Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

[JASinIL2006]

I'm replacing the deck in my 18.5' bowrider, and I'm trying to decide between using glued-in carpet vs. gel-coating the deck and using snap-in carpet. (The family has informed me they want some sort of carpeting surface.)

Has anyone recently compared costs for these two options? I figure the gel-coat/snap-in route will cost more, of course, but I'm wondering roughly how much more... twice as much? Three times?

Any other useful info in comparing floor covering choices would be welcome.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

I think there is more to it than the mere cost. A gel coat floor is often preferable to a fully carpeted floor as it will tend to stand the test of time better. Keep in mind that a glued in carpet will provide a source of moisture to penetrate the glass coating of the wood deck/floor and get you into another restoration project sooner.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

2 gallons of Gelcoat = approx $120.00 vs Marine Carpet Glue $25.00
If you buy the carpet and have some one install binding and snaps figure and extra $100 bucks. Sooo... My guess-ti-mate would be around 2-3 hundred bucks more expensive. Major benefit is it's removable and easily replaced. Downside, It WILL stretch and get wrinkles and eventually not look so great. IF you maintain your boat, keep it covered, shop vac the carpet after EVERY outing then glued down carpet will last a very long time with no major issues to the deck. It IS a major issue to remove and replace due to the glue.

 

[gddavid]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

I was in your position and used another alternative. I glassed a layer of 1.5 oz csm over top of my new plywood deck and after it cured I put down a textured foam decking product called hydro turf. I used 3m spray adhesive to hold it down. I did not paint or gelcoat over the glass because the hydroturf protects the resin from uv damage. If it had not been such a cheap rebuild I would have painted the deck first. I have used it for 4 seasons in a 19' bow rider that I use primarily for wakeboarding. It has worked well because it does not hold moisture and get nasty like carpet can, I can spray it down after a day of people dropping and steping on snacks, it is really comfortable under foot, never feels too cold or too hot and it looks nice. My only regret is the seams show where the sheets of material come together, I wish I could have put down one continuous sheet but it doesn't come that big. I spent about 250-275 to put it in.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

gddavid, is this the stuff?

http://hydroturf.com/products.php?cat=Sheets of Hydro-Turf

It sounds good, but I'm concerned about the seams... we do a lot of getting in and out when boating on the river, and it shows up on the carpet. Easy cleaning would be nice...

I might see if I can get a sample and check it out. If it were only me to consider, I'd just gel coat the deck with some non-skid and leave it at that.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

I just came across Sea Dek in the iboats online store. Anyone have experience with that?

Jim

 

[Gator1996]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

Don't want to hijack but... Can we see some pics of the hyrdoturf and the seams gddavid?

I am also looking for a deck covering. I was looking at deckadence. Its pretty expensive but looks awesome so I was going to go with them anyway. Now I am back to undecided based on cost and difficulty of finding a local distributor.

thanks gator

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

I like the idea of being able to inspect, patch & repair a deck without replacing or degrading the carpet. That might be worth some added expense.

Most of the glue down carpets are not intended to take a stretch and could rinkle or even tear. Some of the samles I looked at seemed to tear fairly easy.

Their are some outdoor carpets that are stretchable & seem to be a better choice. They have stranded backing in place of rubber. My local lowes store carries samp[les and can order it for about $2.00 a square foot in 12 foot wide rolls.

I have been strongly considering this if / when I have to redo my deck but have not tried it. This would need a binding and snaps but no glue.


Perhaps the experts here have some related experience or advice.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

I'm replacing the deck in my 18.5' bowrider, and I'm trying to decide between using glued-in carpet vs. gel-coating the deck and using snap-in carpet. (The family has informed me they want some sort of carpeting surface.)

Has anyone recently compared costs for these two options? I figure the gel-coat/snap-in route will cost more, of course, but I'm wondering roughly how much more... twice as much? Three times?

Any other useful info in comparing floor covering choices would be welcome.

Thanks,
Jim

18' boat to have a snap in custom marine grade carpet installed will be more the the boat is worth.

Marine carpet and glue it. Done ..

YD.

 

[benjh1028]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

Don't want to hijack but... Can we see some pics of the hyrdoturf and the seams gddavid?

