Carpet Replacement

1. Correct. Leave the new piece a little big in every direction.
2. I scraped as much off as would come with a metal scraper. To get the last of the residue, I resorted to acetone and a wire brush.   Talk about a PITA.
3. Not if the fiberglass is in good shape. If you see any cracks or weak spots, by all means fix/reinforce them with glass. Use epoxy resin and mat/cloth.
4. The indoor/outdoor carpet adhesive from Home Depot or Lowes worked fine for me. I tried spreading it with the ridged trowel, but I found a paint brush worked easier. Be careful not to get the glue on the soft side of the new carpet- this was the hardest part of the job. Have a rag and acetone at the ready for when you hit it by mistake (dont let it dry).
5. Dont try and do it all at once. Lay the carpet perfectly in place first. Then lift up a section and spread the glue. Unroll the carpet back down. Use a heavy duty roller to smooth it and eliminate any wrinkles. Move on to the next section. Do the sides first, followed by the floor.

If youre replacing the plastic carpet trim, this complicates things. I found a method that worked OK. Glue the floor down with the exception of the last 12" on the outside. Once dry, trim the carpet so there is a 1/2" gap where you can see the fiberglass floor. Then install the trim by spreading some glue where the carpet will touch it, and forcing the carpet into it. Work small sections at a time until the entire side is done. Once that glue is dry, pull back the carpet with the trim attached (the outside 12" is still not glued down). Work from one end to the other until the entire thing is glued down. Roll it flat. Do the other side the same way.

Last step is to do the final trimming around the motor mounts and battery box.

Tools:
-heavy roller
-sharp blades (stanley knife)
-paint brush
-large regular screwdriver (helps to force the carpet into the plastic trim)
-acetone and rag

"Leave the new piece a little big in every direction."

No offense, but this really was a bad suggestion. This really screwed me over and cost me a lot of time. Trying to recut the carpet, just a little off in every direction is a pain in the ass. Just my suggestion, don't do this, the old carpet is already stretched from where it needs to be anyways.

I don't have a carpet stretcher so I also cut my carpet a little larger than needed. I followed Tim's proceedure almost to the letter(thanks again Sir!), and it came out pretty well. I think I would have tried to do the floor carpet and the trim at the same time without his idea...and that would have been a mess laced with harsh language?!!?

LOL! I'm the one who used the 5200. Part of me wanted to use 4200, but the 5200 tacks up quick...that was a big help. It's a slow job anyway!

As for cleaning, I used soap and water and a small screwdriver on the original trim. There's still some paint overspray of some kind on 1 piece and another is crooked even after being out in the southern sun. It's glued down with the same carpet glue, but I also cut the edges long enough to pinch the outside edge to the side. If I ever do replace it or try to make it 'show', I'll make teak trim to go in its place. Amy wants the dash converted to teak as it is!   LOL

The carpet is pretty simple; indoor/outdoor from lowe's. I bought it few years ago when the interior was done to match the engine cover. It's a navy blue and very closely matches the original. The original had black fibers mixed in that this does not. I like the brighter change and it sure does feel good under foot. We're going back out after dinner...Whooo hoo!

Peter.
Have you been around for awhile or have you just found the site? Ether way, Welcome!

Is the carpet for the Mustang? Is it carpet now? Do you have the original fiberglass floor pan?

We're big on seeing pictures. Got to see some if you have some.

88 Nautique wrote: Greg, (or anyone else with an 80's hull) Did you get the 6 foot or 8 foot wide carpet. How many linear feet did you buy? Kurt

I bought mine 2-3 years ago and don't remember the details. I did use 8' and I seem to remember getting 2.5 times the length of the boat...but don't hold me to it!

Edit-Looking back at my own pics, it looks like 6 foot. The widest part of your floor is the widest you need.

Yea, I haven't measured it yet but it doesn't look like a single 8' piece of carpet is enough to do the floor and up the sides to the gunwale. Especially after trimming the floor out. Thanks guys.
Kurt

I am in the middle of carpeting my wife's Mustang.   I bought my carpet from pontoonstuff.com    as I have had good luck with them before. I use a 6' x 30' piece of 20oz. and will have enough left for some dock bumpers. IIRC it was like $220, no tax, no shipping.

K9 - do you have a link on the vinyl carpeting? I have never heard of it.

k9spd403 wrote: has anyone tried that new marine vynl carpeting yet? its a little bit more $$$ but they say its worth it. Just wondering how easy it is to install

WOW finally some great carpet, i bought the 28OZ I've been looking for the really nice thick stuff, I really appreciate it!

I bought 25x8.6 , that has to be more then enough! once again thank you! i also bought their sealant i hope it works fine, seems like it should.

Replacing it like for like must be easy!! When I did mine I replaced it as one piece (like the one I took out) so the floor and the hull sides are all one bit of carpet - now that is a challenge I can tell you! To make it just that bit more difficult for myself i chose a carpet with a ribbed weave, so I had to get that to line up fore and aft as well. I am still pleased with the result a year on every time I look at it! There's just one little crease, but that's hidden by the obs seat base anyway.

Only after completing mine did I look at the 2001 that was stored next to mine and see that the original CC carpet was separate pieces - now that would have been easier!

Also be sure that since you are doing this in pieces, because I see this all the time..

Make sure you match the carpet "grain" or direction on both walls to the floor!

Yes and Yes Tom. Common practice is to omit the floor panel trim and wrap the carpet instead.

I wouldn't say it's "common practice" to omit the trim on the removable panel. You certainly can do so, but it can be tricky on certain boats depending on how that panel is supported. Stringer/floor/support height may need to be altered to account for the extra height of the carpet (when wrapped around he bottom of the panel). A lot of times it's easier to just reinstall the trim... And that's probably what I'd recommend in this instance.

I cut my carpet in the driveway and my old carpet got destroyed during removal so it was all measure and cut. I almost screwed this up a couple times... My one word of caution is be careful and pay attention. It makes perfect sense to cut the carpet a little longer than you need. However when cutting the middle, you may measure 30" across x 45" long. If you aren't paying attention you may make your cutout 32" across and 47" long because that's bigger but you'd end up with a bigger hole and now you'd have bare floor that isn't covered.

As for laying it in the boat... I actually folded mine in half, put the glue down, and carefully unfolded the carpet. I don't own a CC and used the 8.5' wide carpet which is really a bear to work with.