Hit the headlining!

Finally over the last month or so we started the process of reupholstering the interior headlining. Having spent most of last winter removing staples, it was time to reverse the process and staple in the new fabric.

Jorvik Rose has headlining panels throughout her interior to give her a nice and cosy feel and also to cover all the structural framework, cables and hoses. In the galley and forward & aft heads, the headlining is vinyl covered and throughout the rest of her the headlining is Alcantara covered.

We decided to start with the vinyl panels as this was a bit thicker and therefore easier to handle and lay flat. After 4 days of cutting and stapling we finally finished the vinyl - 17 completed panels and about 5000 staples later!

Having mastered the principles on the vinyl, it was now time to focus on the remaining 45 panels. When looking for fabric, we really struggled to find the right colour in Alcantara, and when we did find it, it was about £150 per metre which seemed ridiculously overpriced given that we needed 26 metres. In the end, after a lot of research, I found Ecosuede for around 20% of the cost and no real noticeable difference, both in terms of look & feel and durability.

Having mapped out the panels to make best use of the fabric, it was time to start the process of cutting and stapling...

Another 8 days and 18,000 staples later, we finally completed all the headlining. We have a real sense of achievement now that this is completed and it looks really great - we can't wait to get it refitted as it will really help Jorvik Rose look herself again.

The final steps before fitting was to track down some new marine grade stainless steel screws and someone to manufacture some fabric covered nail back buttons. Now we are almost ready to start refitting.

Our last step in the process, completed today has been to get the 45 Ecosuede covered panels Scotchguarded so that they will be more resistant to dirt and mould, as well as being easier to clean in the future - our thanks to Tony for Scothguarding them all this morning in our conservatory.

Now we just need them to dry over the next few hours and then we are ready to start the refit.

Jorvik Rose's deck should now be completed and she will be moved outside at the end of next week and handed back to us to move on with the next stages of the refit.

I'll post more details and photos soon so you can see what we have had done and how great she now looks.

Until the next time, fair winds.