Well the re-carpet job on our bass boat is finally complete!
The project started about a month ago on a cold February weekend. So I fired up the heater in the garage and started the job. First I removed all the hardware on the boat and placed it into labeled zip lock bags. This will make re-installation easier and reduce misplaced hardware. I also labeled all the hatch hinges' identifying what location along with the orientation they will be re-installed.
Now time to start removing the carpet. To much surprise the 10 year old carpet was still in great shape and came off in sections; which I later used as templates for cutting the new carpet. While removing the carpet I made sure to use a Jumbo Sharpie to identify the orientation and location of the pieces of carpet. This insures that the grain of the new carpet will all face the same direction. If the grain is not facing the same direction the shades of the carpet will vary. After all the old carpet was removed I started the tedious job of removing the old adhesive. A 4 inch heavy duty scraper, industrial strength adhesive remover, Scotch-Brite heavy duty "No Scratch" scrub sponge and some elbow grease accomplished this task.
Week 2:
Next I laid out the 30 foot roll of 24 oz boat carpet on the driveway and placed all the old carpet on top for a template. While rough cutting I left approximately 4-6 inches extra for proper placement when it is installed on the boat. One installed then it can be trimmed exactly to the boat contours. I started with "wrapping" the hatches. I used painters tape along the inside of the hatches to prevent glue adhering to any unnecessary areas. This gives the inside of the hatches a very clean look. After all the hatches were carpeted I stared laying the carpet on the boat. I coated the deck with outdoor carpet adhesive, laid the carpet and then positioned it into place. I used a roller pin to remove any possible air, working from the center out to the edge. Once the carpet was in position I trimmed it to fit the deck. I then repeated the process for the floor and rear deck.
Week 3:
After working though the week and completing the carpet I started to install the new Perko Latches. I had to enlarge the old holes about 1/8" to accommodate the new latches. I installed the hatches with stainless bolts and lock nuts versus using the aluminum rivets that were used from the factory. I then re-installed the seat and all the other various hardware, vacuumed the carpet and removed any extra adhesive that was around the inside gunnels. This was a job but as you can see the boat looks like new and with the 24oz carpet should last another 10 years before needing replacement again.
Hope you enjoy the pictures and look forward to making some more memories out on the "Red Rocket".
Kevin