V-berth panels

[deisher6]

Was inspired to replace the masonite panels in the V-berth.  They had both been repainted and one had been replaced.  The teak strips were held on with brads on the port side and were glued on with contact cement on the starboard side.  Wes clued me in that the brads were the way to go. 

A couple of years ago, I had replaced a panel in the cabin with masonite, and failed at the first attempt by breaking the panel.  This time I used a plastic product from Lewes that is smooth on one side and textured on the other side.  It is more flexible, thinner, than masonite.  Is comes in 4X8 sheets.  Pretty sure that it will not mildew or rot.

Pleased with the results.
Old panels in the bottom picture:

[MHardy]

Looks good Charlie!

[relamb]

Were the plastic panels similar to what you see on the walls in fast food and gas station bathrooms?  Fiberglass maybe, pebbled on one side and smooth on the other.
Were they easy to cut and bend?  I am considering using something like that on another project, not boat related.
Looks good!  I'd have a heck of a time getting the teak back on straight.

[AnchorJockey]

Nice work!

[Bilgemaster]

Well done indeed. That looks SUPERB!

If you can recall exactly what material it is you used with a source...maybe a link to it, I'm sure a lot of us will be gratefully taking note.

[deisher6]

Looking at the Lowes site I think that this is the stuff;

48-in x 8-ft Embossed Cotton White Sandstone Fiberglass Reinforced Wall Panel
Item # 494780 Model # STC.71

The back side is smooth.  The teak strips actually added needed stiffening to the panels to help installation.  They were easier to put in than the old panels were to get out.

I placed the fiberglass panels back to back and clamped the old panels together on top, to get a good average shape.  Marked the panels and cut it out with a dremmel saw (not tool).  The port panel extended above the top trim teak, so I marked it, removed the trim and cut it in place with a dremmel tool.  A little dusty but it worked out well.

About a 3 hour job including cleaning and light sanding of the teak strips.

Thanks for the comments.

regards charlie

[Tom L.]

Hi All, I did the same thing on my Sun Cat. I am not positive what the plastic sheet was But it was the thinnest and most flexible stuff that Lowes Had.

I used 1/2" brass screws with a little gorilla glue to hold the strips in place. Works great will not mildew and is very easy to clean. I had to cut the tip off the screws so they wouldn't break thru the strip. It may have been better to use the slightly thicker panels but either will likely work. It's not hard to locate the strips. I used the old panel as a guide. The only thing to watch for is that the strips are parallel to each other. Out of parallel is the only thing that will make the install look bad.

Tom L.

[Razor]

 Very nice Charlie! Looks good. Are you running out of projects yet on Windrunner?

Terry