installing skins vs shop

[JimN]

Originally Posted by 02ProstarSammyD

All I can say is I hate staples

Would you rather use tacks? They work great in wood and some composites but not all. Plus, I don't think they're available in stainless.

[02ProstarSammyD]

haha no just complaining about the removal process. I got all but the wraparound side bow panels removed (can't reach the bolts to remove). Obviously this boat has been recovered in some places before. 2 diff thicknesses of vinyl will clearly diff backing and .....................alot of non stainless staples.

I'm sure you can guess how freaking awesome it has been to find 3 panels with atleast 500-1000 staples each rusted to the point of breaking. Absolutely miserable but it was 75 degrees yesterday so sat on the porch drinking beer and pulling staples from 9am-5pm

Anyone know a trick to get to the bow side panel bolts by the speakers. I screwed with them for an hour and all I got was 2 bloody arms and frustration

[02ProstarSammyD]

Btw if anyone needs the trick to getting the front bow wraparounds out.........there is one. I left a pint of blood around the port side speaker hole to get the front fastener out. I came into the house asking for some bandage to wrap around my other arm before I started the opposite side. My 100lb g/f stuck her arm right in and took it off in 2 seconds.

Use small children and women for the cause. The fasteners to the rear of the speaker holes can be reached by contorting your body as far as you can under the dash and blindly reaching out.

[02ProstarSammyD]

Hey guys came into a slight problem. Had my rear seat done last year by a local shop. The skins were "ok" but evidently they removed the original base/board and replaced it with treated ply. Its heavier than a 75lb bag of dog poo and has turned into a sponge. I have the template and have built previous bases with epoxied ply but with a span as long as the 209 I'm alil worried about that. Should I just epoxy or go full glass on it?

[Sodar]

Buy a sheet of King Starboard and or honeycomb aluminum and make it OEM.

[TRBenj]

Will honeycomb aluminum hold staples? Thats a new one for me... Ive been on the lookout for a suitable composite seat base material for a while. There are mixed reviews for starboard... some say it holds staples and works great, others say it sags under its own weight and doesnt hold them very well. There are some postive reviews for extruded PVC (XPVC) though, so that was the direction I was leaning on our next build... Curious if anyone else has found something suitable.

[JRW160]

Starboard is good stuff. I used some 3/8" starboard for my amp rack and some 1/2" to support my bow filler cushion. I'm pretty sure it is what my OEM seat bases are made out of.

[Sodar]

Good info. As far as staples either, I have never had an issue. I can say is that my '96 used honeycomb and was stapled... I pulled them out when I had to have my back cushion re-stitched. My '07 rear seat is very light, so I always just assumed it was honeycomb as well, but I do not know for sure.

[02ProstarSammyD]

I've heard the same about the starboard not holding weight. We are talking about a roughly 72" span on the 209 which I would think would dip.

[wheelerd]

Just a couple of weeks ago I installed a new skin on the rear seat base of my '01 X5. It has the factory aluminum -- however it is constructed. I used a combination of 3/8" and 1/2" staples and they held just fine.