The current headliner (ceiling) panels on SKOOKUM consist of 1/8" marine plywood with glued on vinyl sheets. Over the 26 year life of the boat, this system has worked ok in most locations, with the exception of a few spots where the plywood has rotted and the vinyl has lost adhesion. The result in these spots is that the vinyl has begun to ripple and pull away from the plywood. Even exposing the rotten plywood in one spot. Fixing this has been on my project list since purchasing the boat. However, I didn't want to fix the problem with just more of the same because I knew that I (or possibly somebody else) will just be doing the same project again some time in the next 26 years.
Enter FRP (fiber reinforced plastic)!!! It's an amazing polymer material that should not only be easy to work with, but it will also be stronger, it will not rot, and it will look really good. I called the guys at FRPShop.com to ask about their smooth white Glasteel FRP liner panels and I found out that the panels are glossy white, like the gel coat on a boat! So this stuff should be absolutely perfect for what I want to do.
A side note, I did a little research, and FRP materials are being used for some really cool applications. Including bullet proof tents for our soldiers! Check out this video on Youtube for a product called Polystrand.
More to come on this project (including before and after pictures of course).
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