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The ultimate upgrade, Tahoe® boat carpet from Boat Carpet Buys®. Replace your boat carpet with the most comfortable and durable outdoor marine carpeting for sale, you'll feel the difference. The difference between marine carpets comes mainly in the weight or density. Our Tahoe® 28oz boat carpet is 75% more plush than 16oz boat carpet. It is the finest carpeting available for outdoor use and provides maximum comfort and durability.
How To Replace Boat Carpet
Part 1 - Pontoon Boat Carpet Replacement Make sure your pontoon boat's deck is completely clean, if you are not replacing your decking make sure all left over adhesive or carpet fibers have been removed and the decking is sanded smooth. Roll your boat carpet out completely and fold it in half, so that it runs the length of the deck. For example, if your pontoon boat's deck is 24', get in the front of the pontoon and fold the boat carpet over width wise and do the same in the back. This will give you a 4' wide by 24' section of exposed deck. Your boat carpet will be folded on top of itself on the other side of the deck. By folding the boat carpet in half the length of the deck, you'll be able to stand on the side of the pontoon boat and spread the carpet glue while standing up. Empty a gallon and a half of glue on the 4' x 24' section of deck (a 24' deck will need 3 gallons of our carpet glue), and use a trowel to spread it. Spread the boat carpet glue in a circular pattern, as if you were putting down adhesive for vinyl flooring. By troweling the glue on in a circular motion, you'll create lines of glue on the deck. These lines will then be compressed into the lines on the back of the boat carpet when you press it down. Apply the glue all over the exposed section of the deck, and then flip the boat carpet over and do the exact same thing to the other side. Once you finish applying carpet glue to the entire deck in this manner, lay the boat carpet back over the entire deck. Use some sort of heavy roller - a carpet roller, a heavy pipe, or even a yard roller - to compress the lines of glue into the back of the marine carpet. If you skip this step, your boat carpet and glue will not adhere properly and you'll get bubbles, lines, or other spots where the boat carpet will come up. You can generally get the boat carpet and glue down in about an hour or so. Let the glue set up for 8-12 hours. If you can let it set 24 hours, all the better. Wait to put the railing and deck trim on until the boat carpet has had time to adhere.
Part 2 - Fishing Boat & Bass Boat Carpet Replacement So, it is time to replace your worn out boat carpet. Well, before you begin, it is best to get all your tools and materials together. Here is what we recommend you have on hand to properly carpet a fishing boat or bass boat:
Tools 1. Utility Knife [carpet cutting style
2. Plenty of utility blades
3. Small clamps [8] If needed for the lid edges.
4. Screw drivers - flat and Phillips
5. Channel locks or pliers
6. A straight edge
7. Drill, with a stripping wheel
8. Scraper
9. Magic marker
10. Tape measure
11. A few disposable paintbrushes
12. Vacuum
13. Plenty of rags
14. A large flat working area.
Materials: 1. A good outdoor marine carpet glue
2. Marine carpet
3. Tubes of liquid nail (optional for wrapping edges of lids, may damage carpet if you use too much) Now, let's get started. First, inspect your boat carpet. If you look at the rubber backing, you will notice the grain. It is very important to get the grain going in the same direction on the entire boat. Always keep the grain in your mind.
Remove all your storage compartment lids and hardware. After the fishing boat is stripped, it is time to scrape, scrape, scrape. Make sure you get all the old marine glue off. After scraping the old glue off everywhere the fishing boat was carpeted, take your drill with the stripping wheel and go over the areas that had glue on them. The cleaner the surface, the better. Vacuum and wipe the areas down.
Now, set all of your compartments back on the fishing boat, the way they were before you removed the carpet. Take your black magic marker and draw an arrow on the lids, and boat, the way the grain will go. This will help you to face the grain in the right direction.
Time to measure and cut the boat carpet, starting with the fishing boat deck first. Take a rough measurement; make sure you allow more than enough carpet, so you can trim it. Make sure your grain is going in the right direction. Work on one section at a time. Once you get the marine carpet cut to the rough sizes for each section of the fishing boat deck, you can glue it. Trowel the glue onto the cleaned surface (do not be stingy with the marine glue). Then lay the carpet on the fishing boat [it helps to have another person for this]. Situate the boat carpet where you want it, and then start pressing and rubbing the carpet down, from the center to the edges. Let the excess carpet over hang the edges for now. Then follow the same procedure and work your way back to the back of the fishing boat. Now, it is time to trim to fit. Press the boat carpet to the edges where you want to trim it. Take a Phillips screwdriver and run it along the edge, with pressure, where the trim cut will be. You will notice the screwdriver will make a line on the edge. This is where you will cut it. Always do the cut on a 45-degree angle. Take your time and do the cut, then press the marine carpet around the edges. You can come back later and do more trimming after the glue dries. That takes care of the fishing boat's deck.
Now, on to the lids. Before you do any cutting, check the grain. Take a rough measurement of the lid, remember you are going to wrap the marine carpet around the lid, and back up the inner wall. It is best to add an extra inch to each side of the lid, this way you have more than enough carpet. Make sure you keep changing the blades after every few cuts. Also make sure the lids have been wiped down, and then apply the glue on the top of the lid. Lay your boat carpet on a flat surface with the backing up [remember the grain], then take the lid, top down, and place the lid on the cut carpet. You have to center the lid on the carpet. The best way we've found to carpet the lids is to carpet all of them as a group. This way you can cut all the corners and wrap all the lid sides at one time. Now turn the carpeted lid over and press and rub the marine carpet from the center out to the edges.
After the lids are pretty much dried, cut the corners out. Place the lid, carpet side face down on a flat surface and cut the corners with a blade. Cut all the corners this way, and wrap the boat carpet over the sides to check fit. Take your time - if you cut it wrong, you may have to carpet the lid all over again.
Time to wrap the carpet over the edges. Apply the marine adhesive inside and out (some people prefer to use liquid nails for this step, as it sets up quicker and you only need it for a small area. You need to be careful though, as Liquid Nails can damage the rubber backing on marine carpet). Now wrap the boat carpet around the lid edges, pressing and rubbing at the same time. Once the boat carpet is holding to the edges, take your Phillips screw driver and run it down the lid top where it meets the edges. Press hard so it is tight to the corner. Take your utility knife (with a new, sharp blade) and do your cut on a 45 degree angle. Then press and rub the areas to make the carpet stick better.
Cut out the areas where your handles go on the lids, and install them, along with the hinges. Re-install your fishing boat lids, and all other hardware on the fishing boat. Now, stand back and look at what you have accomplished. A lot of work, but not only does your fishing boat look great, you have saved yourself about $1,200.
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