four areas on the boat that have headliner. We wrapped up the aft stateroom headliner first, followed by the V-berth. The salon headliner has been come along nicely, and now…it’s done! Which leaves only the aft deck ceiling, and that’s going to be a huge job…but all good things in due time.

The last few panels are going in today!

Prep work takes forever…the final touch is done in a blink

This is gorgeous

Safety rail hardware is hidden up behind that Whisper Wall panel

That’s just….so nice

Spray foam insulation is great. But looking at it every single weekend…I didn’t realize how oppressive it was. LOL I can get used to this Whisper Wall Ostrich Gelato.

OK…time to stop admiring the headliner perfection, bust out the razor knife and start slicin’ and dicin’.

Second to the last Kai LED light hole

I still get the willies when I cut through the headliner material. It’d be pretty hard to make a mistake at this point, but I still get nervous.

Check it out!

In case you were wondering, this is what I was hoping it would look like

A while back, after I posted one of the articles about prep work for the headliner, a commenter said something to the effect of “I think I see where you’re going with this.” That’s when I realized that just because I’ve got a vision in my head of how it will turn out, and I do my best to explain in this blog what I’ve got in mind for next steps, it’s maybe not equally clear to readers what I’m aiming for. I’d appreciate any comments letting me know how close I’ve come to YOUR impression of how this was going to turn out.

The last Kai light is in

Time for speakers!

I went with Infinity Kappa 62IX speakers throughout the boat

I considered hiding the speakers up behind the headliner, but I find these to be visually very appealing. And though I’d be the first to admit I’m not an audiophile, the sound is terrific. It’s really amazing, the difference between the Pyle shop-grade speakers I’ve been using and these.

The salon headliner is (pretty much) a wrap

The last headliner-related task will be to make the little hatch panel to access the under-side of the dashboard. But that can wait. For now, I’m calling this part of the refit done!

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: V-birth Moldings

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

The salon headliner installation is moving right along. We got three panels installed on Day One. Day Two went smoothly, with two more panels installed. It looks absolutely great! But I also had to deal with a climate-related epoxy mess.

It’s been hot in the tent

My tent is great at protecting the boat from the weather, but the plastic skin is also really good at holding in heat. When it’s a beautiful day outside, it’s roasting in the tent. And the higher you are, the hotter it is.

When we were installing the aft stateroom headliner, I moved a bunch of supplies from the work space to the salon. I’d never had a problem with epoxy spilling from its container before, but apparently moving it from the relatively cool floor of the aft stateroom to the hotter salon floor was enough to cause a problem. My theory is that as the air in this 1/4 full can of West System 207 hardener heated up, it expanded and pushed the hardener out of the pump. What a mess! I’ve never had this problem with US Composites epoxy.

While I was cleaning up the epoxy mess, the headliner installer was busy at his craft.

First, he pushes the headliner into the track in a few spots

Whisper Wall Ostrich Gelato is pretty stuff

Pulled up and tacked in place on the forward edge

First, push the material into the track with the spatula edge

Then push the spatula handle forward and roll the material into the track

Rinse, lather, repeat

The final stretch on the first panel

I got out of the installer’s way and came back the next day to find two panels installed. Ready for lights!

First, feel around for the soft spot

Hold your breath and stab through the new headliner

Cut the hole in the headliner, then plug in another new Kai LED

Springs snap the Kai LEDs in place in the 1/2″ plywood panel behind the headliner

Nice!

The OEM light fixture hole is much bigger

10w 12v corn LED bulbs work well in the OEM light fixtures

Then I installed more Kai LEDs

And that’s a wrap for the day

There are three more rows of headliner to install and the salon will be looking much better.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up the Salon Headliner Install

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

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