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Please insert a descriptive subject concerning carpeting or boats.
If you don't think you can
carpet your own boat see our before and after page!
Customer's have written us with their carpet
stories! Before/After
Plus, you can read a
magazine article on carpeting your boat at the Bass & Walleye Magazine site
http://www.bassandwalleyeboats.com/output.cfm?id=942733
If you are recarpeting an
aluminum boat, see this site:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze4phbw/index.html
In most cases for boats under 20 feet, you can use
the overall length of your boat plus 4 feet. For boats over 20 feet add about an extra
5 feet. This allowance should provide you with enough carpet for any
bulkheads, lid cut-outs and lid covers. We try and send about 20% more than the
length of your boat just to be sure you have enough. But if not, we keep the majority of the standard
colors in stock so if you don't order enough we'll be happy to send you
another 3 foot piece. A lot of folks like to order additional carpet for any
future repairs. You can always "cut-in" a piece to repair a worn spot,
a cigarette burn or a fish attractant oil spill. We also offer a binding service
for those bigger scraps. Binding makes your scraps into floor mats!
Carpet also has a "grain" and must be laid down
all running in the same direction. We know this for a fact as we've re-carpeted
at least 50 lids laying the carpet in the wrong direction and the color looks
different. We'll be happy to help you with a layout and your carpet
measurements. It'll also help to know that most of the carpet comes in 6 foot
wide pieces but some comes in 7 1/2, 8 /12 and 12 foot widths. To reduce
the number of seams in your boat, you'll need to layout the carpet using
different lengths (remember the grain). Send us an email with your measurements
or fax us a drawing 229-465-2628
Square yards:
Almost all carpet is sold by the square foot or square
yard. A square foot is just a piece of carpet 12 inches wide by 12 inches
long. There is 9 square feet to a square yard. To determine square yards on a
bigger area, multiply the length of the are by the width and divide the answer
by 9. For example, a 12' by 16' room. is 192 Square feet. Dividing the 192 by 9
we get 21,33 square yards.
Bubba, you don't have a clue or a chance here, so
just call me, I'll do'er fer ya!
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All we sell is carpets that can be used either
indoor or outdoor. The carpets are made to be for water and sun resistant! The
fibers are treated for UV protection and the carpet backings are made for a
water or damp environment. The backing is typically rubber and in most cases
needs to be glued to the substrate. (Bubba, that's the surface you're putting on
the carpet on! You know the floor of the boat or the floor of the outhouse!) The
fibers are made with the colors embedded in them, so there is no dye process
involved. The fibers are really a form or nylon type material and as such
generally can be singed or scorched on the edges just like we've done for years
with our nylon ropes.
However, you won't notice the fibers as being harsh
or rough like the old grass indoor/outdoor carpet. The fibers are actually quite
soft and can be very plush.
How Long will the Carpets last in the
sun, rain and white stuff!
The carpets are made to last from 3 years to 5 but
I've seen some boats with 10 year old carpet that still looks great. Carpets
subjected to the 4 seasons (Bubba, in Florida we only have 2 seasons, hot and
hotter!) can last well over 5 years but it depends on the exact conditions. In
Florida we've found that the carpets can actually outlast most deck paints and
wood stains. For those living in the extreme northern states I suggest two
things:
1. Move to Florida. Bring money
as we love rich people pumping up our economy.
2. Buy carpet such as the
Berber or 40oz with Aqua loc that can be rolled up in the winter
months and stored until, what'd ya call it? Oh yeah, Spring!
I've seen some carpets
priced lower than your's, how come?
Well, there will always be some differences in
pricing but we've seen major 4 reasons for our carpet prices differing.
1. Some mills
measure 20 ounce after the shearing or leveling process while other measure the
20 ounce prior to this shearing. Kinda like that 12 ounce Filet Mignon on
the menu. The 12 ounce is measured before the cooking! (Bubba, you know what a
filet mignon is?)
In other words not all carpets rated 20 ounce are the same. We use our carpets
in building our super expensive bass and flats boats so we only sell the higher
grades.
We've had years of field and testing experience with
the products we sell and use so we know which mills are superior.
2. Some carpet
dealers seem to be only brokers. They don't inventory or actually install
carpets. Ask them if they can ship any color today! Ask about their
expertise in installing carpets. If you need any help or advice they won't be
able to help. Ask if you make a mistake and only need say 3 feet can they send
you additional carpet. Ask about their experiences with the mill.
3. Many carpet
dealers seem to add on heavier freight and handling charges.
4. We include
freight allowance, up to $25.00, a carpet knife with 10 extra blades and our
famous, well written, self-explanatory, pullilittzeer prize winning (pullilittzeer
is one of Bubba's buddies!), english teach approved and lousy pictured
instruction and installation manual. (Author autographed upon request!)
