Ideas for Carpet

[Captain Crunch]

Hello group,
I just redid the floor in my 18' fiberglass boat, and would appreciate any advice you could give me. I posted here a couple months ago. http://fishingminnesota.com/ubb/Forum9/HTML/003967.html I finished the job last week, I have 1/2" marine plywood covered with West Systems 105/206 epoxy resin on top and bottom. I did go over the whole top surface with glass, had enough resin extra that I had ordered. I'm happy with the job for my first time, seems solid as a rock. I am going back over it with marine carpeting. I do intend to rough up the surface so the glue will have a better hold.

My question is: I wondered if I could paint the whole top surface, then glue the carpet to that? Or should I just put the glue down and call it good? My intention is that if I wanted to replace the carpet sometime in the future, I wouldn't want to weaken the coating on the wood by tearing the carpet up. I do have to paint the wood in the back foot and a half where the batteries sit, does it matter what paint to use? I have some Rustoleum sitting on the shelf! Perhaps latex house paint would be better? One more item, any ideas on the glue to use? I've seen earlier posts about indoor/outdoor carpeting glue. Thanks for all your help, gave me the confidence to get the job done!

[fishinphyl]

Just a comment on your choice of carpet. We made a BIG mistake and put in a carpet that has a pattern that has a series of lines in it. It is like valleys and hills. It is the most miserable stuff to vacum I have ever seen! Make sure you get a carpet with a smooth surface on it.

PS: we glued ours down

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Phyl

[New Yankee]

Crunch,

Glad you got'er done. I wouldn't paint over the glass/resin as it might interfere with the glue adhesion. Just rough it up like Stev B mentioned; you're already beyond what he recomends (by glassing it) and he's done MANY more than you and I will ever need/have call to do.

I'd use what ever glue the carpet folks recomend - maybe Steve has a suggestion, but as long as it's a quality glue (3M makes a bunch of good ones) I think your job will out last you. Don't skimp on the carpet quality and you'll likely not have to worry about it again.

Let us know how she turns out!

[Steve Bakken]

Best thing that I would recommend to do about the glue is to just go to Menards or Fleet or whatever and tell them what you are looking to do. They have some pretty good choices any they'll set you up with the right one for the job. As for carpet, the stuff that we stock is direct from a supplier, but I've heard pretty good things about the Menards carpet. He's right though, don't go with a pattern. Also, when you install it, the knap has a certain direction that it lays, lay it so that it faces the rear of the boat. It's a little trick that we learned. That way, when waves splash into the boat, the water will "shed" off of the fibers, instead of getting forced into them, making the carpet wetter. Kind of like water on a duck's back. Good luck.

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Steve @ Bakken's Boat Shop www.bakkensboatshop.com