Yes. It avoids holding moisture against the hull as it is not a carpet-like material that holds water like mad, particularly when you double-layer the carpet on bunks.
Yes. It avoids holding moisture against the hull as it is not a carpet-like material that holds water like mad, particularly when you double-layer the carpet on bunks.
2008 Bass Cat Pantera Classic
2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
2020 Basscat Lynx..
2020 Mercury 300 Pro XS 4S..
I think the big issue has been related to sand. Get sand on them and they will scuff the hull. I've heard of a couple having this problem, but they were also driving/launching on non-paved roads as well. Quite a few swear by them.
Seems to be a sort of "damned if you do, damned if you don't." Hard to think of a solution where sand would not be a problem. Hard to think of a solution where carpet trapping excessive moisture would not be a problem. I have been toying around with ideas to help dry this stuff out. About the only rational solution I have come up with is what I am currently doing. When I get home, I jack boat up off the trailer bunks and have a big box fan blowing underneath the boat 24/7. I have looked into several solutions to dry the bunks. Best one so far involves blowing air through the bunks via small tubing that is routed into the surface under the carpet. Built a single prototype. Only problem was air volume. Had to use a traditional shop air compressor and it will have to run non-stop. Figured my wife would evict me since they are not quiet. Hard to move a lot of air through 6' and 10' bunks, with enough volume to drive the moisture out quickly. On my first boat, I actually resorted to astro-turf type carpeting and it worked pretty well. But it might fail in sandy environments.
2008 Bass Cat Pantera Classic
2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
What are the issues, other than sand scuffs? I have read posts about the reverse chines being a problem with this material, but I see very little damage on the gatorbaks due to that. My hull is black, so sand scuffs will show I guess. If not one thing, then another I guess. Not a perfect world.
I believe the Gatorback issue was causing indentations/impressions on the hull. Nothing of major concern but needed more evaluation.
Basscat!
2020 Basscat Lynx..
2020 Mercury 300 Pro XS 4S..
BassCat tried a couple of different materials for the bunks and were not satisfied with either. These were done not to prevent hull blisters but to help with the evasive species problems some lakes have. This has been a conservation project and not because of problems with blisters.
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2016 BassCat Cougar FTD
2016 Mercury Pro XS 250
Do I need to remove the gatorbaks and replace with carpet?
2020 Basscat Lynx..
2020 Mercury 300 Pro XS 4S..
Bass Cat has (we have) left it to the consumer on many cases as the miles driven annually are a factor. Some customers have seen little issues as their use patterns are limited.
TTT
Here is my take on the whole blistering deal. It doesn't make any difference which resin you have. Poor, good better or best, you have what you have. Don't get sick worrying about it If is that important check it. If you have blisters, you have 2 choices. Fix it or leave, its that simple.
Oh yeah I do have a dog in the hunt. 99 Jaguar that belonged to Gov. Mike Huckabee originally.
Keep in mind that there was also a bunk cover that was similar to Gatorbacks, but was pillow blocks. These seemed to be more aggressive in eating into the gelcoat.
As I stated in an earlier post, its very easy to jack up the rear of the boat. The pillow blocks on mine had ate past the gelcoat in a few areas. This was all repaired under warranty by BCB. The work was perfect, and it was returned with new carpeted bunks. Customer Service at its best as always.
Pillow Block bunk
Lifted off the bunks
This was all repaired. No actual glass damage. Richard at BCB is a gelcoat professional.
2016 BassCat Pantera II
Mercury 200 ProXs
The Gel/resins in my 2001 Classic were outstanding. That rig was used very, very heavily for 14 years by me and for the last 5 by a friend and it still looks great. My 2014 Eyra had no issues but the gel was obviously not a durable from a chip/scratch standpoint and didn't have the same deep look to it. It was and still is a beautiful rig as I see it regularly because it was sold locally. But there is a difference. My 2018 Eyra's finish appears very similar to the 2001. It's beautiful. All had Malibu silver so the visual comparison is easy for me to make.
That being said, after I sold my 2001, my buddy that bought it did find blisters on the bottom. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter which model you have blisters are a possibility. I would think the more you use it the more likely blisters would be to occur. We have a very expensive hobby/lifestyle with our bass fishing and the boats we desire.
Chris Coupel
Paulina, La.