Mounting/drilling into ceiling of cabin

[HJ51]

I'm trying to choose the right mounting hardware for installing light fixtures Etc into the ceiling of the cabin. Does anyone know what a safe depth is for drilling and screwing into the ceiling without protruding through the cabin roof?  My boat is a 27 in case it makes any difference.

[deisher6]

Hey HJ51:  I mounted a storm hood with dorade vents over the main hatch in our old '27.  Part of the installation was installing a vent forward of the hatch, when it is open.  The deck at that point was more than about an inch thick.  Part of the thickness was the headliner and the other part was the deck.  The foredeck is quite a bit thinner.  The only light mounted on the overhead on the boat was the one over the galley.  Unfortunately a PO had removed that to wire in the radio.

Hope that this helps.

regards charlie

[wes]

I recommend using 1/2" screws, so after they pass through the light fixture you should be penetrating the headliner about 3/8". Also recommend countersinking the pilot hole slightly to avoid chipping the headliner as the screw goes in.

Highly recommend Alpenglow's LED cabin lights. They are spendy but top quality both in appearance and quality of light.

I wanted to relocate the cabin light above the galley, and of course there's no way to fish wires behind the headliner. Went to the Home Depot electrical section and found a simple self-adhesive piece of white cable track (Wiremold). Worked very nicely and nearly disappears against the white ceiling.

Wes

[Pacman]

You might consider attaching a small teak block to the hull liner with 5200 adhesive.

Then attach the fixture to the block using short screws without penetrating the hull liner.

If you want to remove it in the future, you can use Debond to remove the 5200.

The teak blocks can also be used to mount "studs" for mounting stuff that you want to remove easily for service, etc. by pre-drilling the block and then inserting flat head screws from the back side of the block before sticking it to the hull liner.  That leaves just the thread showing through the block.

I use this mounting method because it allows me to change my mind without leaving unsightly holes in my boat.