Naugahyde Cabin Top Installation

[WoodenBNut]

Has anyone done this and can give advice? I have a Chris Craft Sea Skiff that originally had canvas & paint on the cabin and helm tops. That was stripped some time ago and the cabin & helm tops were fiberglassed/epoxy'd over. The paint job was lousy, so I have sanded off most of the previous paint. I was thinking of covering the helm & cabin tops with marine naugahyde (UV resistant type). I think it would look very good as the original canvas paint was a two tone of white & grey.
I have found the marine naugahyde at www.graysuphostery.com (http://www.graysuphostery.com) and a nautolex adhesive. Has anyone here applied naugahyde to a boat cabin top (fiberglass cabin top) and what adhesive did you use and what procedures did you use to apply the adhesive & naugahyde to the tops?
Thanks

[Katherine]

Not a bad Idea, but are the marine fabrics meant to be used on cushions or cabin tops. Even if a cushion is left exposed to the elemsnts, it's not the same as having a cabin top absorbing direct sunlight, day in day out for years. Theoretically this shouldn't be a problem other then it's life may be shortened a little and it may fade or discolor quicker. Also if this is an area that is walked on, make sure whatever the backing material is, that it can take it. Are you planning on a wrinkle free cabin top? The naugahyde may expand and contract some with the heat and cold cycles. On a cushion this woulldn't matter much, on a large flat surface, it may show more. Still, you may have a very good idea.

[Meerkat]

Detroit used to put Naugahide on car roofs, but no more. I don't know if the style (mercifully!) faded or it was too much of a warrantee problem. There's no doubt that a car that's had it's rubber roof stripped off is quite an eyesore.

[Bob Cleek]

Despite what the folks above may say, putting naugahyde on a cabin top is a bad idea. The original canvas and paint has now been replaced by Dynel and epoxy, which is virtually indistinguishable from the original canvas. It can also be painted so that it stays looking new. It will be relatively moisture proof and will last a good long time.

A polyester fibreglass covering is a second best option, now disfavored. The resin does not adhere well to wood, particularly plywood, and moisture gets underneath and rot starts fast.

Naugahyde, as Meercat said, looks terrible when it degrades in the sun. Just look at any of the old seventies cars that used it. It is also expensive and much more difficult to apply than the Dynel and epoxy. It will trap moisture underneath, no matter how well you lay it down. (Moisture wicks up as well as drips down.) Your cabin tops will certainly rot quickly under those circumstances. You won't see much naugahyde on boat cabin tops and those are the main reasons why. You will also likely have a difficult time finding naugahyde in a bolt width suitable to cover the entire top without requireing seams to be sewn in it.

Don't go there. Use the search thingy and check out past posts on Dynel and epoxy applications.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

I thought that the Nauga was on the C.I.T.E.S. (http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html) list, following the auto industry's over-expoitation of the poor beast back in the '70s.

[ssor]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:
I thought that the Nauga was on the C.I.T.E.S. (http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html) list, following the auto industry's over-expoitation of the poor beast back in the '70s.It is! And the Sierra Club has it on its threatened species list. :D

[Chris Stewart]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:
following the auto industry's over-expoitation of the poor beast back in the '70s.Sadly, it was the great Naugatuck flood in '55 that was the tipping point. The auto industry just added insult to injury.

http://www.courant.com/media/photo/2005-06/17926230.jpg

[paladin]

and they dunno taste good and make fer lousy BBQ.......

[ssor]

Originally posted by paladin:
and they dunno taste good and make fer lousy BBQ.......Maybe yer not usin enough garlic and tabasco? :rolleyes:

[Katherine]

The Naugahyde in used in the 70's and used currently is vastly different. It's in a lot of places you wouldn't think about and there are dozens of different types depending on it's intended use.

[WoodenBNut]

Ok!Ok! - You convinced me!! I'm dropping the Naugahyde for the cabin top idea. And it will also save me from the wrath of the PETA group for exploiting those little Naugas. Yes, I already have Dynel fabric and West System epoxy for doing the decks and will now think of using that for the cabin tops (and 2 part poly paint over that).
Thanks for the thoughts as they probably saved me a lot "gnashing of teeth" when the hot sun worked over those poor little Naugas on my cabin top.

[ssor]

Besides that, there is the posibility that those hides were derived from roadkill, and in the heat of the sun they can become very aromatic. :D

[Bob Adams]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:
I thought that the Nauga was on the C.I.T.E.S. (http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html) list, following the auto industry's over-expoitation of the poor beast back in the '70s.I thought they were called Naugles. Well anyway, besides the conservation issues, they were damn hard to skin.

[Paul Girouard]

WBN Great reply smile.gif And saving the nauga priceless tongue.gif HTBH ;) PEG

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

All my decks and Cabin roofs are white marine vinyl. (36 foot Chris Craft Challenger 1964. The boat was finished that way originally. The roofs are 3/4 inch fir ply. The biggest challenge is to keep the edges sealed. If water gets in to the edge of the plywood, then delamination takes place over time. I have experienced only minor problems that way, but the installation was very carefully done. I would think the southern salt environment would be harder on this treatment, but I have no problems with it. My boat has been in a covered slip most of it's life.

[Katherine]

http://www.naugahyde.com/images/naugahis3.gif

[kc8pql]

This is a free range Nauga, one of the last of his kind. He escaped from the ranch in the late 60's and has been living in sin with his lady friend for the last 35 years.
http://tinypic.com/6fcdgk.jpg

[Paul Girouard]

Ah The lovely couple hasn't aged a bit tongue.gif HTBH ;) PEG

[pcford]

The point people are missing is that vinyl for upholstery (Naugahyde) and vinyl for decks are two different items.

Deck vinyl is often called Nautolex. It is applied with the aforementioned Nautolex adhesive. It's generally considered to be bad practice. Moisture seems to come up out of the inside of the boat and congregate under the relatively impermeable vinyl membrane. Thus precipitating rot. I've repaired more than one boat that had an intact vinyl deck but was rotten under it because of moisture vapor accumulation.

Traditional canvas or epoxy/fiberglass is no doubt better. I'd prefer canvas because it's less nasty. However, sometimes one has to replace the Nautolex for aesthetic reasons. It's still available, though in fewer flavors.

[Meerkat]

Nautos are about fished out too! ;)

[Tom Robb]

What, no fake fur?

[Stargazer14]

I will admit that I removed the vinyl on the cabintop of my skiff(see "1wk to make, 3yrs. to rebuild" in Building/Repair this week) and under the worn covering it was very sad.
I replaced the bad wood and covered with fiberglass and epoxy, it looks the same (only better!) than the vinyl
and I do not have to worry about any rips or punctures causing havoc again.
Sure, its not original, but it will keep the rest of what is original lasting a bit longer.

Michael