Cockpit carpet

[steve mac]

I was "peeling" the cockpit carpeting out of my boat this weekend so that I could clean them and noticed that the piece that is over the engines and near the transome were almost stuck to the deck. The boat is new to me, but I know the previous owner and he said they have not been removed in "at least a few years".
After I took them out there was black rubber stuck to the deck, almost like the rubber carpet backing had melted on the the non-skid of the deck.
I tried cleaning it off with regular boat soap (it was all I had with me) and it did very little. Has anyone else had this happen and if so, what did you use to clean it? Any suggestions welcome.
I do like to take / leave the carpet out sometimes, especially if I'm going fishing. It's easier to spray down the deck, then clean the carpet.

 

[Four Suns]

This topic must come up about 10 times per year... If you do a search, you'll find all the discussions. At the end of the day, the original backing used by Sea Ray is crap and falls apart in a few years and does what you are seeing. It's a mess... The only real fix IMO is to get new carpets with a better backing from http://www.snapincarpets.com/ .
The carpets are an exact match and won't fall apart...

Other people will pipe in with the "paint on glue goop" cheese-o solution as well...

 

[Girlfriend III]

Gary, took your word and a few others about snapincarpets. Sent it out last Monday, they shipped it back to me this Monday. A week turn around and far less than the competition. I will let you guys know how it looks and fits, but from reading all the posts, I am sure I will not be dissapointed. John and Cindy have been great to communicate with during the process...This is almost like Christmas waiting for the UPS man...Thanks Again !

 

[steve mac]

Thanks Gary and Girlfriend III.

I actually wanted to see what you would recommend to clean the deck? The black rubber seems to be melted on to the deck. I'll order new carpet (most likely from snapincarpet), but wanted to get the deck back to the nice white original look.

If there is anyone else who has had this same problem with the carlet backing, how did you clean all of the black backing off your deck?

 

[tphinney]

I had the same thing happen last year. I took a pressure washer to the mesh to get the majority of it off and then a hard bristel scrub bruch, some yatch brite serouse marine cleaner and a lot of elbow grease to get most of the rest off.

I still have some left and i'm hoping that the foot traffic this season will loosen up what little is left before I spring for new carpet.

 

[RazorRobb]

If you take them out in the winter and keep them someplace dry, like a shed or garage, they last for years. I did that in my previous boat ('99 Regal 220) and they still looked and worked great the day I sold it April 2nd.

 

[Pirate]

I picked my backing off of the gel coat with my fingernail and a small screwdriver. Bring a cooler. It's a long day.

I tried degreasers, pressure washer, on/off, Scotch Brite, brushing, muriatic acid, etc.

Finger nail. :smt089

 

[Four Suns]

If you take them out in the winter and keep them someplace dry, like a shed or garage, they last for years. I did that in my previous boat ('99 Regal 220) and they still looked and worked great the day I sold it April 2nd.

Well... I'll disagree with that. I've always taken my carpets out in the winter and the backing started falling apart in the 2nd year. That black rubber backing is just plain garbage.

 

[Alex F]

I agree with Gary. I take my carpets home every winter from our 240DA. One season we had very limited use of carpets due to having number of small kids visiting (it's a lot easier to clean the fiberglass than carpets). Despite the efforts, carpet backing started pealing off. Not very bad, but it will only progress.

Alex.

 

[Hampton]

I took a pressure washer to the mesh to get the majority of it off and then a hard bristel scrub bruch, some yatch brite serouse marine cleaner and a lot of elbow grease to get most of the rest off.

I almost understood some of that!

 

[capz]

I tackled that mess this spring. First I used a wetvac to get all the loose particles up. I sprayed the deck with Black Streak Remover and scrubbed with MaryKate deck cleaner and a sponge. Also keep a Scotchbrite backed sponge or a Magic Eraser close for the tough areas. Trust me you'll need it. I used both. The stuff from those carpets really likes to hide in the non-skid crevices. This combination will get it all off. Good luck.

 

[daileyinterest]

I have the answer your looking for! I just cleaned mine last weekend. Dampen the floor with warm water then spray with "Roll Off" (buy it at your local marine store) ,work it in with a stiff scrub brush, let it sit for a few minutes then give it a good scrubbing. Do small sections at a time. That process will get most of it off. For the stubborn areas use xeylene as known as zolof (sp). You can get it at your local hardware. I put that on the stubborn area and let it soak for a bit, then you have to scrub like hell. Warning that stuff is nasty, use gloves and make sure you have plenty of ventilation. That method should remove about 99% of the black rubber. Good luck!

 

[capz]

I am really against using any chemical that is really aggressive on the deck, like xeylene or an acidic based cleaner. Remember, whatever you rinse off the deck might drip into the bilge and down the hull, then to the drive and running gear.

 

[steve mac]

Thanks Guys.

I looks like I have some work to do this weekend.

I'll let you know how it turns out.