Cabinet delamination?

Richey rich

Active Member
Sep 23, 2012
393
Lake St Clair
Boat Info
2010 Sea Ray 450 SunDancer
Engines
Twin 480 Cummins w/Zeus pods
So I bought a 2000 410 EC last fall and really haven't spent any time aboard her yet. But one thing that I have notices is in the cabin the cabinets have some delamination. It is mostly on the curved areas and its not to bad but of course will bothe the heck out of me. I'm not looking to spend tons of money having the cabinets delaminated, so I was wondering if anyone has made repairs to this before and am looking for some advice. Thanks!
 
Take some pictures so we can see what's going on.

Maybe some contact cement and strategically placed clamps can fix you up.

Where are you at in Belle Maer? I'm g241.
 
They did have some issues with the Vitricore laminate on the tightly curved areas. I believe the only thing you can do is to purchase new material and have it re-laminated. It shouldn't be too expensive, especially if you find the material at FPMarine.com or somewhere such as that.

Good luck!
 
I found some stuff called Nuba stik. It's basically contact cement and they claim to specifically help for delamination in sea ray boats.
Ps. I just moved from M row to E365, maybe ill see ya around:smt038
 
The main issue is sorting out why the glue failed in the first place. The common problems for many of the boats we see is that the original glue released because of high interior temperatures or insufficient glue at the factory. A high moisture environment will also cause the the adhesion between the laminate and the substrate to pull either the surface of the laminate (wood grain image) from the clear polycarbonate sheet or pull the surface off the substrate.

In either case, if it is not severe oftentimes it can be repaired in place. If the clear polycarbonate has separated from the image or there is mold (dark spots) behind the laminate...it has to be replaced.

Any clear contact cement will work. As previously mentioned, Nuvastik is compatiable with the current generation of laminates and works great. We use it because it is compatible with the adhesive that Nuvacor puts on their laminate sheets.

fpmarine does have some old Vitricor stock. We handle all the new stock which is constructed with a different manufacturing method to make it more durable than the Vitricor process. Vitrcor is out of business.

Best,

-John
 
Here's my understanding of this problem, as told to me by some people very close to the problem.

If your vitrecore is looking cloudy, it means the clear coating is peeling off the faux wood grain. That cannot be glued back down. If your entire laminate is peeling off the cabinets there may be some hope. Apparently the VOCs given off by the original adhesive recommended by Vitrecore exceeded SRs allowable factory amount, so a different adhesive had to be used, which, I believe was a water-based product. That product turned out to be the problem.

What you need to properly replace this stuff is a sheet of Nuvicore, which is sort of "the next generation" made by a different company (Vitrecore is out of business, as John said above). A 4'x8' sheet of this stuff is around $400 and it's not simple to apply correctly.

Mistercomputerman has had experience with this replacement process, but not sure if he did it on the rounded surfaces. You may want to ping him.
 
I had the same problem. If there are discolorations that look like screw/nail heads, you have moisture issues. My galley upper cabinet disintegrated. I had to rebuild it. It looks like crap, but right now, it's going to have to do. The tight curves are actually bent wood. It's an old technique I have not seen in years.

You may want to take this time to upgrade the look, or make it entirely different than the rest of the cabinets. If not, you may be able to buy a veneer that is close to the original and a lot cheaper than the Nuvicore, sand it and lacquer it. What they used on mine was a picture of wood on 1 ply toilet paper thick paper that was a bear to sand off the pieces I could spare. That picture was covered in plastic. The underlying plywood was not treated/sealed well at all.

My problem was thumbnail size when I bought the boat. It will grow like cancer over time. BTDT.

Here is a link to a European boat that appears to have had the insides redone, unless the Euro boats are that much different than ours. What was done looks pretty straight forward.

http://nautibarcos.com/sea-ray-sea-ray-330-sundancer_15748.html#

HTH.
 
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I looked at a 2000 EC in fall of 2011 when I was in the market and it had the same issue. I believe it was at Hideaway.

I'm in N54...looks like you're right across from me.
 
So it appears that the laminate and the wood has come up together which seems like a good thing. I should be able to apply some contact glue and get it back down.
 
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If you have an open lifted up end to get the adhesive under, probably - yes. Be sure to clamp it down well until it's fully set. Don't put the clamp directly on the laminate. Use a piece of wood that's bigger than the separated piece. Not sure what type of adhesive is best though.
 
Restorationmarine.Com they have the cherry color from that period. I redid mine , took time but was easy. I posted the full repair by each detailed step on this forum back in 2015 or 16. Just follow my steps with pictures included.
 
Hi All,
Have some veneer delamintion between the faux grain and backing (clear is good). Looks primarily like heat issues as there is no moisture damage. Is Nuvistik still a good glue?

The post above is from 2013, so just wanted to see if anyone was using anything different or there was something better on the market?

Thx in advance

20210831_105853.jpg
 
Clear contact cement is what you want to use (Weldwood....Home Depot). In your case the glue released without damaging the laminate. The reason you want to use contact cement is that the original material was .040" thick and a cold form press was used to press the material, glue and substrate together.

You want a cement that will bond immediately or the laminate will release from the substrate the minute you release pressure. Follow the instructions on the contact cement.
 
Hi All,

Here are the after pics using Weldwood. Worked like a champ, but I may have pushed too hard when I was smoothing down the laminate and I caused some delam on the corner. So, not perfect, but better than it was.

20210913_201050.jpg
 
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Hi All,

Here are the after pics using Weldwood. Worked like a champ, but I may &ave pushed too hard when I was smoothing down the laminate snd I caused some delam on the corner. So, not perfect, but better than it was.

View attachment 112190
thank you for this, i have a spot very similar in my salon. What was your method? how far back were you able to get the weldwood in there... anything that you had success with, or that didn't work is appreciated.

LOOKS FANTASTIC!

Also, was the 3 ounce jar enough for what you did?


Thanks in Advance!
 
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@Chris-380, YW!

I used a cheap 1/2" bristle brush and was able to get it back to the radius of the corner. Once the contact cement was dry (20 mins) I just smoothed from behind the radius towards the door opening and it laid right down and stuck. Not sure how big your spot is, but I think 3 oz would have been enough for what I had pictured (I had the pint, but had some sound/heat insulation I used most of the can on).

After reading @PlayDate post again, I think my clear delam may have been the result of too much contact cement that might have not been dry towards the bottom where it puddled.

I used blue tape on the door jam and clear laminate to keep from making a mess (I use this cabinet for spare parts as it isn't the best for daily use).

20210912_141249.jpg
 
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Thanks @Forrestkk i did this last Friday night. Taped it up and waited a week before removing. Worked perfect! I appreciate the info


@Chris-380, YW!

I used a cheap 1/2" bristle brush and was able to get it back to the radius of the corner. Once the contact cement was dry (20 mins) I just smoothed from behind the radius towards the door opening and it laid right down and stuck. Not sure how big your spot is, but I think 3 oz would have been enough for what I had pictured (I had the pint, but had some sound/heat insulation I used most of the can on).

After reading @PlayDate post again, I think my clear delam may have been the result of too much contact cement that might have not been dry towards the bottom where it puddled.

I used blue tape on the door jam and clear laminate to keep from making a mess (I use this cabinet for spare parts as it isn't the best for daily use).

View attachment 112192
 

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