Seadeck and similar on front compartments

[plunker]

I've fished out of a few coastal boats with seadeck and really like the way it fishes with just the right amount and cushion on the feet and easy cleanup. My 2002 Ranger 619 could use fresh carpet in the next couple years and I'd really like to move in this diretion.

The big problem that I see, is what do I do with the gap of the front lids after the carpet is removed. What have others done to retain a professional look to it? Coastal boats are obviously designed as self draining and have the gelcoat wrapped all the way around the lids edges.

So what have others done with bass boats, carpet glue, and raw fiberglass?

Tom

[Scott S.]

The lid under the carpet is raw glass, unfineshed. There would be a big ass gap for sure. It would take some time and money, more time than money, but it could be done. You could bond some 1/8"-1/4" divinycell to the raw glass to take out the gap, and cover that with 1 oz matt. If you do that or not it's up to you. To prep the lid you would need some fairing compound, total boat makes it. Put that on and sand it down so the lids are nice and flat, a long board works great. After that you would have to gel coat it to 1- protect the glass and compound and 2- it would finish off the lid so it looked factory. You can use the fairing compund to bond the divinycell as well. It can be done.

[AndrewM-Fishing]

Strip the lids and get them remade with .090 aluminum.

[Scott S.]

Strip the lids and get them remade with .090 aluminum.

That would look like shit, exposed aluminum, and the cost to make. Look at the basscat that has foam and carpet, and ask why??

[JohnN]

I put aquatraction (seadeck competitor) in the cockpit of my ranger. I would have loved to do the raised decks as well but decided against it for the reasons you're confronting. For what it's worth, just doing the cockpit was well worth it. I love it.

[Batfish]

I helped do my cousins Triton with Seadek. We wrapped the lid edges and it has been fine. A little glue right at the edge of the sea deck helps keep it in place. Hit it with a bit of sandpaper and you can quickly make that 6mm into 4mm. The only place that didn’t get Seadek was behind the hinges.

[rojoguio]

While restoring the Blazer VL100 posted here https://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=1022839 like AndrewM-Fishing said I made new aluminum hatches. The glass work necessary to make the transition look professionally done was way worse a task than fabricating new hatches. Look at the end of my project and you can see the hatches and how I made them. I had already re-gelcoated the cap.