I am also looking for a deck covering. I was looking at deckadence. Its pretty expensive but looks awesome so I was going to go with them anyway. Now I am back to undecided based on cost and difficulty of finding a local distributor.

thanks gator

Gator,

I went with Deckadence and am thrilled. It costs significantly more, but easy to install and no need for snaps. In my opinion its the best looking floor covering (thats not teak). It never gets hot on the feet. I called direct and had them ship it from the factory. The only thing I don't like about it is seaming two pieces isn't as easy as they make it sound (and in fact I created my own method). I did it (and it looks great), but would recommend paying a few extra bucks and having them seam it at the factory.

Ben

 

[gddavid]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

Don't want to hijack but... Can we see some pics of the hyrdoturf and the seams gddavid?

I am also looking for a deck covering. I was looking at deckadence. Its pretty expensive but looks awesome so I was going to go with them anyway. Now I am back to undecided based on cost and difficulty of finding a local distributor.

thanks gator

Sorry for the delayed reply. Yes JASinIL2006 that is the stuff. This isn't the best picture of it, I will have to snap a couple of pics of it some time. In this picture there is a seam runing right up the centerline of the boat between my feet so it isn't that easy to see. When I bought this boat it needed a new deck, new seats, motor box and gimbal housing. I did most of the work as cheap and simple as possible to get the boat reliable and usable, I have been really happy with my decision on this deck material. Dirt shows easily but it would be better if I had gone with something other than black. It is pretty soft so it can be damaged if you drag a heavy object with a sharp edge across it but you won't want to do that with carpet or finished gelcoat either.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

I've ordered sample of Deckadence and Hyrdroturf to see what they look like. We're sort of leaning toward replacing the glued-in carpet due to cost considerations, but I really like the look of a gel-coated deck with some kind of carpet inserts...

Jim

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

I just received my sample (about 1" square) of HydroTurf. It is really interesting stuff... feels like a dense, semi-firm foam. I could see how it would be very comfortable to walk on or stand on, and it doesn't seem like it would be too slippery when it got wet.

I do wonder how it might hold up, particularly in places where it got a lot of traffic or where it was being stood on constantly (e.g, in front of the helm seat).

gddavid, are you happy with how it's wearing? Does it tend to get compressed/flattened if stood on a lot?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[gddavid]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

It doesn't seem to be compressing in areas from traffic or standing. My helm and helm seat are pretty low so I rarely stand behind the while driving. The first year I used the boat I was using a makeshift wakeboard pole using galvanized fencepost that rested on a 6"x6" block of wood in the center of the cockpit and was supported by two guidewires going to the stern cleats and a strong ratchet strap going to the bow cleat, the only thing that kept the bottom of the pole in place was friction so it was ratched down pretty tight, it never left a mark or compression on the deck. I did drop the pole once on the deck once and missed the block of wood and it left a cut in the deck but it was a pretty sharp edge on the end of fence post, it would have taken a chip out of a gel coated deck too. Now the boat has a tower and I don't mess with the pole anymore. I average around 6 people on the boat with everyone milling everytime we switch riders so it gets pretty high traffic. I have two back to back seats that are screwed to the deck over top of the hydroturf, when I removed one to do some work on the boat it had left a depression in the foam similar to a couch resting on wall to wall carpet but the seat was going right back in place so I didn't care. My dog used to come out on the boat regularly and his nails never caused any damage to the deck. I am very happy with it, my boat is a very cheap rig that gets the job done but the deck is one of the nicest things about it.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

Thanks, that sounds promising. I really like how the stuff feels.

Jim

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

I'm really leaning toward gelcoating the deck and either going with snap-in carpeting or sections of HydroTurf covering most areas of the deck.

Before I removed the old carpet, it ran from the deck up the side walls of the hull. Do I need to replace the carpet that was on the inside of the hull? Does it serve any purpose (noise reduction, etc.) or can it be lived without?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

It will provide some sound dampening but...You can live without it.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

OK, it's been a few months, but I think I've come up with a winner: Durabak. It seem like a pretty good compromise between durability, simple installation and easy cleaning. This leads to another question: I was planning to glass my deck with two layers of CSM topped with a layer of 6 oz. woven. I'm wondering if I would get a smoother surface if I used CSM for a top layer rather than the the woven stuff. Any thoughts?

Jim

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

I used Durabak in my Glastron, and the new owner says it is still holding up good.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Costs of gel coat/snap-in carpet vs. glued carpet?

I saw that you had used it, Jay, and that's partly what convinced me to look into it further. Good to hear it's holding up. I ordered a couple of samples from the company that makes it, and it really seems like tough stuff, but not too hard on the feet.

Jim