Replacing boat carpet

[duckhuntr21]

I have a Ranger 681 fisherman and was wondering how difficult it would be to recarpet the boat myself? Has anyone tried this or know anyone that has? By looking at the different shades of carpet in my boat, it leads me to believe that the previous owners have already tried and did a poor job because the newest looking carpet is the stuff that is coming up. Any info, tips, or even some businesses that do quality work would be greatly appreciated.

[Steve Bakken]

It can be fairly easy, or it can be a real pain, depending on the condition of the carpet and the glue used, and how everything fits together. (Such as if the carpet is cut along the edges or if it's tucked under and between all of the different parts of the boat) At the shop, we've had the old carpet come up nice and clean, and then we've had it come up in a million shreds, leaving all of the glue behind. Sometimes stuff needs to be disassembled to get the old out and the new in. The condition of the wood when the last batch of carpet was installed may have contributed to the premature failure. If the wood is damp when the glue is applied, alot of times it will eventually repel the glue. There are alot of other tricks too, but this is kind of a first step. If you decide to tackle the project, I'll do my best to help you out, if you decide that it's too much, we can always take a look at it for you and give you an idea what it'll cost.

[traveler]

I agree with Steve...I've been a carpet guy forever, and have done lots of boats, and it's anyones guess (which is why I never "bid" them, just do them time and material. At the least you can tackle the rip-out yourself, and thats often the most grunt work that the installer (if it isn't you) won't mind missing out on:) Plus, it gives you time to assess the wood beneath and do repairs as needed before preceding with the recarpet. Some installers might skimp on the process if they want to get the job done and move on...(nothing aimed at you Steve:)

[duckhuntr21]

I tried checking out a few spots in the area and they all declined to give me a ballpark guess too. Most of the boat's carpet has to be cut just about perfect without anywhere to tuck it in and hide a little excess. I think that I will leave it to the professionals this time and not screw it up myself.

[gregg52]

Steve Bakken

just curious if you are one of the brothers that use to fish touraments on mille lacs..i thought they were fron braham though

rangers have wood floors ????/

[Steve Bakken]

Sorry, wasn't me.