The backing of the carpet can scratch
You can use a very thin non skid pad (like the kind used under oriental rugs) as a buffer between the carpet and the cabin sole. The most difficult part of putting carpet in the boat is making a pattern to use to cut the carpet. I used Kraft paper and a lot of masking tape to make the templates. Like Jeff, I had managable sized pieces. Lay out the templates on the back of a piece of carpet. (make sure to cut from the back of the carpet and use very sharp blades, changing them every 10-15 feet of cut). I initially thought I would put a serging or binding around all the edges, but decided to just use a carpet glue to "butter" the edges so they would be less likely to unravel. You will want to make sure that the glue gets on the edge of the carpet backing and not the face fibers. When you have the carpet cut, lay it face up on your non skid pad and trace the outlines. You can use regular scissors to cut the pad. I chose a very light colored carpet, but you may want something that hides soil. Use all synthetic carpet like Nylon or Olefin with a polypropylene backing My wife and kids LOVED the look and feel of the carpet and when it got dirty, I took it to work with me! (It helps being in the cleaning business). I sold that boat last fall, a h336, but the new boat is on order and I plan on doing the same thing when it arrives. Brian
