Any tips for recarpeting?

[eterry]

I need to replace the carpet in my 15' fiberglass trihull. Any tips on what kind of carpet and glue is best? Any other pointers will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Eterry

 

[Mark42]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

There has been a lot of discussion of using marine deck vinyl in place of carpet lately. These products by Nautolex and Marideck are easy to clean and don't hold water, sand, snag fishing hooks, etc. So depending on the type of boating you do, vinyl may be a good alternative.

I boat in salt water, anchor near the beach, always in and out of the boat. The kids usually collect buckets of shells, rocks, drift wood, and stinky crab claws, etc. The carpet in my MFG stinks and is very hard to keep clean under these conditions. So it will get replaced with vinyl. The Bayliner will done in vinyl this spring.

If you boat in fresh water, don't have little kids, and like the feel of carpet under your feet, then by all means stick with the carpet.

If you go with carpet or vinyl, the retailers usually carry the adhesive, so just follow the directions on the can. The biggest problem is getting the old adhesive off. Do a search on this forum and you will find lots of posts about carpet removal, etc

 

[jpmurphy]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

I need to replace the carpet in my 15' fiberglass trihull. Any tips on what kind of carpet and glue is best? Any other pointers will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Eterry

I'm rebuilding/carpeting a 16' alum Gregor and I have been searching everywhere for carpet. The marine carpet is lovely......... but in my opinion way overpriced and over rated. I decided on Home Depot indoor/outdoor carpeting. This stuff is built to be wet and dried repeatedly, just like the marine carpet. I used it on my outdoor patio slab in San Diego and it lasted about 10 years with heavy use by adults, kids and dogs. It's quite fade resistant and easy to vacum clean. Any bad stains can be cleaned using soapy water and a soft brush.

HD price was $4.41 a sq yard, comes in 6' and 12' wide rolls. I just bought a 12'x16' piece of smoke blue for $48.00. I bought a gal of premium multi-purpose carpet & sheet vinyl "3300" adhesive which is supposed to be water proof. I forget the exact price but I think it was about $12.00.

So for about $65.00 I can carpet the entire boat plus the trailer bunks and still have scrap left over. HD doesn't carry any red so I have to go to Lowes to get that which has the same price. The color selection is limited with both stores. By using the indoor/outdoor carpet I probably saved around $100.00.

Hopoe this helps.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

Don"t.

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

Any tips for recarpeting? Yea i got one, Dont do it. Take the carpet out and leave it out.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

i used marine/auto carpeting in my trihull. i bought the carpet at a local marine store. i used an allweather adhesive that i got at a local hardware store. it's been in two full seasons now with no fading, staining, or anything else. i'm very pleased with it.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

Only you can decide on whether to re-carpet or not. To each his/her own as they say.

I removed 38 year old Nautolex and put in indoor/outdoor carpet from Lowes (not the green plastic stuff). Available in a number of colors, is 100% synthetic, will not absorb moisture, is mildew resistant and UV resistant. For my purposes the carpet was the way to go and I used an OUTDOOR carpet adhesive to stick it down. From previous experience, that glue will last forever. This carpet is not a heavy as the marine carpet and therefore easier to mold and conform to curved surfaces.

Cut and pre-fit the entire carpet before applying any glue. Get a quality heavy duty knife and a qty of blades. A sharp knife is essential and will make your life easier and result in a better job. If you get to a place where there are multiple curves to contend with and the carpet just won't "laydown", use a scrap piece of carpet to experiment cutting before making the cuts in the finish carpet.

WHen applying glue, work in small sections making sure the glue is still wet (not skimmed over) when laying the carpet into the glue. As with any adhesive, the surface must be clean and free of grease, waxes etc.

If you get any of the glue on the carpet, don't try to scrub it off. It will just spread and be pressed deeper into the fibers. Once it dries, use Goof Off solvent and it will work like magic on removing the glue and does not affect the carpet.

 

[fitter]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

Yeah i did the same thing i bought my carpet from lowes spent 68 dollars on everything i needed and it turned out great its really easy to lay down and form around your panels and around consoles and things.

 

[jpmurphy]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

That's the nice thing about this site; you get the views from both sides of the coin. Finishing the flooring on your rig is a personal preference thing, as long as you are happy with the outcome. That's the important thing.

Good luck on your project.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

I have 28 oz pontoon carpet on mine and love it, I work for a boat maker and got mine for free but it is pretty expensive, so the best carpet is what you can afford.

Redid a buddies boat and used the indoor/outdoor stuff from lowes and it has held pretty well and the indoor outdoor glue works well to but you have to use ALOT of it.

Use a trowel with a serated edge and you have to lay a pretty thick coat over the entire area that is carpeted.

Get the carpet in and cut then fold half of it back and glue that then fold the rest back and finish and go over it with a rolling pin to really seat the carpet and make sure you have a good bond.

I use mine for fishing and once or twice a year I hose the boat down and wet vac it dry.

Watch your color choice to, dark colors get REALLY hot in the sun so keep that in mind.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

JB, will tell you boats do not have floors. decks!!!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

BTW, if anyone has a 1970's boat that they are restoring, I have some Burnt Orange shag carpet that would look period perfect!!!!

 

[jpmurphy]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

BTW, if anyone has a 1970's boat that they are restoring, I have some Burnt Orange shag carpet that would look period perfect!!!!

Cooool. How much do you have ?

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

Everyone keeps calling their decks, floors. There is no floor in a boat. Unless its a cruise ship. I imagine that you can call some of the decks on those floating cities, floors. But there is no floor in boats that we are talking about here. And if you are fishing i dont understand why there would be any carpet in a boat. I had a aluminum boat that i ordered marine carpet from cabelas for the casting deck. Then the rest of the boat was the in/out carpet from lowes. The marine was BY FAR much better. Hooks do not get stuck in the marine carpet. The in/out carpet seemed to look for things to get hooked too. If you are going to go the carpet route i think you should go the marine carpet route. I would rather use the green in/out junk than in/out carpet that most places sell.

 

[jpmurphy]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

Deck.....It's a deck. Yupe, that's what it is alright, a deck. hmmmmmm, can't remember swabbing the floor. You just might be right afterall.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Any tips for recarpeting?

Mark, funny you should mention burnt orange shag. The boat I am refurbishing is a 1970 vintage deep V hull. Interior was finished in a rust/brown colored Nautolex decking with burnt orange burlap(?) type fabric covering the gunnals and side storage. After many many hours, that is all gone now.

The stuff was so aged that it turned to dust while trying to remove it. Whatever glue was used was still stuck well however.