cockpit carpet backing

C

capz

New Member
Mar 11, 2007
336
Quincy, MA
Boat Info
Sea Ray 270DA, Garmin 545s
Engines
Merc 7.4L Bravo III
Has anyone ever restored the backing for the snap-in cockpit carpet? Mine is worn and getting sandy pebbles all over the place. But the carpet itself is fine, no tears, clean. I'd like to sand the rest off and apply some type of rubber strip backing made for this purpose. Google got no results.
 
The backing on the snap in carpets alway seems to go bad before the carpet itself. Most people report it sticks to the gelcoat and then peels right off the carpet itself when you pull them up.. Then you are left with a mess trying to get that stuff off the gel coat floor.

I know of no way to fix the backing and most people will tell you if those are your originals and they are 7 or 8 years old, they probably ought to be replaced. Check out snapincarpet.com for replacements.
 
The quality of carpet backing varies quite a lot. The black stuff does not last long. There is one that comes with a clear see through backing that seems to be bullet proof. I'm going into my 4th year and it looks and performs as it did when the boat was delivered to me.
 
sbw1 said:
The quality of carpet backing varies quite a lot. The black stuff does not last long. There is one that comes with a clear see through backing that seems to be bullet proof. I'm going into my 4th year and it looks and performs as it did when the boat was delivered to me.
Click to expand...
Hi. New to this site and noticed your posting regarding a clear backed carpet. Where did you get it from? Still lasting? Thanks!
 
It was OEM on the boat so not sure who supplied it. Yes. The carpet looks as new today as it did when the boat was brand new. It is a very dense, cut pile carpet and shows no signs of wear on either side. There is a company people have talked about before on this board that has all kinds of carpets for boats. Maybe one of the mods will be able to locate that thread.
 
I have the same issue on both 320 and 240. My 240 is 2001 and the issue with carpet is minor compare to 320, which is 2004. The difference in damage is huge. I think this has to do with the season and climate where the boat is used. My 240 was always in Northern region and I store the carpets at home during the winter. On the other hand 320 I just purchased, is from FL and the carpets were on the boat much longer and had greater exposure to the sun. As a result, the rubber lining has dried out and the crumbs are all over the cockpit floor.
I don’t think there’s a way to fix the dried out rubber lining. But, I think it’s possible to extend the life of it by properly caring, including storing and limiting exposure to sun. I’m sure more experience members can provide more tips for maintaining the carpets.

Alex.
 
I wonder if a local carpet store could supply replacement carpet?
 
capz said:
Has anyone ever restored the backing for the snap-in cockpit carpet? Mine is worn and getting sandy pebbles all over the place. But the carpet itself is fine, no tears, clean. I'd like to sand the rest off and apply some type of rubber strip backing made for this purpose. Google got no results.
Click to expand...

You can use this product:

http://www.nonslipcoating.com/productinfo.htm

It's very easy to use, and it's very strong and flexible.

Just sand and brush and put the coating on the backing.

Let it dry for a couple of days, and it will be new.

Success Peter.
 
I checked out the Durabak site and didn't find a reference to the use in question. I emailed them to see if the recomment their product for this purpose. It looks like a pretty good solution if it works. But the struff is expensive. $90 per gallon. I think I'd want confirmation from them as to the usage before I spent that much on an experiment.
 
I repaired mine last year and while it is not perfect, it works. I purchased some clear vinyl at Walmart in the fabric section. It is a little thicker than a shower curtain. I cut this to the shape of the carpet and used headliner glue to hold it. There was enough backing left to basically hold it all together. I will admit that the headliner glue does not seem to be the best choice, but I carefully handle the carpet installing it and it was fine all last year.
I hope this helps - I can take some pics if you like as I store the carpet in my basement for the winter.

Mark
 
All good ideas. The Durabak doesn't seem like it would be flexible enough. Maybe it will be if it's just a thin coating. Chaz let us know if you hear back from them.
I found this below but I don't think it's designed for outdoor use, exposure to sunlight, salt water.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/rugbacbrfibl.html
 
I got a qoute and a sample from snapincarpets.com. I think the qoute was somewhere around $700 for my 220 Bow Rider. To me that is a little steep right now considering the top portion of the carpet looks great and the back is just starting to fall apart by sticking to the deck. I think I'm going to try some 303 on the backing and deck so it doesn't stick this season. As for the sample. The berber looks identical but the base is totally different. See the picture. This product is more rubber that foam. It is basically a thin coating across the surface with thicker parallel lines that I assume keeps the carpet off the decking surface.

0122082122.jpg
 
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I dont think I would put anything on the existing backing if it seals it. The backing right now is porous so if the carpet and the foam gets wet it can dry from both sides. If you seal the foam backing you could cause other problems down the line if it can't dry out easily.
 
Hello,

The Durabak stuff is 300% flexible so no problem.
Also it's seawater and UV resistant so no problem.

The carpet with this backing can dry, no problem.

I go to my boat this weekend and I will take some pics from the surface I tested on my carpet with the Durabak stuff.

Maybe than you will be confinced..... :huh:

Peter.
 
Misunderstood Peter. I thought that was a suggestion. I didn't know you tried it. Now $100 for the stuff sounds like a bargain.
 
I've been using Durabak for years. Its a great product for my uses but had never really considered it for this until the end of the season. When I removed my carpets, little bits of black foam was here and there. Before I paint it on, I'm gonna try a few other thing first. Durabak is not porous, in fact one of its most popular uses is to use it for a spray in bedliner for trucks and works great for that. Thats my main concern with it on the carpet. It is flexible enough though to be able to roll the carpet up when removing, but if done frequently, it will begin to crack. If you leave your carpet in most of the season and remove it at layup, it should extend the life a few years. On my last boat, I had a spot on the carpet where the backing was completly gone, looked as though acetone or something was spilled on it an completely ate it away. It was about the size of a tennis ball and repaired it with that shoe goo stuff. It worked great, and is still holding to this day 6 yrs later. Too bad I would need about 50 tubes of that stuff to coat the carpets in the 260. Another product you could try in small areas would be liquid electrical tap. Dries very fast, extremely flexible and won't stick to the F'glass. SB
 
OK here are some photo's
You can see the result that I made with the Grey color so you can see it better on the pics.

The product is very easy to work with, you can put it on with a lot of tools.


Here is how the damage was...

IMG_3550.jpg


Use masking tape for the borders.

IMG_3552.jpg


The result.

IMG_3556.jpg


Very flexible for many years!

IMG_3559.jpg
 
Wow,
Looks good! Haven't heard back from Durabak regarding my query but maybe I'lll give it a try. At worst, I'll have to buy new capet.
 
chazaroo said:
Wow,
Looks good! Haven't heard back from Durabak regarding my query but maybe I'lll give it a try. At worst, I'll have to buy new capet.
Click to expand...

It's perfect, trust on that.
It feels like a nice rubber backing!!

You can use a roller, brush or spray , and it bonds very strong and easy.

I will do my complete carpet.

Succes Peter
 
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