Carpet replacement to a 98 Bowrider 210

Joel_CA

Member
Sep 15, 2013
112
Norcal
Boat Info
1998 Bowrider 210
Engines
5.0 Mercuriser/ Alpha 1
I decided to take on the project of replacing the worn out carpet to my 98 Searay Bowrider 210 and ran into a couple of interesting things. First off, as I peeled back the old carpet- I realized the deck beneath most of the carpet is actually matching gelcoat. I didn't realize this right off the bat as I was contemplating attempting the project and now my goals have changed. My boat is constructed with a 1 piece fiberglass floor liner and it appears that only the liner section is finished in gelcoat. Now that i'm aware of this, I've decided to go with snap in carpet as I prefer the look of that instead- over glued down carpet. The sections that aren't finished in gelcoat is what I have questions about. The fuel tank cover is made of wood, the ski locker lid is made of plastic, and another small section just forward of the ski locker is also made of wood. Dealing with fiberglass wasn't part of my original plans, but to finish this project- I believe I now have to encase the fuel tank cover and the small wood section in fiberglass so that I can attempt to color match the gelcoat and roll it on to match the surrounding areas. Can i apply fiberglass over the plastic ski locker lid? (its not a problem if I cant as I'll just cut one out of marine plywood. Also, what should I do about the area where the fiberglass floor liner meets the hull? Can I just roll gelcoat over it ? Id really like to smooth it out so its appears seamless. (hopefully with an exact match in gelcoat). Lastly, what kind of solvent can I use to break down the glue without damaging the gelcoat beneath it? Thanks in advance for your advice! FYI - as far as my skill level- Im a Toyota dealership mechanic by trade, have done several DIY projects to my home and rental properties, and have no problems taking and following instructions. I'm excited to move forward with this!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e3if9nreyxybat8/20190916_215107.jpg?dl=0 - original carpet and layout

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bqc3e3lsjn2w8oi/Screenshot_20190917-121609_Gallery.jpg?dl=0 fuel tank cover

https://www.dropbox.com/s/h5f81x80ss2r3aq/20190917_122949.jpg?dl=0 fuel tank cover removed

https://www.dropbox.com/s/376354euimbd119/20190917_133345.jpg?dl=0 fiberglass floor liner and where its bonded to the hull

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fzrrx370wut6uh1/20190917_133349.jpg?dl=0 port side carpet completely removed

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a630cs2iql6n7m2/20190917_133414.jpg?dl=0 close up of floor liner to hull bond

Joel_CA
 
Both sides removed
 

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Acetone, plenty of disposal rags, wide and narrow scraper, and plenty of effort made the ports side look like the bottom of my shower with a nice and clean nonskid gelcoat finish.
 
That's weird - I saw your first post and responded with the advice of using acetone as it won't harm the gelcoat, but I guess I somehow never clicked the correct button to post it. Well, either way, glad to see you're making progress. I've done things like this and know how time consuming it can be. I used to have a '98 210 and once contemplated doing what you are doing... once... :)

No, you won't be successful in fiberglassing over the plastic of the ski locker lid. At least not long term.

A couple thoughts for that vertical, side area - where the floor liner meets the hull. In no particular order, just a few thoughts off the top of my head:

-- Just glue carpet back on there - whether it is a matching color or just plain black. It'll blend in nicely.

-- Build a panel out of 1/4" plywood (or starboard) and cover it in carpet or vinyl - you can use that to cover just the "ugly" area. And, again, this could be black in color - it would look just fine that way. Make the panel slightly bigger than the "hole", rather than trying to fit it "into" the hole.

-- I would advise against trying to gelcoat the area. That will end up being a TREMENDOUS amount of work to get it done (and looking nice) and the finished product, quite honestly, won't offer any real aesthetic appeal than other ways, given the location.
 
Lazy Daze,

You advice is much appreciated. I have an idea now of what I'll do with the ugly area based on your recommendation. It will save me the extra time of having to remove the glue at that location. I will make a new cutout for the fuel tank cover as well as the ski locker area out of marine plywood- then just take it to a local spot to have it glassed. At that point, can I just roll on factory matching gelcoat from https://spectrumcolor-com.3dcartstores.com/Spectrum-Color-Catalog_c_56343.html?

Joel
 
I'm gonna follow your advice and build out a panel covered in black marine vinyl. Should look something like this when I'm done with it. Not too shabby!
Screenshot_20190922-140634_Gallery.jpg
 
That'll look nice. Here's another 'opinion'... I'd use a satin or matte black vinyl as opposed to something glossy. Something glossy might draw your eye towards it and that's likely not what you want with this piece.

