HELP Cabin Carpet Removal

[Killin Time II]

I like the concept but I have my doubts on durablility of air dry vs two part systems. Epoxies, urethanes and such are extremely durable with their two part chemical reactions. I would like to find something like that Tuff coat but activated with a hardener. It would give a better filling and profile to an irregualr surface, I think.

 

[pbusanga]

Looking forward to the finished result. I must admit I would like the finish to be smooth but am not sure how that could be achieved.
Maybe grind down to the glass then fair and prime with hi build primer. But then would have to paint it I guess

 

[bhwood]

I used Tuff coat on two skiffs. Not soft to the touch. Good non-skid. The rubber particles are ok to the feet and not too pleasant to your bare feet. The texture on Tuff Coat is what you get. Raptor was textured without the rubber soft to the touch and the texture can be aggressive or fine as you like depending on how it's applied. Two part plus color. You must have been itching like a hound dog after grinding all that fiber glass. Hope you were wearing a mask.

 

[Killin Time II]

I used Tuff coat on two skiffs. Not soft to the touch. Good non-skid. The rubber particles are ok to the feet and not too pleasant to your bare feet. The texture on Tuff Coat is what you get. Raptor was textured without the rubber soft to the touch and the texture can be aggressive or fine as you like depending on how it's applied. Two part plus color. You must have been itching like a hound dog after grinding all that fiber glass. Hope you were wearing a mask.

They make a skin barrier cream to prevent the itch as well as paper suits. I HATE grinding fiberglass.......

 

[SBH2OMan]

I really wished Parker would not use that carpet/monkey fur. It’s nasty; and it’s subject to staining; and it’s just seems like a major health hazard. That’s why I went to PVC in my pilot house; I put half inch solid beaded PVC In my pilot house; and waterproof flooring on my pilot house wall where my door is. Given all the materials for PVC flooring, it really warmed up my cabin for style and look and utility.

This looks really great. Did you affix it with screws or how is it held in place? I’m assuming you just installed it over the carpet or did you remove the carpet first?

move got a lot of staining in mine and while it’s not a pressing concern it’s just one of those things that bugs me (along with Parker’s sloppy wiring).

 

[H3018]

View attachment 25957View attachment 25958
First coat of gelcoat. I’m on a roll. No really, 7” roller got most of it. I’m not a painter! Cutting in around the windows is my weakness, but it already is an improvement over the monkey fur.

M
Minorcian Mullet your first coat looks good. FYI The window frames are really easy to remove. Front windows remove screws on inside and frame will fall off remove carper. Side windows pull rubber gasket on outside and remove screws and inside frame will fall. windows stay intact. when you are done put frames back with some Tef gel on screws for the dissimilar metals. Same goes for the hatch in cabin. The only windows I completely removed were the cabin port windows. They were also simple.

 

[Minorcian Mullet]

M
Minorcian Mullet your first coat looks good. FYI The window frames are really easy to remove. Front windows remove screws on inside and frame will fall off remove carper. Side windows pull rubber gasket on outside and remove screws and inside frame will fall. windows stay intact. when you are done put frames back with some Tef gel on screws for the dissimilar metals. Same goes for the hatch in cabin. The only windows I completely removed were the cabin port windows. They were also simple.

Thanks. I was thinking of removing them this winter. I’m trying to get the boat back in the water asap. Thinngs do have away of snowballing though

 

[5514matt]

Would a high quality paint work well after smoothing surface?

 

[MarkH]

did you pvc over the top of the carpet? what product did you use?

I did remove the monkey fur, and I used a certainteed SOLID beaded tongue and groove pvc product.

 

[channel islands John]

I thought I would add a few notes to this thread. as I am currently working on this exact project.

The prep work is key and it sucks... plan on 5 times the "demo and prep" time as the paint time. Chemical glue stipping didn't work well... 80 grit sand paper on a orbital sander worked for the most part. I also tried the grinder with a paint stripper head... it was tough... lots of patience and time... and maybe a few sanders if possible. wear a mask and goggles... its a mess.

I found this Gel Coat on Amazon for a fraction of the price of most others. It shipped with plenty of activator and even comes direct with color pigments. It is 100% perfect and worked without issue.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L458P2C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2.5 gallons got the job done. I did a first coat with out wax and a top coat with wax. 2 gallons no wax, 1 with wax

at 1.8% ratio for the hardener at about 65-70 deg, I had 15 minutes work working time. Work in small batches. I would mix about 25oz and split it into two paint buckets and two of us would get it on the walls as quick as possible

I tried a few different roller heads, and decided that Thick nap, 4" with a thin center worked the best. Get LOTS of them. Because the Gel coat hardens at 15min... you need to swap to a new head with every batch.

Same for brushes. Just get the cheap ones and keep tossing used brushed and swapping to new ones.

