Replacing Boat Carpet...need Help

[katmandew]

All I know about replacing boat carpet is that I don't want to pay someone else to do it.  LoL

 

Hoping someone here has done it before.  Through researching online I found boatcarpet.com, but there are several types of carpet and I'm not sure which type of carpet to buy, what kind of glue to use, etc.  Would love to hear the thoughts of anyone who has done this themselves and wouldn't mind sharing what they know.

[Hi Salenity]

Buy the carpet you like that fits your budget and use Outdoor glue. I got my carpet from boatcarpet.com. Ill look and see what it was.

[Hi Salenity]

http://www.boatcarpetbuys.com/24oz-bass-boat-carpet.aspxThis is the carpet I got and I got the glue from Home Depot and if I remember the number on the glue was 6700

[tnriverluver]

Both Lowes and HD have boat carpet from time to time at a much lower price than the online sources.  Biggest downside is it only comes in 6 ft wide rolls so it may or may not work for your application.  You need a waterproof outdoor carpet glue also available at either place and a notched trowel to spread it properly.  Your biggest issue will be removing the old carpet glue as that is an absolute must.

[Jig Man]

You can get the old stuff off with lacquer thinner but you should use it outside where there are no flames and plenty of fresh air.

[BKeith]

I never use carpet glue.  I use Weldwood original contact cement  http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100139723/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=weldwood+contact+cement&storeId=10051

 

It's much easier to work with than carpet glue and will hold a lot better also.

 

Somewhere on here you can find a fairly extensive instructions I've posted on installing boat carpet if you do a search.  There are a number of things you have to watch out for if you want to make life easy. 

 

Here's one I posted back in 2011 on doing the lids.  I didn't find the one for the whole boat but this should help

 

 When I cover a compartment lid, I lay the carpet out, upside down and draw some arrows on it for what I will consider the front of the boat, making sure I also keep the lids in the proper orientation, so mark the insides of them with an arrow as you take them off This so I keep all the cuts in the same orientation, very important. Then I lay the lid upside down on the carpet and mark around it. I then add how much it's going to take to fold over the outer edge of the lid and up into the inner edge. Say if that's 1 1/2 inches, I add that to my lid piece all the way around. Easiest way to do that is to cut you a strip of wood and lay it against the lid, them mark along the edge of the strip. I cut it out around this line. I then lable that piece and draw an arrow on it in the direction of what would be the front of the boat.

When I'm ready to cover the lid, I use small paint roller and role DAP, Weldwood Orginal contact cement on the top of the lid, it's inside and outide edges and the carpet. AFter proper cure time, I carefully sit the lid on the carpet, lined up with the first set of marks I made around the lid itself and press it down. I cut a square notch from each corner, just don't cut all the way to the lid, stop at least an 1/4" from the lid or you will leave the metal corner exposed when you fold it around the edges. Fold it around the edges and rub it down good to make sure you have good contact.

Using contact glue, you don't have to screw around with clamps and waiting for indoor/outdoor carpet glue go dry.

Just remeber, it's called contact glue for a reason, no oh craps allowed.

The reason I stress maintaining proper orientation is if all pieces are not on the same bias, they will look different colors when the light hits them or looking at them from different angles.    

 

Also remember, if you have flush mounted lids and they go down into a recess when closed, if you use a heavier carpet than what's in the boat now, you will have to shave the inside edges of the lids to get them to close properly.      

[tnriverluver]

The problem with contact cement is it is not real water proof.  Someone over on Tinboats.net did an extensive test of various glues and that was the weak link with contact glues.  I have used them successfully in the past myself, but if you fish in the rain very often or leave the boat outside uncovered, you will run into problems.

[grizzly1530]

I replaced all of the decking in my boat, carpet and all. I used the waterproof outdoor carpet glue that everyone else did. Also, make sure you check the plywood for any signs of rot. If you need new plywood, I would use treated plywood, and put a few coats of sealer on it to seal it up. I also found, with my boat, that this is the time to go over all the wiring, and make sure it is all in order. If you need to make any fixes, or install any new electronics, its much easier to do when you have the floor off. I also made some modifications on my boat that weren't original, so I was able to tailor it to what I really wanted. Overall, it was a lot of work, but it wasn't rocket science by any means.

[jhoffman]

Do not  use treated plywood if its against aluminum, use a regular sheet coated in epoxy thinned out or just go crazy with thomposon water sealer. I built my last boat aluminum decks from scratch even replacing the transom. On the transom I took slow setting epoxy and thinned it to create a barrier, on the decks I used waterseal and it worked awesome. I bet the guy who bought it isnt even beginning to think about replacing decks in it.

[Crookedneck]

I think the best bit of advice I can give is to make sure get good coverage with the outdoor carpet glue.  Leave enough spare carpet to wrap the edges and corners.  And let it cure/dry for at least 24 hours.

 

It isn't too difficult.  Good luck!