((If you have bugs in your garage, we'll even include the authors picture,
posting this in your garage will clean out the roaches--no guarantees but it
works in our shop. ))
We sell all of the supplies you will need to install your
carpet. On a local level you can also check with most hardware stores for extra
blades and adhesives. You will need to have:
A carpet knife, bent handle type is the best.
We send one with KIT orders.
Extra blades for the carpet knife. We send
extra blades with KIT orders
Carpet adhesive. We usually use Contact
Cement. Local Stores or cabinet supply
shops.
A good cooler, full of Bud, for those guys who come
over to help!
Carpet Adhesive remover- Mineral Spirits works fine. Acetone
really works but
it's dangerous.
A glue trowel if you use glue cement. For
Contact Cement old paint brushes will
work.
A few throwaway adhesive brushes, 2 inch and 4
inch
A tube of marine sealant--we suggest 3 M's 5200
or quick set 4200
Sandpapers and sanding/grinding discs
Machine screws and locking nuts. If your
carpets are riveted on,
we suggest you use #8 or #10
Pan Head philips, machine
screws and nylon locking nuts
to replace the rivets.
What do I use to
remove the old carpet?
Your friends!! Or try, Brute
strength? Pull it up first. Use a scraper just under the carpet as you pull and
this might get a lot of the old carpet up. On some boats, and all pontoons, the
carpet might be under the seats, railings and hardware. Use the carpet knife to
cut around these areas. Stubborn carpet can also be wetted with acetone to
"eat" up the underlying glue. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STEP SO BE SURE
YOU'RE CAREFUL AND OUT OF DOORS. NO SMOKING OR THE USE OF ANY POWER TOOLS WHILE
USING ACETONE!!
Or if you have a lot of old bottles of fish
attracting oils, just dump it on the deck wait a week and the carpet will peel
off. (Is that how you messed it up to start with?)
We like to clean the decks up enough where
the left over carpet and glue won't be felt as a lump underneath the new carpet.
The deck doesn't have to be 100% cleaned up!
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A good straight edge
A digital camera for those before and
after pictures you're gonna send me!
A screwdriver
or two
A rubber mallet
A supply of masking tape, chalk,
magic markers, sandwich baggies,
super glue
A portable
drill with an 1/8 inch drill bit and a phillips drill bit
A set of scrapers to
remove any old glue and carpet residues
A butane
lighter or grill starter for singing any threads
A putty knife for
the marine sealant
A mason's trowel if you use a
non-contact cement.
An ice-pick type
tool to align the metal moldings, if any
A sanding or grinding disc if the old
carpet is really stubborn
A carpet knife. Not a razor blade
type knife but a carpet knife
with a bent
handle is the best. (included with the kit)
A good supply of carpet knife blades,
10 should do it. (10 blades are included
in the kit)
A real good cooler, full of Bud Lite
, for those chubby bass fishing types who
come over to
help! If they are going to fish in your boat, they need to be
there for
this surgery!
We
have all (most) of these tools and supplies in stock!
Sure! If you're fairly handy,
you can tackle a carpet replacement.
Read our
instruction manual that comes with your order. Measure twice! Cut slowly!
Replace
the blade after every third or fourth cut or before any critical cut.
Most carpet removal and replacements will take at
least 8 hours! We suggest
you spend a few
spare evenings removing the old carpet and cleaning the
deck surfaces of
most of the old carpet glue and residues. Then, fill any
screw holes with
the marine adhesive. Let it cure for at least 24 hours while
you read and
re-read the instruction manual. Be SURE that you read our
manual 2 or 3 times before you even start the carpet removal!
Actually, it depends upon how much of that Bud and
Bud Lite you have on hand. A Bud Keg party will make this job go fast, as
a ton of helpers will surely come over!
Well, one thing that we
are always telling ourselves as we install some new
carpet--LOOK
AT THE OVERALL JOB! Don't be concerned if an edge or a seam
doesn't seem just right. Do the absolute best job you can do and look at the overall effect of the new carpet job! You can go back and fix some errors
after the entire job is done. We've heard, over and over, from our first timers
how happy they've been with the entire job. Just don't be a total perfectionist
and you'll be happy and impressed with your accomplishment. Although, we've seen some first timer's do such a good
job that we'd like to use them as subcontractors.
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How much will it
cost ?
The major expense is really your labor! The best 20 Ounce 6 foot wide carpet
comes in our carpet kits. The most popular 25 foot kit, including a knife, extra
blades, our instruction manual and shipping is around $225 or less. You might need a glue trowel,
throw away brushes and adhesive about
$30-40. So say about $260.00 Max .