I broke a lot of hardware getting it off or trying to put it back on... the bolts had issues. It is all 5/16x18 hardware, so I just grabbed a pile of 3/4" to 2" bolts with washers and nuts and swapped most of the hardware out as I put it back together. @ 20 cents a bolt... new hardware was 100% the right call. It looks way better and I can count of it not breaking soon.

Don't forget to silicone all of your hardware / holes before reassembling.

 

[Mpellet]

Wow, the ambition in this thread is nothing short of amazing.......

 

[Gobbi_Fishing]

I am in the middle of tackling this project right now and am not looking forward to grinding/stripping the glue in the cabin! But I just ordered those grinding wheels. One question is how much do I take off?? The glue is a reddish color, am I trying to get it all off? Or just the top layer of it? I also don’t want to take too much off. How do you tackle those hard to reach areas? Will the gel coat paint not adhere if there is still glue on the surface?? I’m trying to do this right the first time, and I’m gonna break it down into sections.

 

[channel islands John]

Imo you are looking for smooth and clean of carpet fibers. The red glue is somewhat irrelevant. The gel coat will cover it and stick.

 

[Ana]

What a coincidence there's updates on this thread.
After studying it along with a few other threads with the "carpet issue" last year my husband and i decided to give it a try on ours. Knowing that at our age we just can't attack projects the way we did in our 30-40's, and the lack of experience with paint (much less gel coat) we decided to just try a small section to see if we have what it takes to get a decent result.
We began with the portside bulkhead since the carpet there was the worst. We've been diving off the boat for the last 16 years and i tent to sit/lay on the bench looking forward, so I'm always leaning on that bulkhead. Well, the week before starting the project it finally showed the bold spots.
As it has been mentioned before, sanding took forever an a day. We used the grinding wheel suggested on this thread (thank you by the way) that wheel and a million sanding sheets, maybe I'm exaggerating some but only by a few hundredth.

From there we use the Interlux paint in white. Did tons of reading reviews and specs on other options and decided if that doesn't work for us we'd have to pay someone to do it. Used their recommended primer in gray so we can make sure to see the difference between the primer and the white paint.
The results were far from a perfect smooth finish, but we are ok with it. We learned in the process, and we think we can do better. Plus that section was chosen because I've been meaning to add a cushion there for years so the exposed areas would be minimal.

Today we are removing the rest of the carpet. All of it, I hope. That's why I thought it was a coincidence to see the thread revived.
But yeah, the carpet HAS to go, it is disintegrating in many places and feels like we would start breathing all that nastiness. We won't be doing all the paint at once, may not even do all the prep at once.... Again, for a couple of old farts i think there's no need to be in a hurry. As long as the boat can be used when seas are good and have a few dives, the bulkheads, headliner, and berth area will be done eventually.
We are going to try a section with the Bondo stuff they used on cars, that may produce a smoother finish.

Below are the pics of some of our process. If we can do that (without any help from anyone) in about 15-18 days about 3 hours each day, a couple of motivated young people should have no problem.

 

[Gobbi_Fishing]

What a coincidence there's updates on this thread.
After studying it along with a few other threads with the "carpet issue" last year my husband and i decided to give it a try on ours. Knowing that at our age we just can't attack projects the way we did in our 30-40's, and the lack of experience with paint (much less gel coat) we decided to just try a small section to see if we have what it takes to get a decent result.
We began with the portside bulkhead since the carpet there was the worst. We've been diving off the boat for the last 16 years and i tent to sit/lay on the bench looking forward, so I'm always leaning on that bulkhead. Well, the week before starting the project it finally showed the bold spots.
As it has been mentioned before, sanding took forever an a day. We used the grinding wheel suggested on this thread (thank you by the way) that wheel and a million sanding sheets, maybe I'm exaggerating some but only by a few hundredth.

From there we use the Interlux paint in white. Did tons of reading reviews and specs on other options and decided if that doesn't work for us we'd have to pay someone to do it. Used their recommended primer in gray so we can make sure to see the difference between the primer and the white paint.
The results were far from a perfect smooth finish, but we are ok with it. We learned in the process, and we think we can do better. Plus that section was chosen because I've been meaning to add a cushion there for years so the exposed areas would be minimal.

Today we are removing the rest of the carpet. All of it, I hope. That's why I thought it was a coincidence to see the thread revived.
But yeah, the carpet HAS to go, it is disintegrating in many places and feels like we would start breathing all that nastiness. We won't be doing all the paint at once, may not even do all the prep at once.... Again, for a couple of old farts i think there's no need to be in a hurry. As long as the boat can be used when seas are good and have a few dives, the bulkheads, headliner, and berth area will be done eventually.
We are going to try a section with the Bondo stuff they used on cars, that may produce a smoother finish.

Below are the pics of some of our process. If we can do that (without any help from anyone) in about 15-18 days about 3 hours each day, a couple of motivated young people should have no problem.


