I am just starting the process of puting new carpet in my old skeeter bassboat. I have the main floor carpeting ripped up. what should I do to prepare the floor to put down the new carpet. any special cleaner. also di I put glue on the floor and the carpet or just the floor? any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 
Josh, Use a scraper to take off any excess glue and carpet left on the floor. What doesn’t scrape off use a power sander and smooth out old glue lines. Then take the old carpet and cut out 3-4 inches bigger then the old carpet pattern as if you cut out the exact pattern it is usually shrunk and to small. Leaving excess provides room for mistakes. Apply outdoor carpet glue with a grooved trowel to the floor (I don’t put any on the carpet) in 2-3 foot sections laying the carpet as you go. If you glue the entire floor it makes it harder to move. Work from center to edges tucking where you can and cuting the excess off. You can use a rolling pin to smooth out any excess glue high spots. If you have any soft spots in the wood/fiberglass or seam cracks just screw down some light plate steel before carpeting. Hope this helped, probably many other ways this just is how I have done it and seemed to work. 
You need to scrape up all the old glue you can then do some sanding with coarse sandpaper. You want the surface to be completely flat or you will have lumps. I would use a vacuum and get the majority of the dust up, then blow it off with a compressor and even wipe it down with a damp rag after that. The cleaner the surface, the better it will adhere.
Take the deck, or the area to be resurfaced out of the boat if possible for the best results so you can wrap the carpet around the edge and staple it in place.
The adhesive.. you only put on the surface of whatever you are carpeting. Be sure to go over the area with a sander and scuff it so it sticks. Make sure you get good quality outdoor adhesive. Follow the instructions on the can for the proper application. It will be something like use a 1/4″ V noth trawl, or square notch.. this will be sure you have the proper amount of adhesive. Be sure to cover every inch of the surface you are carpeting.. it holds the carpet down, and it helps seal out the water.
The carpeting.. cut it out to slightly larger than needed before you apply the adhesive to the surface.. its difficult to maneuver an oversize piece. Once you apply the adhesive.. lay it in place and use a rolling pin or something similar to get all the air bubbles out and the carpet nice and tight. If its a removable deck.. just flip it over and staple down the other side to hold it in place.
Read the adhesive can and do not use the newly carpeted part for the recommended time, and dont sit anything on it while its drying.
Dont get in a hurry, it takes some time. Your end results will only be as good as your prep work.
I agree, putt2winn knows his stuff! He did an awsome carpet job on the boat I bought from him, Thanks again Chad 
tahnks guys for the helpful info it is greatly appreciated.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
