Possible material for cabin ceilings...

[No Mas Films]

Hello! Wandering around the boat show recently, I took note of all the various ways fine yacht builders finished the ceilings of their crafts. Morris had a custom made fiberglass molded panel with a vee groove or routed look, Amel used vinyl covered ply panels, and so on... I would like a hard, easy to clean ceiling and recently found PVC wainscotting from Plastipro " http://www.plastproinc.com/fiberglass-e ... nscot.html ". It's around 3/16 to 1/4 thick and around a foot wide. Comes in around 8 foot lenths, is pure white and is grooved to accept the next piece. I'm considering using plywood strips transversly mounted to the ceiling, followed by the wainscotting screwed on top. Any thoughts?

[Rachel]

Okay, I almost didn't respond, because I don't want to sound too nerdy and fussy, but it sounds like there might be a confusion of terms here. I'm thinking that you want to put this material on the overhead of the boat (i.e. the underside of the deck, inside the boat).

In a boat the underside of the deck (inside) is the "overhead" i.e. the part that would be the ceiling in a house. This wouldn't be such a big deal, except the ceiling is something else, and another place where people look for similar materials. In a boat the ceiling is a lining you put on the inside of the topsides (the part that in a house would be the walls).

So.... overhead is "overhead" and the liner for the inside of the topsides is "ceiling."

Now people with some actual materials information can make comments, instead of me talking about words :-) I'm interested to hear what people have to say.

--- Rachel

PS: Charlie J, I bet you were laughing and waiting to see if I would pipe in ;-)

[Jason K]

liner for the inside of the topsides is "ceiling

I didn't know that. Thanks Rachel, I learned my something for the day and it's only 11:00. I'm going home. :)


No Mas - I didn't see a photo at the link, but what about beadboard plywood? I love the look of white beadboard with varnished trim pieces.

[CharlieJ]

LOL at Rachel. I saw that earlier, didn't have time to post anything, but was gonna say something. You beat me to it.

We picky nomenclature folks gotta keep it up eh?

Grin!

[No Mas Films]

I've always seen the word "Hull" used with ceiling when used in that context...

[No Mas Films]

As far as beadboard, that would work, but this PVC would look very similar but never need paint and couldn't rot...EVER.

[Jason K]

I'm sure that PVC is comparable and that it has its own qualities. However, I personally would prefer the look and feel of wood, even ply, even at the expense of extra upkeep.

That said, if the material is what you like, then go for it. There's a Triton that used synthetic teak to get the look of a teak deck without the upkeep. I wouldn't have gone that route, but his project was unquestionably successful and, as far as I know, he's quite pleased with it.

So long as you think you'll be happy with the results and take pictues to share with us, then try it out. Worst case, you don't like it and you try another material.

[Capn_Tom]

I am using 3/8 MDO in which I route a v groove to simulate tongue and groove on both the overhead and ceiling (that way I'll always be right). MDO won't rot takes paint like a dream and the 3/8 gives it a solid feel. Dressed up with bright deck beams at the joints it looks great (unfortunately only in my mind at this point. I used the same method on the inside of the trunk cabin (help me out with the correct term here) in 3/4 epoxied to the fiberglass which also provided sufficient depth so that the spigots on my ports don't extend to far out. I'll post some pictures when the v-berth is done later this month.

[Rachel]

I've always seen the word "Hull" used with ceiling when used in that context...

Yes, hull is good - perhaps even more accurate since the ceiling could dip below the waterline, where it would no longer be topsides. I probably could have said that better.

Next .... Floors! <laugh>

--- R.

[cliffg]

If and when I ever get to the point of installing ceiling and overhead I would lean toward wood. My boat doesn't have a liner at all, so I'd figure on epoxying some stringers or battens along the hull to attach the ceiling and then do the same with overhead. I have some really nice ash boards left over from a job I did about 15 years ago, they were supposed to be steps. Each is almost 1" thick and I'd take them to a woodshop and have them cut in half, rip them to appropriate width and install them. This would provide an airspace of about a 1/2". Ash is nice and light colored and has a very nice grain so it would provide a light interior and yet some warmth to the coldness of plain fiberglass.

[Tim]

Yes...a traditional wood ceiling (hull, that is) really can warm up an othewise generic space.

This particular one is cypress, but ash would look similar.

[No Mas Films]

Tim, what is that great looking white material at the base of the vee berth? Thats the way I'd like my OVERHEAD to look, only using wider strips. Thanks, Chris

[Tim]

That's a beadboard fir plywood. I used it on the overhead as well. It comes unfinished; I spent quite a bit of time prepping the material to get a decent finish using nice white semi-gloss enamel.



You could easily make your own beadboard strips, in whatever width you chose, from the wood of your choice using a beading set in a table saw, or a beading bit in a router.

[cliffg]

Tim,

Used that material, I've always referred to it as "beaded proch ceiling" because it duplicates the tongue and groove fir that was often used on porch cielings. It would take a good bit of prep to get a nice finish like that. I actually have a few small pieces of that left from when I redid my own front porch about a year ago.