Plastic on cabinetry

TRG

Member
Jul 20, 2022
60
Vancouver, WA
Boat Info
2000 SeaRay 400 sedan bridge
2011 Mastercraft X45 (for sale)
Engines
(2) CAT 3126 diesels
I was searching but didn’t find much. Are there any good threads regarding repair to the plastic covering over the cabinetry. If possible I want to fix the air bibles that are starting to appear between the plastic and the paper underneath. Also is there any products to fix the radius corners where the plastic has separated and cracked away?

thank you in advance
 
I was searching but didn’t find much. Are there any good threads regarding repair to the plastic covering over the cabinetry. If possible I want to fix the air bibles that are starting to appear between the plastic and the paper underneath. Also is there any products to fix the radius corners where the plastic has separated and cracked away?

thank you in advance
Sorry there are no fixes (yet) to this common issue. Some have stripped the laminate from the surface and installed wood veneer with an appropriate coating.
 
Sorry there are no fixes (yet) to this common issue. Some have stripped the laminate from the surface and installed wood veneer with an appropriate coating.

Probably should have got a little more info from the OP. I doubt he has delamination on his wakeboard boat.

To the OP: What year and model boat? Also post a few pictures of the problem areas.

Depending on the color finish....the material can be removed and replaced. If the finish is no longer available......then you have to make a decision to refinish the boat or live with it.

The last thing I would recommend is using a real wood veneer as a replacement. Given the temperatures and humidity on a boat.....it is problematic.
 
Probably should have got a little more info from the OP. I doubt he has delamination on his wakeboard boat.

To the OP: What year and model boat? Also post a few pictures of the problem areas.

Depending on the color finish....the material can be removed and replaced. If the finish is no longer available......then you have to make a decision to refinish the boat or live with it.

The last thing I would recommend is using a real wood veneer as a replacement. Given the temperatures and humidity on a boat.....it is problematic.
Ah, I picked up "cabinetry" and defaulted to solon cabinets in an air-conditioned boat and the fixes we have done to those.
 
Probably should have got a little more info from the OP. I doubt he has delamination on his wakeboard boat.

To the OP: What year and model boat? Also post a few pictures of the problem areas.

Depending on the color finish....the material can be removed and replaced. If the finish is no longer available......then you have to make a decision to refinish the boat or live with it.

The last thing I would recommend is using a real wood veneer as a replacement. Given the temperatures and humidity on a boat.....it is problematic.
Sorry it is a 2000 400 sedan bridge I am purchasing. Every sea ray I have looked at has this issue. I feel around this year there aren’t any that don’t have it.
 
Sorry it is a 2000 400 sedan bridge I am purchasing. Every sea ray I have looked at has this issue. I feel around this year there aren’t any that don’t have it.
That’s accurate, you just want it to be minimal, I have a couple small spots, but no one but me notices
 
Sorry it is a 2000 400 sedan bridge I am purchasing. Every sea ray I have looked at has this issue. I feel around this year there aren’t any that don’t have it.

My '98 has had a crack by the refrigerator radius since the day I bought 15+ years ago.
 
Sorry it is a 2000 400 sedan bridge I am purchasing. Every sea ray I have looked at has this issue. I feel around this year there aren’t any that don’t have it.
Vitricore laminate.
 
Sorry it is a 2000 400 sedan bridge I am purchasing. Every sea ray I have looked at has this issue. I feel around this year there aren’t any that don’t have it.

It is a common issue. We get emails at Restoration Marine every week from people asking how to fix the delamination on boats they are looking to buy. 90% just want an estimate so that they can negotiate with the seller which is okay but rarely turns into a material order.

Anyway the cause of the issue is humidity and temperature. Both are enemies of the underlying glue and will cause it to release over time. The fix is to peel off the existing laminate, sand the surface to bare mdf, coat it with new contact cement and apply new laminate.

I'm simplifying the process. To see what is involved check out the Project section of our website and videos.

In regards to the finish.....we need a photo to confirm if the finish is still available.

In some cases your Broker has local knowledge of someone who actually can do the repairs. That is a great place to start because you can get a solid estimate. Half of our Sales are to MarineMax and SR contractors.

-John
 
We looked at a new 40 foot Meridian years ago at a brokerage in the delta on a 100+ degree day. When we entered the cabin the first thing I saw was a complete plastic veneer from a galley locker laying on the floor where it had dropped off the door! The sales guy simply rushed over, picked it up and stuck it back on and said 'Oh, we will fix that'. My wife and I said thanks but no thanks, went next door to the Rinker dealer and ended buying a new 270 Fiesta Vee. The manufacturers going cheap on the joinery on the newer boats has always been a pet peeve of mine. I always wondered what the delta would be between using laminate and solid wood. The the fabrication and installation costs would be very similar, I imagine the cost difference is in the finish?
 