I've done full floor and stringer rebuilds, but I've never messed with gelcoat on such a large area. I've always used paint. Sorry - can't give you any real-life advice as to rolling on the gelcoat and matching the non-skid.
 
Thanks again for your input. That is exactly what I was planning on going with. With the back to back seats installed, not much of this area is actually visible so I don't want to do anything to draw more attention to it. We've also decided to go with Seadek or Marinemat instead of snap in carpet. I received a color sample and we will choose the exact color as our bimini and canvas top in a faux teak pattern with black stripes. I just need to to order a template kit to get that started. Meanwhile, since i've got the engine cover and the large pack panel removed from the boat- I'll go ahead and swap out the cap, rotor, wires, and plugs while everything is completely accessible. Another thing that I'm doing is removing the original ski locker lid that spanned the entire width of the locker and replacing it with an oval lid and frame assembly from a 94 Searay 180BR. I just bought it off of Ebay and the locker lid should match the color of my deck. This will allow me to have just one piece from the fuel tank cover to the bow (rather than having to replace the plastic locker lid and the "filler panel" as shown in the picture:

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I now have both sides done as far as removing the adhesive. I will start working on the lower panel on my next day off.

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Thanks again for you help

Joel
 
So finally got the new floor done! Marine plywood encased in fiberglass and a layer of matching gelcoat. Out with the old wooden carpeted fuel cover floor. Out with the plastic ski locker lid and wooden filler panel. I just need to make my cut out for a ski locker lid and then I can get started with my template for my Eva foam pad flooring.

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Looks really nice! I have thought about doing the same thing in my 1999 185, but am not sure what is under my carpet. After seeing this I am thinking it might be the same - I have the exact same configuration, just smaller (plastic ski locker and wooden section over fuel tank.
 
Looks really nice! I have thought about doing the same thing in my 1999 185, but am not sure what is under my carpet. After seeing this I am thinking it might be the same - I have the exact same configuration, just smaller (plastic ski locker and wooden section over fuel tank.
I was told by a "boat guy" that Searays have used the fiberglass floor liner since 97. That was the year they transitioned. Im almost certain you have the same thing as I do under your carpet.

J
 
So what are you replacing the carpet with? Snap in carpet or a woven vinyl? I'm starting to see a project coming on, my carpet is still in good shape, but would much prefer snapin.
 
So what are you replacing the carpet with? Snap in carpet or a woven vinyl? I'm starting to see a project coming on, my carpet is still in good shape, but would much prefer snapin.

Im gonna go with eva foam padding on the deck, transom platform and extended swim platform. Im gonna go with Gator Step @ https://gatorstepsocal.com/
 
Found the perfect ski locker hatch. Measured twice and cut once. Perfect fit!
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Looking nice!

Don't forget to protect the cut edge of the ski locker hole. Something like... give it 3 to 5 coats of epoxy since it will soak in really fast. Ideally, you could then finish with a lightweight glass mat - but getting it around the 90* edges is going to be tough. Probably not really needed if you properly coat with epoxy.

Oversize drill your screw holes, too - then fill with epoxy - then re-drill your pilot hole. Completely protects the core that way.
 
Just an update... This Covid 19 situation had me holding off on this project until I got a better idea of where the economy was heading. Once I decided to continue, I found out from Gatorstep - that they were slammed with work from others that also held off on their projects like I did... Only to resume around the same time. At this point , the template has been created and sent in to Gatorstep. Its gonna cover the bow, deck, transom swim platform, and extended swim platform. Hopefully it will be ready soon. I didn't want to waste a perfectly good season waiting for the flooring - so I put everything back in so we can go hit the water using some temporary bathroom area rugs. This is how the floor looks at this time.

J
 

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I finally got my flooring material from Gatorstep. The color of choice was out of stock so I had to wait. I was given a choice to change my color scheme for a 2 week turnaround time, but I chose to wait. I spent the past weekend installing the pads. Very happy with the turnout.20201018_174900.jpg
 

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looks good...
 
I finally got my flooring material from Gatorstep. The color of choice was out of stock so I had to wait. I was given a choice to change my color scheme for a 2 week turnaround time, but I chose to wait. I spent the past weekend installing the pads. Very happy with the turnout.View attachment 93808
Looks amazing! How much did the flooring material cost? I’m thinking about doing the same thing I have the exact same boat.
 

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