You can even do it for less, about $200, if you specify 16 Ounce carpet. While we keep some of these lower weights in stock, we generally
find that the cost to labor ratio is unfavorable for the installation of these
grades. In other words, the 20 oz lasts a lot longer for the labor hours
involved.
Be sure to check our sales page for special deals on carpet that could lower
your costs to less than $150.00
There is cheaper carpet available! We don't even
stock it as we are convinced that 90 per cent of the job is in the labor and
cheap carpet will not look as good when you are done with the job.
Superior carpet made by Superior mills, available only at bassboatcarpets.com
Are your instructions
easy to understand?
Well, we hope so! Our instructions are really a set
of tips, tricks, techniques and photos that we have accumulated over the years
of installing boat carpets. This manual is about 15 pages long and it has been
used by a lot of us to install a lot of carpet. If you "add" some of
your own tips to our manual, let us know! We'll incorporate them into the next
revision of the manual!
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Absolutely! Just look at the ounce differences! Adding 4 ounces to a 12
ounce carpet is adding 33 1/3 % more weight! Now add another 4 ounces to the now
16 ounce carpet to get a 20 ounce carpet. You're adding another 25%!
20 ounce carpet is over 67% heavier than 12 ounce
carpet! Which one do you think would wear better, last longer
and feel more plush?! We highly recommend 20 ounce carpet to all of our serious
fishermen because the price differentials are small when you consider that it
take the same amount of labor to install, 12, 16 or 20 ounce carpet! Some guys are also starting to use the 40 ounce carpet in
their bass boats! For Pontoon Boats, the 40 ounce is like walking on a cloud as
compared to that 12 ounce or less that probably came from the factory! See the
40 ounce at 40
OUNCE
As in everything there is grades of
quality. With carpet, we assure you that there is tons of grades out there that
we wouldn't sell you or put into our own boats.
Superior carpet made by Superior mills, available only at bassboatcarpets.com
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Our biggest selling colors, in boat carpets and in order of sales are,
Charcoal, Navy, Gray Silver Blues and Dark Greens. Generally, other than the
Navy and Dark Green, these colors
are not solid colors. There are trace colors running through out the base color
which helps break up the appearance of dust and dirt. Solid colors are much
harder to keep clean and dust/lint free. You know how a solid black truck always
needs washing? Well, a solid dark carpet is the same! Yet, our second biggest
seller is the solid Navy. It just seems to be "RICH" and
"ELEGANT" looking. If you want blue and don't like to vacuum, go with
the Silver Blue, it's a lighter blue that is multi-colored to hide the dirt. When
in doubt, be sure the spouse approves! I mean, guys--you don't want that look
do you when the job is done? You single guys, you may not know what
"that look is", don't worry--you will, someday!
What
happens if I run out of carpet before I finish the job?
We try and keep extra carpets in stock by dye lots until we
know that you've finished your carpet installation. We basically keep the end
roll remnants for at least two weeks past the last order. This way, we think
we've got your shortages covered. We do recommend that you actually order a few
feet extra when you do order as any left over carpet can be stored for future
repairs. Man, once you've installed your own carpet, a repair is really quite
easy! Call us for help! Our carpet kits come with about 20 percent more
than the length of your boat. So an 18 foot boat carpet kit would have 25 lineal feet of carpet.
Plus, if you do have a lot of scraps we can make them into mats for you.
For $25.00, for the extra upgrade from a 20 foot kit to a 25 foot kit it ain't
worth worrying about it.
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 "Please
Release Me"
What kind of adhesive do I
use?
In many cases we recommend that you use a nonflammable,
exterior waterproof carpet adhesive. We sell a waterproof adhesive that
some of the manufacturer's recommend. Its also possible to use contact cement. However, due to
the flammable nature of this glue and the fact that "it ain't called
CONTACT for nuttin", we generally don't sell
it to the consumer. Contact cement allows very little, if any, rug movement
after you've placed the rug in place--Contact! Is Contact!! If you got a buddy
or two to help, (remember that Bud) this won't be a major problem. If however, you're doing
the job alone, stick with the
movable, forgivable yet sticky enough exterior rug adhesive. We sell it,
Click here
GLUE
so does Loew's or Home Depot both sell OUTDOOR CARPET ADHESIVE. Buy 2
gallons to start with and a cheap 1/8 inch notched trowel. Glue is usually about
$27.00 a gallon. (Loew's and Home Depot are my favorite stores! Sams Club and Costco are a
close second. And I refuse to enter any store that doesn't have a tool or
fishing department. Dillards, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, etc.--yuk!) Bubba, want'a
go to heaven--they just opened a Harbor Freight Store about 7 blocks from my
house! See if'en they donta have one nearss to yourn place.
