SeaDek and/or Hydroturf

[Hammmerhead]

My 2010 XB21 carpet is on its last leg. Carpet is still intact, but mashed pretty flat and the backing of it is deteriorating and leaving black dust in the lid channels. Since all the lids have to come off and a total cleaning of the old glue, Im really considering going with a SeaDek top this time around in the whole boat. Even if I did tear one, at least I wouldnt have tons of pop rivets to drill to replace it like a carpet piece.

Have any of you guys done this and possibly have any insight?

[River Rocket]

I removed the carpet on my XB21 Prosport and got it prepped for Aquatraction - an alternative to Seadek. It is a lot of work. It took about 2 weeks of cleaning to get it all off, sanded, lids painted, and shims made. This was before Allison made new larger lids and the shim kits.

You will need to shim all the lids. They won't close without the natural carpet spacer. Understand this, as your boat will be down until you shim the lids. Only important if you are going to work on it over a few weeks and fish as you go like I did.

The chemicals are strong for adhesive removal, work outside. I did this over many days so I didn't be exposed for long periods of time.

I got rid of all the rivets, but I have a large supply of stainless steal fasteners.

Remember, the boat is made for carpet, so you will find imperfections below the carpet. My boat was deeply scratched for carpet. Some spots the foam deck wasn't going to cover like in bends.

Some of the carpet comes off super easy, other areas really fight you. Most of the adhesive on my lids had turned to dust, and they cleaned up super easy on the top, the sides didn't.

Do it in the cool time of the season. Invite friends and offer free beer. Better yet, find a friend who thinks it will be easy and pay them $200. It would be well worth it.

I have to do it again on my new boat and I'm thinking I may pay someone local who recarpets boats a few hundred dollars to do it.

Go out and find a few boats with the various products available on them and sit and stand on the deck. A few people make the foam deck material and despite looking similar they are different products. Seadek is available in more colors but it does scuff and scratch easier. Aquatraction is a slightly harder product, but cleans easier and doesn't scuff easy.

Cleanliness, application technique, and deck prep are super important for adhesion. Make sure you understand how to put it down right.

Enjoy and have fun!

[motobuffy]

I have a 2+2. I can't speak to the difficulty of doing the front and back decks as River Rocket did. I only did the cockpit area with aquatraction. My issue with the 2+2 was the time it took for the cockpit floor carpet to dry out. it took much longer than the deck carpet. The aqautraction solved that problem, but created another. It shows footprints (tan color) immediately upon use and requires a scrub brush with concentrated simple green to get it clean again. I hate to think of cleaning the complete boat interior with a scrub brush after every outing. I have no idea if other brands of this type of product are as difficult to clean. Suggest you get some samples and dirty them up.

[Hammmerhead]

Thanks for the info guys.

I did a carpet job on my last boat and swore I would never do another, but here I am. So does Allison have a full shim kit you purchase from them Rocket?

[River Rocket]

Yes, they sell a plastic shim kit.

I agree, footprints can be an issue on both light and dark colors. I ended up selling the boat before I put decking on. I ran it white gel for a season. It was a huge pain in the ass to keep clean. My LCB was white gel and that was a huge pain in the butt as well. I bought a battery powered rotating scrub brush on a wand for cleaning the boat. That makes everything super quick.

Unfortunately, carpet is the best with footprints and honestly the reason I haven't pulled the carpet yet. The boat is new and the carpet looks really good. Pros and Cons to them all.

I think the foam decking adds a touch of flare to the boat as well. You can get really creative with it.

[Tim Powell]

We install AquaTraction in most all new Allison's we build now days. Removing carpet from all of the XB21's is a pain, we do not remove the carpet as its too labor intensive and time consuming to pass on to the consumer. The AT is PE (Polyethylene) and is very durable, IMO it holds up better in a bass environment than the EVA products. As Geoff said, you will have to shim most of the lids and Allison sells a shim kit. Also on the Pro Elite boats with compartment lights, you have to cut the wiring to be able to remove the lid/hinge assembly.

[fishnfireman]

When they first started, I was about to commit and replace my carpet.
After much research and now being in a couple of rigs with the new stuff----I'm sticking with carpet.
Just my opinion.

[Hammmerhead]

We install AquaTraction in most all new Allison's we build now days. Removing carpet from all of the XB21's is a pain, we do not remove the carpet as its too labor intensive and time consuming to pass on to the consumer. The AT is PE (Polyethylene) and is very durable, IMO it holds up better in a bass environment than the EVA products. As Geoff said, you will have to shim most of the lids and Allison sells a shim kit. Also on the Pro Elite boats with compartment lights, you have to cut the wiring to be able to remove the lid/hinge assembly.

Do you guys offer pre-cut kits Tim or know who might offer an Aqua Traction kit?

[River Rocket]

Do you guys offer pre-cut kits Tim or know who might offer an Aqua Traction kit?

If Tim didn't reply behind the scenes, I let him know of your request. THey do.

[Hammmerhead]

If Tim didn't reply behind the scenes, I let him know of your request. THey do.

Thanks Rocket

[Tim Powell]

As an AT dealer, we are supposed to scan every boat and install the flooring for warranty purposes. However the Allison is the only boat I have found that we can use the same scan on multiple boats because they are built so precise. If they drill a hole, there is a dimple in the mold to make that hole be the same on every boat.

The only issue I have with the earlier boats is the front deck section forward of the rod boxes. If it has the older small recess tray that was factory installed, it should be fine but if it was added after the fact or has a different recess cut in, that section would need to be scanned.

Shoot me a PM, call/text if you have any questions.

[blakesfav]

When they first started, I was about to commit and replace my carpet.
After much research and now being in a couple of rigs with the new stuff----I'm sticking with carpet.
Just my opinion.

Me too. My current boat has the sea deck. It's really difficult to keep clean - every footprint shows. I'll go back to carpet on the next one.

[BlueallyXB21]

I had Tim install aqua-traction in mine. It was a LOT of work to take out the carpet and prepare for the aqua-traction as well.
I like the fact that aqua-traction drys fast. The extra designs you can add, give the boat a lot of "cool factor" as well. The colors I have don't show foot prints as much as the darker colors. I think it is much easier to clean as well. It doesn't hold the dirt, sand, etc. like carpet does. They all have advantages and disadvantages, just a matter of personal preference.

[Tim Powell]

I had Tim install aqua-traction in mine. It was a LOT of work to take out the carpet and prepare for the aqua-traction as well.
I like the fact that aqua-traction drys fast. The extra designs you can add, give the boat a lot of "cool factor" as well. The colors I have don't show foot prints as much as the darker colors. I think it is much easier to clean as well. It doesn't hold the dirt, sand, etc. like carpet does. They all have advantages and disadvantages, just a matter of personal preference.

The charcoal Aquatraction is my favorite, it tracks the least. But there is a big difference IMO between SD and AT.

[tritontr21]

I did the charcoal last spring and absolutely love it. It does show tracks if you walk thru dust or white rock but mine mostly wipes clean with a towel if not I spray it with a water hose and its gone. So far no scrubbing required. I fish with 2 dogs and I am in NE Texas where the heat can be tough and I have had no complaints as I fish barefooted lot in the warmer months. Tim was able to scan another customers boat the same year and it worked perfectly on mine. As mentioned earlier removal is where the hard work is, it sucks but installation is very easy in my opinion. Just call Fastbass Marine and Tim will fix you up first class!

[wbh1954]

Rino Liner. Get it any color. Wash it out. If it gets dull. Paint it again.