We looked at a new 40 foot Meridian years ago at a brokerage in the delta on a 100+ degree day. When we entered the cabin the first thing I saw was a complete plastic veneer from a galley locker laying on the floor where it had dropped off the door! The sales guy simply rushed over, picked it up and stuck it back on and said 'Oh, we will fix that'. My wife and I said thanks but no thanks, went next door to the Rinker dealer and ended buying a new 270 Fiesta Vee. The manufacturers going cheap on the joinery on the newer boats has always been a pet peeve of mine. I always wondered what the delta would be between using laminate and solid wood. The the fabrication and installation costs would be very similar, I imagine the cost difference is in the finish?


The marine environment is pretty harsh. If you control the environment (temp and humidity) year round a real wood veneer can work and does on more expensive yachts. The challenge is when you don't control the environment.

Most contact cements will release at 120-130 degrees which isn't hard to reach when the boat is closed and its 100 degrees outside. The other issue is moisture which the causes the mdf substrate to fall apart releasing the laminate with and making it cloudy.

Probably 15 years ago there was a guy on CSR who lived in Texas and refinished a 50' SR boat with real wood laminate. It looked nice for about a year and he told me that he had to run his HVAC year round to keep it from blistering.....but he lived in Texas.

In terms of cost......it probably is a premium on the real wood side because you have to apply a finish to the real wood where the synthetic finishes are install and done.

Given how hard it is for us to find people to do interior yacht work.......I would expect it would be tougher to find someone to do a complete wood veneer project.

From a manufacturer's persepective.....SR went from hybrid of wood molding and synthetic (Vitricor) to real wood (Lignapal) in 2005. That lasted 5 years and gave SR major warranty headaches until they switched back to a hybrid solution in 2009.
 
The marine environment is pretty harsh. If you control the environment (temp and humidity) year round a real wood veneer can work and does on more expensive yachts. The challenge is when you don't control the environment.
.
I'm of the ilk that the environment in all of our cruisers need to be controlled if not for the finishes but to keep mold and mildew in check. Both of my boats (400DA and 52DB) had/have the HVAC operational 24/7 and the fans running continuously; it is important for the electrical, vinyls, fabrics, and finishes.
 
I'm of the ilk that the environment in all of our cruisers need to be controlled if not for the finishes but to keep mold and mildew in check. Both of my boats (400DA and 52DB) had/have the HVAC operational 24/7 and the fans running continuously; it is important for the electrical, vinyls, fabrics, and finishes.

Ditto…

Bennett
 
Not to totally highjack this thread but... I see these Taiwanese trawlers and such built in the 70s and 80's with solid wood joinery and it holds up just fine. I see some with water damage from cabin leaks and a little steel wool and teak oil and its good as new. I realize the Taiwanese craftsmen work for relative peanuts compared to their American counter parts but one would think the cabin components could be built abroad and installed stateside with quality and savings. Of course this is just armchair quarterbacking as I have no experience in manufacturing my self. I look at other industries such as aircraft and the components for business jets are sourced from every corner of the world and assembled in factories in the US with cost savings being a major factor.
 
I'm of the ilk that the environment in all of our cruisers need to be controlled if not for the finishes but to keep mold and mildew in check. Both of my boats (400DA and 52DB) had/have the HVAC operational 24/7 and the fans running continuously; it is important for the electrical, vinyls, fabrics, and finishes.


That is the smart way to do it but a lot of owners think of it like a car as opposed to a home. Sometimes leaving it out of the water actually does the most harm since the water provides some cooling effect.
 
Not to totally highjack this thread but... I see these Taiwanese trawlers and such built in the 70s and 80's with solid wood joinery and it holds up just fine. I see some with water damage from cabin leaks and a little steel wool and teak oil and its good as new. I realize the Taiwanese craftsmen work for relative peanuts compared to their American counter parts but one would think the cabin components could be built abroad and installed stateside with quality and savings. Of course this is just armchair quarterbacking as I have no experience in manufacturing my self. I look at other industries such as aircraft and the components for business jets are sourced from every corner of the world and assembled in factories in the US with cost savings being a major factor.


They generally used wood suitable for a marine world such as teak. Perhaps the single biggest problem is the use of MDF in modern construction. It allows for nice radius cabinets but absorbs moisture from humidity and will deteriorate over time.

Leave a piece of MDF outside for a few days and it becomes useless.

Ironically ……SR outsourced its cabinet construction to Taiwan and others back in 2000.
 
They generally used wood suitable for a marine world such as teak. Perhaps the single biggest problem is the use of MDF in modern construction. It allows for nice radius cabinets but absorbs moisture from humidity and will deteriorate over time.

Leave a piece of MDF outside for a few days and it becomes useless.

Ironically ……SR outsourced its cabinet construction to Taiwan and others back in 2000.
What’s the general price range for a refinish of a 2010 390da? I have some humidity damage and would love to go to slighter finish.
 

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