boat carpet

[zoom7077]

Anyone know a good place to have my champion 185 boat carpet replaced. Near SML.thanks

[greg]

Do it yourself and save much $$ ... I did my old boat several years ago, first time I had ever attempted something like this and it turned out great, and saved about $1000 ... just take your time, it's really not that hard, just time consuming.

[formula180]

Greg is right.  Marine carpet has a rubber backing and is not the same as outdoor carpet.

Go to Gander Mountain site and you can get a free sample of the carpet colors if you like.  They have some deal with Overtons.

link

At bottom of page you will see:

"Please order item #35970 for a free sample swatch card. " or under price at the top "Free sample available (click here)."

I think the widest width is eight feet.  There may be other places with cheaper prices but make sure it is Marine carpet.

[zoom7077]

Thanks I try it. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[CorneliaGale]

Lowes use to carry some only in gray I think, I did a center console with it.

[greg]

Yeah....I got mine at Lowe's and it was grey....make sure to have plenty of razor blades, need to keep a sharp blade for cutting and they dull quickly

[R22]

I went through this process two years ago. I bought a bass boat that been out in the sun and completed a makeover as a fun project. In the process I learned more than I thought there was to learn about marine carpet. Hopefully that experience will help you as well.

First, all carpet is not created equal. When looking, I considered having someone do the carpet for me, however, it was that marine upholstery shop that directed me to a few online sites to purchase the carpet. I was never really concerned with the labor process, so it was at that point that I decided to do it myself.

After looking around I decided to use pontoonstuff.com. This company operates under several other names including bassboatseats.com. They were willing to offer lots of advice and send free samples that arrived in just a couple of days. One thing I will tell you about buying marine carpet for a bass boat, you can buy carpet something that is too nice. I generally think the better the grade/weight, the better off I am but if you are doing a bass boat, the higher grade/weight of carpet can cause problems as it can make to doors on the compartments very tight and difficult to open. You can use an electric hair trimmer with a guard to shave the carpet but I do not recommend it.

I also learned to make sure you use a marine glue and it doesn't take nearly as much glue as you might think. You will need a grooved trowel and the cheaper, the better. It literally costs more to try to clean a trowel than it does to buy a second one at $3. You should use something to roll all of the bubbles, large or small, out of the carpet once it is applied. Finally, have some items that place weight/pressure on the wrapped edges until the glue dries. I found it best to use wood strips with clamps for the best job.

A couple of other tips.

Do not try to reinstall the carpet without removing the lids. It is much easier, and much better in the end to have the lids removed.

All hinges are not the same. Make sure you mark the hinges for each lid and replace the same hinges to the lid.

When removing the old carpet, tear off everything you can by hand. If the lids are aluminum, finish the removal with a wire brush on a drill or rotary tool. Complete the task with a razor that you might use to remove a window sticker. Having these items will save you time and will allow you to remove the old carpet completely.

Make sure the carpet is laid out so the nap runs in the same direction. When you order, you do so by the foot. When you order, take the length of your boat and add 2-3 feet. This will allow for the carpet that is rolled around the edges of the lids.

Pre-cut all of your panels. Start with the largest panels first. This should help you avoid having any seams.

Lastly, take your time when applying the glue. if you get it on the carpet, it doesn't come off very easily. You can use lighter fluid to remove it but the lighter fluid can soften/remove the rubber backing.

Good Luck.

[greg]

   This is after the old carpet was removed and the new carpet installed 

[CorneliaGale]

Looks good, nice job

[Deleted]

Depending on what you want to spend Bass Cat Boats has 24oz carpet which is excellent have used it a couple of times great quality. Just go to there web site to see the colors.