Just a quick question on the larger sunseekers are the wall and ceiling panels held on with velcro or with those plastic snaps?
I manage a 2007 62' Predator and a 2019 66' Manhattan. Both have the ball and socket style snaps and no velcro. Not sure why other manufacturers haven't adopted this system, because they never fall down in heavy seas.
My ceiling panels are coming down while the boats at rest..lol I'm going to be doing a refresh of the panels anyway. They are glued up (glue worn out hence them falling down). When I replace them, I was planning on using velcro as my last boat did but your post has me interested in the ball and socket method or some other mechanical attachment. If you ever happen to have a panel down and can snap a pic I'd appreciate it.
Properly installed Velcro panels don’t come down. The problem is that many builders used a foam backed fabric glued to the structural ceiling, back in the 90s, 2000s and probably until just a few years ago. With time, the foam separates and the fabric sags along with the panels. Ideally the fabric need to be removed and new Velcro installed. Problem is that the glued foam needs to be removed, a messy process. I ve had good luck stapling the fabric back on or stapling new Velcro on top of the fabric.
The ball and socket method Sunseeker uses on at least 2007 and newer works excellent, they don't fall, they don't sag, and you can remove them if you need to.
Thanks for your insights. My previous boat (Queenship) had Velcro everywhere. Not only ceiling panels but some large, finished wood panels that were removable to access wiring, plumbing, etc. The Velcro worked great and at 20 years old was only failing in a small area. Anyway, I was planning on using Velcro to replace the glue method used on my Neptunus when I noticed this stream on mechanical attachments. The one thing I'm not sure of is Velcro will add a gap between the panel and the receiving ceiling that is not there with the glue. Small yes, 1/8 or maybe 3/16 just due to the thickness of the two binding pieces of Velcro. The ceiling has wood trim that it slips into in places and doors that open under it. I wasn't sure if that small gap was going to cause a problem. For the mechanical attachment method, I'd have to see how exactly the two pieces mount so to see if that could be done at all. I imagine Seafarer in Ft. Lauderdale has the mechanical attachments so I'll go down there and take a look. Again, thanks for your inputs. Matt
I have a 2021 Sunseeker Manhatten 52 and woke up in the marina this morning to find an overhead panel had fallen off in the cockpit. It has ball and socket fasteners. I put it back up with a little E 6000 adhesive on the ball and socket fasteners.
How would you remove a panel that is ball and socket on the ceiling with other panels tight to the next panel??
Easy, get a flat putty knife under the side. Or easier, remove a light and stick your fingers in there and pull.
Be very careful with any tool you use. The smallest burr or sharp edge can damage the material very easily. The suggestion by Capt J to pull a light and then pull down on the panel is a good one, and should be the first method attempted.