• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

Ericson 26 III Remove headliner?

Do I need to remove the vinyl headliner to gain access to through-hull fittings such as stanchion bolts? If so, how do you re-install it so that it looks as good as it does right now? Thanks!
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Is your boat a mid-to-late 80's Ericson?
If so, the same crew probably fitted it out that did our boat.
There may be thin teak battens running down each side of the cabin wall interior, top and bottom. A number of #6 or #7 bronze screws flush-set along surface. Under the side deck, and covering the area of stanchion base areas that vinyl material is stapled to a one inch strip of plywood glassed to the top of the hull.
What they did was staple, with hundreds (!) of power-driven staples, the liner. Next they would run a knife along just beyond that line of staples and remove the excess vinyl. And last, cover the stapled surface with the teak trim strip where you would see it by the teak veneered cabin side. Under the side deck, I have no idea how they covered that staple line on your model, as my model has a different type of hull ceiling material.

You should find a long zipper running along the material under the side deck, and this is zipped back to allow access to stanchion base backing plates and nuts on their bolts. That aluminum alloy zipper pull may or may not work after all these years... a new pull is about fifty cents, and is difficult to put back on.
Last resort for any hardware repair concealed by the liner.... is to pull a hundred staples... and re-drive new staples when you are done.

If you have pictures of the afflicted area, please post them up. This will help others help you.

Regards,
Loren
 

Glyn Judson

Moderator
Moderator
Replacing headliner.

Dear friend, When replacing your headliner be sure not to stretch the vinyl in an attempt to make it "flat". Look carefully at the pattern left by the old staples and line up the holes in the vinyl with those in the wood it was stapled to. Buy an affordable upholsterers stapler such as this used one on eBay: 291176675328, a small pancake air compressor and a supply of stainless steel staples. Take your time and you will end up with a headliner that appears never to have been removed in the first place. For small jobs where I don't want to carry a compressor, I use a small air storage tank like this one on eBay: 280781098593. I fill the tank at home and take it to the boat or wherever. Why the special stapler? The protruding duck bill allows it to fire staples into inside corners at a 45° angle where a standard hand stapler would not. Again, take your time and everything will come out just fine. Cheers, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey CA
 

Shelman

Member III
Blogs Author
I also have an E-26 mk III 1985 with the zippers open I can access pretty much everything. I have pulled some staples to access harder to reach spaces for additional bulkhead tabbing and such. but only in small sections which I was able to easily re staple. What are you re bedding? I just did my chain plates and deck fills. stanchions are next year. I have long thought of replacing the headliner with teak strips but the work would be tedious and I like the lighter colors so I would likely paint them white anyway.
 
Top