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.

 

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.

 

One of the mods will look for a thread later...in the mean time go to www.snapincarpet.com

Wesley

 

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?

 

Yes. We have one in RIC. Do Not go to a homedepotlowes. Go to a real carpet place. Bring a template or perhaps, they will come to your boat and design the stuff for you. That's a real win-win.

 

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.

 

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...

Use masking tape for the borders.

The result.

Very flexible for many years!

 

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.

 

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

 

I might take a look at this as well. I would probably use a roller so it is a little bumpy which would help with draining.

 

Peter,

I'm thinking on getting this product to fix carpets on my 320DA. Could you let me know how did you apply it? Is it simply brush off the loosen parts from the backing and roll on this new rubber paint, or is there any other steps involved?

Thanks,
Alex.

 

Hello Alex,

Sorry for my late reply, but i was on a trip...
Yes simply brush off the loosen parts, clean with ammoniac.
Then roll in on the "paint".

Very simple and effective.

Peter

 

Peter,

I have the same problem with the backing on my '01 280. Can you tell me if you bought the smooth or textured coating. Also, it looks like you just did the bad spots and not the whole carpet. I was thinking of doing the whole carpet.

Thanks,

Glenn

 

Peter,

I have the same problem with the backing on my '01 280. Can you tell me if you bought the smooth or textured coating. Also, it looks like you just did the bad spots and not the whole carpet. I was thinking of doing the whole carpet.

Thanks,

Glenn

Hello Glenn,

I bought the smooth coating.
Because the carpet is fixed with snaps, and the result is ok.

Peter

 

I called the Durabak company and asked for sampler. They told me that they don't have official data to prove that it's good for using as a carpet backing. But, they said it's flexible enough.

So, I got the sample swatch in the mail and it's very different than existing carpet backing. It feels like a heavy rubber paint mixed with sand. It's applied to thick foil swatch and bends very easy. So, flexibility is not an issue, but I can't say that the finish is good or soft enough.

Did anyone try this?
http://www.createforless.com/Fiber-...ber-Lok+Rug+Backing+16+oz/pid15118.aspx?SI=2fb5fce1-6ae5-456f-89eb-6d185af4d6f5

Alex.

 

I just purchased carpet from snapincarpet.com for my 340. I upgraded the backing to a clear/beige ribbed backing and love it. Because of the design, water should be able to drain and dry much faster than with the black backing. I expect it will last much longer as well. The Admiral likes it a lot. It feels very plush and soft on the feet.

I paid about $650, including shipping. The only challenge I have now is to install the snaps.

 

I just purchased carpet from snapincarpet.com for my 340. I upgraded the backing to a clear/beige ribbed backing and love it. Because of the design, water should be able to drain and dry much faster than with the black backing. I expect it will last much longer as well. The Admiral likes it a lot. It feels very plush and soft on the feet.

I paid about $650, including shipping. The only challenge I have now is to install the snaps.

mooredriven,
My 320 has 3 piece carpet in the cockpit (1 for helm, 1 by port seat and 1 by engine hatch). Does your 340 have similar? Did you replace all 3 pieces for $650?

Thx,
Alex.

 

I actually have 4 pieces. The fourth is a small piece in front of the passenger seat on the port side. They actually had my template and emailed to me for verification before ordering. They offered different colors and backing, and will mail you a sample.

Very good service.

 

After reading this thread a few weeks ago I decided to try to do somthing about the crumbling backing on my carpets which I had tossed on a shelf in my garage three years ago since the backing was such a mess. As usuall the carpet looked fine. I came up with this stuff: www.grizzlygrip.com. I figured I had nothing to loose so I ordered a gallon and a quart of the "fine" in black and painted it on. It worked great and I think it will hold up very well. My carpets are now reinstalled for the first time in three seasons.

 

After reading this thread a few weeks ago I decided to try to do somthing about the crumbling backing on my carpets which I had tossed on a shelf in my garage three years ago since the backing was such a mess. As usuall the carpet looked fine. I came up with this stuff: www.grizzlygrip.com. I figured I had nothing to loose so I ordered a gallon and a quart of the "fine" in black and painted it on. It worked great and I think it will hold up very well. My carpets are now reinstalled for the first time in three seasons.

I just checked the site and this looks very like Durabak product. Does the paint feel sandy? What did you pay for it?

Thx,
Alex.

 

I purchased the Black Aromatic with a fine texture which is $63 a gallon or $20 per quart along with the roller pads. The stuff is textured rubber and grips the cockpit floor very well. It is totally flexible as once I painted it on and it dried I could bend the carpet very tight and it would not crack. I figured this stuff is susposed to hold up in the bed of a pickup so this application on the underside of a carpet should be childs play. I have to say I was very impressed on how well it worked, I guess time will tell if it holds up. Keep in mind my carpets were in really bad shape, I started by using a wire brush to remove all the dried hard backing from the carpet, I was worried the coating would seep though the carpet fibers but it never did. I took two coats to do it and I used 1 gal and 1 quart for my carpets but keep in mind my boat has a 13' beam so they are big.

I actually called the company and spoke to a guy and told him what I was planning on doing with his product and he said he had never heard or thought of going this with the stuff but he thought it would work well. You can see from their website that they are looking for other applications for the stuff beyond truck bed lining. One note of caution, the solvent in this stuff is HEAVY DUTY. I think they actually warn you that the shelf life is only a few months. I put a drop cloth on my garage floor and had to open the doors after a few minutes to get some air. Should of had a respirator on but of course I didn't. Didn't need drink any beer after this job if you get my drift (or wiff)