One of the inescapable truths about owning an old boat is, well… it’s old!
If you’re pushing 45, like my Down East schooner Britannia, many things need renovating or completely replacing. One of the more common things that often need attention is the restoration of the boat’s headlining.
Let’s start by using the correct terminology for ‘headlining or ceiling’. On a boat the ceilings are not the headlinings or ceiling at all, the correct nautical term is deckheads. Don’t ask me why, but ‘ceilings’ are the wooden slats that are fitted on the sides of a hull, usually in cabins – notably in the focsle.
They do make a small cabin seem wider, but they can be devilishly difficult to clean behind – but that’s another story.
Faded vinyl
The overhead linings on had irritated my wife and me from the time we first bought the boat. It was the usual vinyl material with a cloth felt backing, stretched and stapled between the deck beams throughout the whole length of the boat, including both heads.