View attachment 35654 View attachment 35651View attachment 35655View attachment 35656View attachment 35653View attachment 35652

That turned out really good! How many coats of paint did you apply? I am going with Total Boat Wet Edge Top side paint in a Hatteras Off White color to kind of match the rest of the boat. Sounds like I got a bunch of work ahead of me before paint though.

 

[StrayDog]

That turned out really good! How many coats of paint did you apply? I am going with Total Boat Wet Edge Top side paint in a Hatteras Off White color to kind of match the rest of the boat. Sounds like I got a bunch of work ahead of me before paint though.

I have a 2005, 2520xl. I used the same Wet Edge paint and color after applying the recommended primer. The carpet was salvageable also I wasn’t painting the interior hull. But I removed all the cabinets, made some modifications, and repainted them in Wet Edge (Hatteras off white was a good match for my year).

IMPORTANT: The primer sets up fine but the color coat needs warm and dry conditions to cure. I’m in Southern California and was working in my garage. If temperatures were below the 70-80 degree range curing time could take a very long time regardless of what the written instructions say. I called their tech services and that’s what they confirmed.

I ended up making a paint room in my garage from one of those pop-up shade covers we use at the beach or park and wrapped it with moving blankets. Then I was able to control the temp with a portable heater. Then I was able to get 2 coats per day with a 3M pad scuff in between.

You should b able to control the atmosphere in your boat easy enough. Just know that the temp and low humidity is important. Wet Edge is good paint and durable. See phots for color match to fiberglass.

 

[Gobbi_Fishing]

I have a 2005, 2520xl. I used the same Wet Edge paint and color after applying the recommended primer. The carpet was salvageable also I wasn’t painting the interior hull. But I removed all the cabinets, made some modifications, and repainted them in Wet Edge (Hatteras off white was a good match for my year).

IMPORTANT: The primer sets up fine but the color coat needs warm and dry conditions to cure. I’m in Southern California and was working in my garage. If temperatures were below the 70-80 degree range curing time could take a very long time regardless of what the written instructions say. I called their tech services and that’s what they confirmed.

I ended up making a paint room in my garage from one of those pop-up shade covers we use at the beach or park and wrapped it with moving blankets. Then I was able to control the temp with a portable heater. Then I was able to get 2 coats per day with a 3M pad scuff in between.

You should b able to control the atmosphere in your boat easy enough. Just know that the temp and low humidity is important. Wet Edge is good paint and durable. See phots for color match to fiberglass.

Stray dog, that looks awesome! My boat is a 2005 as well, but yours looks brand new with all the work you did to it! What is the recommended primer that you used? Also, where did you find that cable management up above your headliner and going down the pillars??? That looks phenomenal as well and I have been looking for something like that.

 

[Ana]

That turned out really good! How many coats of paint did you apply?

We diluted the primer and the paint adding between 7 and 9% of the Interlux 333. Did 4 coats of primer with sanding in between. For the paint we ended up applying 6 coats also with sanding in between.

Just call it a day for the rest of the carpet removal. We didn't get to the headliner, but everything else is out. Hope we get it all out in the next day or two while the temps are in the mid and low 70's. By the weekend it will be high again, not a complaint i general but not conducive for working inside the cabin. We have the boat on a lift so it isn't easy to control the weather.
Maybe for the summer we can figure a shade reinforcing the PVC poles and use them as supports for a light weight shade.

For now it is chaos.

 

[StrayDog]

Stray dog, that looks awesome! My boat is a 2005 as well, but yours looks brand new with all the work you did to it! What is the recommended primer that you used? Also, where did you find that cable management up above your headliner and going down the pillars??? That looks phenomenal as well and I have been looking for something like that.

Stray dog, that looks awesome! My boat is a 2005 as well, but yours looks brand new with all the work you did to it! What is the recommended primer that you used? Also, where did you find that cable management up above your headliner and going down the pillars??? That looks phenomenal as well and I have been looking for something like that.

I used Topside Primer (from Total Boat). Comes in white & grey. Easy to work with.

Thanks for the kind words.
I built the overhead chase from Starboard material (color Seafoam). Making that piece wasn’t easy, a lot of angles and bends to deal with. The corner pillars are built from PVC, painted with Hatteras off white which matches well. Also removed & tuned up wiper motors, then painted to match.

When I bought the boat it had a lot of open air antenna coax and other wire on the overhead and running down the pillars. I cleaned that up by rerouting those wires thru the new chase. I’m amazed that Parker never incorporated something similar years ago.

The overhead will also serve as a place to mount one of my two VHF’s, and a 10” MFD. And I don’t have any overhead clearance issues.

 

[Bodick93]

Wow, what a job. You men and women are awesome.
I hope to have years before this is required, but I picture gray line-x when I do. Should deaden sound as well.