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Can I get a carpet sample,
to check color and quality?
We'd be happy to send you a sample! Due to the
number of requests and our lousy handwriting all we ask is that you send us a
self-addressed business sized envelope with postage for 3 ounces, ($ 0.83 this
week!) for 1 or 2 samples. $ 1.06 for three or four samples. Tell us what
colors, how long your boat is and we'll also include a firm quote for your
possible order! Our address is at
Address
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Can I use more than
one color of carpet in my boat?
If you want to be creative and different, go for it. Check
the Teal Carpeted boat to see a great
example of a two color carpet installation. As we say around here, just
because the original factory did it, doesn't mean we can't do it different and
better!
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Do you carry all these
colors in stock for immediate shipment?
No, but we usually have at least 10 rolls in inventory.
The major problem with some of the colors is the factory's inventory. They just
don't keep all of their colors ready for immediate shipment. If the factory has
the color, we can usually get it to your door in less than a week. If the
factory has to make the carpet it obviously can take longer. When you order your
carpet, we'll notify you by phone or email of the availability and expected
delivery date.
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Can you pick the colors for me? Or
at least help me out?
Sure! We've carpeted so many boats that we are now
considered carpeting legends, at least in our minds!
Seriously, because of our experience we can surely help and we'd love to do it!
Send us an email picture or two, of your boat and we'll make some
recommendations. Or send some pictures along with a self-addressed stamped
envelope for samples, ($.83 for 1 or 2 samples) and we'll send you the samples we
think would look great in your boat! Our address is at
Address
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Some of my carpets have
like bound edges on them? Can you all do that for me?
Sure! That binding is generally called serging when it's
the sewn threaded type. There is also an overlay type that uses some form of
leather or vinyl. Prices vary based upon the number of inches that are involved,
so we'd have to get you a quote. This type of edge binding does help keep the
carpets from raveling at the edges and is really useful in removable carpet
pieces.
Send us your leftover scraps and we'll send you back some
nice floor mats. Course, we'll send you the quote first before we do the work!
Glad you asked! We do a lot of cut carpets
for Sea Rays, Maxums, and all kinds of cruisers or off shore boats. Make us a good set of patterns out of
heavy paper or send some detailed drawings! We'll give you a firm quote. These
jobs take 3 to 5 weeks so don't wait a week before the BIG
EVENT!
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We have a pontoon boat that
needs the wood deck replaced, can you help?
SURE! On the deck, we can only offer
advice, unless you want to drag the boat to lower Georgia. Leave it for
a few days and go north to Disney World.
Take an extensive set of pictures before
you start. Label everything. Right, left, port, starboard etc. Front is aft!
Rear is Stern so use the right terminology. But also, if it's aft, mark it
starboard (right is a longer word than left and starboard a longer word than
port and now you'll never forget which is which, just match up the longer words
and you got it)
Be careful with the nuts and bolts. We
suggest that you throw them all out and buy new stainless steel bolts and nylon
locking nuts.
Console removal?
Try not to! We usually try to lift the
console up as much as the wiring and cables will allow. Hang it from a rafter, a
tree limb or get your spouse to hold it in the air. If you must remove it,
(Ouch), mark every wire! Take
some detailed pictures.
Before you start, be sure that everything on the dash works. That way, when it
doesn't after you've put it back together, you'll know it's your fault.
Use marine plywood or exterior grade plywood. Try and save the old pieces for
patterns for bolt holes etc. Lay the old over the new, drill and mark everything
you can find! Seal the wood with a coat of general purpose fiberglass resin and
if you want a layer of fiberglass cloth. We us marine plywood when we're going
to do this as regular plywood may not allow the fiberglass to stick. We use 3/4
to 1 1/2 fiberglass mat to cover both sides of the wood. Any holes drilled out
are given a coat of resin. When we later insert the bolts or screws we also use
3M's 5200 or 4200 caulking/adhesive to seal and hold the screw.
Installing
Pontoon Carpet: We usually lay the carpet on the deck and let it sit for
awhile in the hot sun! Then we smooth out the wrinkles. We then fold one half of
the carpet back over the top of the other half. We do this lengthwise. On a 20
foot pontoon, we'd take say 4 feet by 20 and fold it over the other 4 by 20 foot
piece. We then apply the glue to the deck, lay the carpet over the glue, smooth
out the wrinkles and wait for it to dry. We want it to dry good enough so that
we can then fold the other half over the completed half without any carpet
moving on the glued side. We then glue the other half and smooth out the
wrinkles if any. Now, we can roll it with a big pipe, roll Bubba all over
it if he's had enough bud's, walk on it, jump and down on it--anything to get
the glue into the rubber grooves on the back of the carpet.
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Superior Carpets From Superior Mills
