bassguytom Posted January 30, 2018 Posted January 30, 2018 I need to re-carpet my boat this year. It’s a Tracker Tournament V-18. I am handy but have never done anything like this before. Is this something I can tackle myself? Any tips anyone can give me? Should I find a professional to do this? Sorry for so many questions. Thanks everyone. Quote
Logan S Posted January 30, 2018 Posted January 30, 2018 I recarpeted my 20' Stratos a couple years ago. It's relatively easy skill-wise but it's definitely hard work and time consuming. Remove every lid or panel that can come off the boat, it's a lot easier to work with off the boat. Getting the old glue off can be a pain, you can use solvents but I found that even with chemicals there's still a lot of physical scraping to do. Save the old carpet pieces if you can so you can use them as a template for the new pieces. Make sure you cut all the new pieces from the same direction (grain) otherwise the sections will appear different. I used DAP Weldwood Contact Cement for glue and was very happy with the result. I no longer have the boat, but after 3 full seasons on it there were no issues with the glue failing or carpet coming up. I'm sure it will last many more years for the new owner too. Just be aware that it sets instantly so you have to be sure of your placement! It's a step process for the lids, gluing the flat main part and setting it, then gluing the sides and 'flaps' of carpet before clamping it all down for the full set. You'll want to have lots of clamps and furring strips along with some heavy weights (I used lead dive weights) for working with the compartments and glue. Good time to do a deep clean with all the lids/decking off too... If you mess up the grain of the carpet, you'll be able to notice it...Like I did here . It faded enough to not be noticeable after a season of use. All in all, it's a big job...But everything I heard and was quoted was $1000+ for a professional shop to do this, I got it done for about $350 total (carpet, glue, trim stripping, misc hardware) and a couple full days of working so I'm glad I did it on my own. 3 Quote
BassResource.com Administrator Glenn Posted January 30, 2018 BassResource.com Administrator Posted January 30, 2018 ^^ Awesome work! ^^ This will help too: https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bass_boat_carpet.html Quote
flatcreek Posted January 30, 2018 Posted January 30, 2018 I have a 2004 Tracker V-18 and re-carpeted and installed new seats on it 2 years ago.Like Logan S said it's labor intense. I used bassboatseats.com for all my carpet,seats and material.Used 20 oz Midnight Star carpet and red and gray seats.I used 3m90 adhesive for the aluminum hatches and bbseats glue for the decks.I had about 900. In materials.I watched a video by Mark Hicks from Bassmaster before I started that really helped.Be advised aluminum rigs have more carpet involvement than glass rigs b/c all the bulkheads are carpeted.The hardest part of the job for me was stripping the old carpet off but I like doing my own work so I was pleased with the whole deal. it took me 4 good days to complete the project.Good luck if you decide to go for it but it's up to the individual I guess to decide if it's worth hiring it out or do it yourself Quote
lo n slo Posted January 30, 2018 Posted January 30, 2018 https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/199055-my-carpet-re-do/ hope this helps 1 Quote
flatcreek Posted January 30, 2018 Posted January 30, 2018 38 minutes ago, lo n slo said: https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/199055-my-carpet-re-do/ hope this helps My pics are on my flip phone.My daughter will have to teach me the ropes on posting pics lol.she says I'm too old school 1 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.