Carpet Replacement!

[graxirena]

ok. Question for the people who has done this before. 20' Bowrider with carpet on the floor and the sides. Took off the carpet to get the floor and sides painted with the Rhino liner material, however I heard that I can paint it with Gel Coat and it will look better and will not be as rough.

This is the problem, if I do the rhino the texture of the paint will go into crevices that were not visible under the carpet. If I do the gel coat I would need to find some sort of thick 'bondo' like chemical that I can use to fill up gaps, etc. This will be applied directly to the floor, onto the fiberglass.

To do the Rhino is about $600.00, would it be cheaper to do Gel Coat and still make it solid and safe?

Thanks Guys!

 

[blueflew]

From your explanation it sounds like you ripped up the carpet and you can't decide between Rhino lining and gelcoat. I can't speak for the Rhino lining, but you can't put gelcoat over plywood. You would have to layup a couple of plies of fiberglass and polyesther resin over the wood, then gelcoat over that. Other than replacing the carpet, which would be your easiest and cheapest solution, you will probably have to layup fiberglass over the wood to put rhino lining, gelcoat or paint.

 

[rawidman]

The least expensive solution is to replace the carpet. The easiest solution is to take your boat to the shop where they apply the Rhino lining and let the man do it.

The hardest (and possibly most expensive) solution would be to prepare the area for gelcoat and then apply it. You will need some skill and experience and special equipment. As posted above, you would have to cover it with fiberglass first. Remember that for safety you need a surface that's not slick when wet. Carpet is good for this, Rhino lining may be as well. Gelcoat is not. Also, gelcoat will crack if there is any flexing. Carpet will not.

 

[blueflew]

For the cost of gelcoating, you can recarpet 10 times. I recarpeted my friends Baja about 4 years ago and it still looks good. Get a loop pile nylon carpet for the best wearability. Use an outdoor carpet adhesive to glue it down.