need advice with carpet install

[slapshot5279]

I am doing my carpet over in my basstracker. I have plywood decks that I am replacing with new, and have read on this site about sealing with resin or a good sealer. Could I just paint it instead? Seems to me it would seal it up as well as some of those wood sealers do and would last longer. I was planning on ordering 20 oz carpet from Basspro but after reading reviews about bad fraying of ends I'm having second thoughts. I have looked elsewere on the net for carpet but they all look the same to me. Any suggestions? The boat manufacturer glued only the ends of the carpet to the underside of the plywood and screwed the deck down through the carpet. I plan on glueing the entire board but am unsure if I should put screws through the carpet or screw the deck down first then carpet over and just cut it at the sides? I have seen indoor/outdoor glue for $14/gallon at home improvement stores and "marine" glue on the net for $40/gallon. Any real difference b/w the two? This is a great site and I have learned a bunch already. Thanks to those who contribute!!!!!!!

[younggunm27]

carpeting a boat can be very temper testing. have you checked out bass cat boats carpet its some of the best

[BASSCAT7]

Paint over the plywood will not last long to keep it sealed. Decks take a lot of pressure and flexing, the paint will develop cracks and eventually let water in and start to rot the wood.

Same for wood sealers like Thomson's, etc....They will seal it but won't last long.

Use a good laminating resin, much thicker than paint, will penetrate some and bond to the wood and last 10 x as long as paint.
To stregthen and waterproof it even more you can lay a layer of glass on the wood when you put the resin on.

[beckleybassfanatic]

I just got through re-carpeting my boat...I bought a 20oz carpet from Marinecarpeting.com ... It is a great carpet and some of the ends did fray, but a razor knife will cut it nice and smooth so that it doesnt...TRUST ME, change the blade often!! Probably every 10 foot of cut...I considered using carpet glue, but more people had better things to say about using Contact Cement...So i did, I bought Weldwood brand Gel Formula Contact Cement...I had no issues with it, and it dries within an hour...Make sure you are in a well ventilated area, this stuff stinks, I applied it with a brush, and make sure to apply the glue to both sides (wood and carpet)...I have a 19 foot boat and I used a gallon and a half...Bought it at Lowes, $30 a gallon...It is waterproof....A resin would definetly be better to use than a sealer...But if use the contact cement, and apply it heavy it should almost work the same...It is waterproof, and if you use a good caulk anywhere where rain can get imbetween the boat and the plywood, I dont see how it can get damaged...A good caulk is Sonneborn NP1, it comes in several different colors...White, Black, Bronze, Limestone...We sell it where I work and have excellent reviews from customers...It bonds to wood, metal and fiberglass really well...Hope this helps!!!

[F2008]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by beckleybassfanatic &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">............I considered using carpet glue, but more people had better things to say about using Contact Cement...So i did, I bought Weldwood brand Gel Formula Contact Cement...I had no issues with it, and it dries within an hour...Make sure you are in a well ventilated area, this stuff stinks, I applied it with a brush, and make sure to apply the glue to both sides (wood and carpet)...I have a 19 foot boat and I used a gallon and a half...Bought it at Lowes, $30 a gallon...It is waterproof....</td></tr></table>

[burnsy42hydra]

A little off your adhesive/glass talk but check out my topic started in this restoration forum.The title is "Before carpeting your boat read this-if doing yourself".-Its in regards to using a template for doin the job.Cheers.

[jjc]

slapshot5279,

I just finished recarpeting my 1990 TX-17 Tracker last year. I replaced the plywood on my front deck and floor (back deck is aluminum) and built a rod locker. I applied two coats of epoxy resin to all new plywood. I used Roberts outdoor carpet glue from Lowe's on my decks and floor. For the hatches, side panels and console, I used 3M 90 contact cement (spray can) from Home Depot. I liked using the carpet glue on the large pieces of carpet because it does not instantly adhere the carpet to the surface which gives you the ability to position the carpet properly. With the contact cement, once the two sides make contact, they don't want to let go.

When I screwed in the floor and deck or anytime a screw went in the plywood, I put outdoor silicone in the pre-drilled hole before putting in the screw. Recarpeting is a lot of work and you don't want to take shortcuts.

I'm not sure how you are going about your recarpet job, but I took my entire boat apart, recarpeted everything and put it back together. It was a lot of work, but came out really nice.

I have been meaning to post all my pictures of my project, but have not gotten around to doing it yet.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

John