Doughboy Liner Installation

by Chris

By the sounds of it, you have installed a lot of Doughboy pools which is what I have. I have a 48" wall Timberline and the liner is original, I think. I have owned the house 10 years and the pool was here when I bought it. I have ambitious plans.https://flyingfishcarburetors.com/Y44-1-VolvoPenta.htmI want to sink the pool into the side of a hill and leave about 18" exposed. I won't be burying it directly~ I plan to build a retaining wall so the pool walls won't have direct contact with the earth.

Anyway- I need to replace the liner as a part of this process. My pool is set up like a bowl- 48" around the walls and about 52" deep in the center. I have heard different things from different people, so I am asking you since you have a lot of experience installing pools, including Doughboy.

Do I need an expandable liner to achieve this bowl when I reset the pool? One pool store told me to install an original (non-expandable) Doughboy liner on a hot and sunny day and it would stretch to conform to the bowl. Another dealer told me I need the $1000 expandable liner that expands to accommodate a 72" deep pool. That seems like overkill. But I don't want to spend the money on a regular liner and have the seams fail because I tried to stretch it too much either. I am also worried about wrinkles since I wouldn't be stretching the 72" liner near as much as it can be stretched.

OK, so that's my first issue.

My second issue is installing the liner once I figure out what to get. You showed some pictures on pool solutions with instructions on installing just such an expandable liner. It appears as if you built the pool completely and stretched the liner over the wall INCLUDING the top rails and post caps. Is this true? If so, once the liner is in and the water mostly full, do you then work your way around the pool section by section placing the liner under the top rails and installing the coping? I understand your directions as your wrote them on pool solutions, just not sure how to go about

getting the liner under the top rails.

That's my second issue.

I am thinking I really want to go with an original Doughboy liner regardless after reading your comments about the longevity of aftermarket liners. The one in there has been at least ten years (And I suspect more like 12 or 13 years) and has held up well. No holes, no patches, no problems ever. The reason it needs to be replaced is some of the sand has settled out from around the patios blocks and I can feel the square edges of the blocks through the liner. It's only a matter of time before one pokes through. Plus I want to sink the pool and build a really cool deck around it.

In considering all of this, I thought about just replacing the pool with a new one. But I have been happy with the Doughboy and especially the availability of parts and such for the skimmer and filters, so I think I will try to stick with them.

Thank you for your willingness to lend advice to a stranger from the 'net.

Chris.

Hi Chris.

The Doughboy Uniform Depth (UD) liner is in my opinion the best liner you can buy. You will have no problem stretching it in. The liners are made for 48 or 52 inch walls so you already have plenty of extra to work with. Even with a 52 inch wall I could still stretch the liner an extra 6 inches easily.

The best way to install the liner is as you described, stretch it over the framework of the pool. I remove the top rails, a few at a time, when the water is about four inches from the edge of the pool. I pull the liner up snug and fold the excess back into the pool so there is an even 2 inches hanging over the outside. The water finishes stretching the liner into place and the walls get pulled tight and wrinkle free. The other way to do it is to fill the pool to just under the skimmer and then take the pool apart, a little at a time. Either way works good and leaves the liner looking great.

These are pages related to a Doughboy Liner Installation.

Beaded Liner Installation

Preformed Pool Cove

Overlap Liners

Beaded Liners

Expandable Liner Installation