I am going to attempt remodeling the interior cabin of my 26' San Juan. Starting with the floor. I do understand it will eventually hold odor, so I am trying to keep cost down. Even if it were to last only one year. I am ok. I was going to make a nice templete, and use it every year or 2. My question is, what type of carpet could I use? What have you guys used out there that works well and looks good. Right now its your basic fiber glass floor.
New Cabin Carpet
- Thread starter lingarner
- Start date
- Status
I tried indoor/outdoor carpet that look great for the first week. With the rubber backing it stays in place nicely and can be cut easily with out having to bind the edge. The down side is that everything sticks to it like Velcro. I can't even clean by shaking it out. I have to vacuum it and then pick out whats left by hand.
I had some, actually many, remnants of different carpets used in hosue remodelings. I measured the area in my main salon, cut out a piece bigger than it and laid it out and cut it in place to fit.
I planned on having the edges "bound", I think they call it but I never got around to it.
Having carpet in the boat is probably the single greatest comfort, besides pressurized fresh water. I hate the feel of crunchy dirt in between my bare feet and the fiberglass floor. No matter how much I clean it out, there is always more. Carpet takes that away. The carpet I have is white, if I went out and had to pay for a remnant I would buy something like dark blue.
When it starts to stink, I will use it as a template and cut another.
I would install it in sections so they are easy to take out and beat the dirt out of them. I don't think wall to wall carpet on a boat is the way to go.
I planned on having the edges "bound", I think they call it but I never got around to it.
Having carpet in the boat is probably the single greatest comfort, besides pressurized fresh water. I hate the feel of crunchy dirt in between my bare feet and the fiberglass floor. No matter how much I clean it out, there is always more. Carpet takes that away. The carpet I have is white, if I went out and had to pay for a remnant I would buy something like dark blue.
When it starts to stink, I will use it as a template and cut another.
I would install it in sections so they are easy to take out and beat the dirt out of them. I don't think wall to wall carpet on a boat is the way to go.
Herman, thats exactly what i was thinking. I cant stand the bare fiber glass. Sounds like this is a common thing to buy carpet, cut it yourself. Sailboats arent cheap as it is, and if i can cut short on cost. It can be there.
Carpeting is a big mistake IMHO on a boat.
First, carpet generally provides a great breeding ground for mold/mildew along with trapping dirt.
Second, carpet, when it gets wet, takes a long, long time to dry. While it is wet, it promotes corrosion and rot anywhere it touches metal or wood.
Third, it is tough to clean once it gets dirty.
First, carpet generally provides a great breeding ground for mold/mildew along with trapping dirt.
Second, carpet, when it gets wet, takes a long, long time to dry. While it is wet, it promotes corrosion and rot anywhere it touches metal or wood.
Third, it is tough to clean once it gets dirty.
I put in new carpet three years ago - "wall to wall" custom cut with bound edges, berber style in a color called "raw silk", and I can't really say I've noticed it holding any odor at all. Maybe that's a bigger issue in warmer, more humid climates, but this is also a carpet made especially for marine use. Sorry, I don't recall a brand name or exactly what the materials are, but the work was done by Lawrence Marine/Auto Trim here in Chicago. They did a great job; also re-did all my upholstery and made new cockpit cushions. The total cost of the carpet portion of the work (in 2006) was $560, of which $360 was the cost of the carpet itself - 12 yards at $30/sq yd.
www.lawrencemarineautotrim.com
www.lawrencemarineautotrim.com
i am replacing the head liner on my sS......the one thats in it is 31 years old and dirty....after looking all over creation i found a carpet made of 100% uv olefin and comes in cut or looped pile ...al though it is not as dinse as the old stuff it seems to be good quality and runs around $9.00 a sq yard....the over head and walls were covered with carpet that looked like a burlap style material originally ...the carpet is sold as to be meldew proof as well as uv protected and made of synthetic material that sheads water with a rubber backing ...it is also very easy to shape and glue with contact cement..... one of the brands is BEAULIEU OF AMERICA.....i guess only time will tell if i made a good choice......
regards
woody
regards
woody
The PO of our Catalina 38 installed wall to wall carpet held down with snaps for a cruise to Mexico. They pulled it all out and donated it to a dumpster in Cabo San Lucas. Once it got wet it was impossible to dry out. We now use a rubber-backed 20" wide very low loop-pile runner in the salon and a short matching piece forward to the v-berth. They can easily be taken up and hung over lifelines or stretched across the dodger to dry. My previous boat had indoor outdoor carpet glued to the inside of the hull. It lasted a couple of years before the mildew and mold totally destroyed it and made a mess of the entire interior. My rule now is NO Permanent carpet anywhere in the boat!
Last edited:
I absolutely agree about "permanent" carpet. Nothing glued down. It has to be easily removeable. My "wall to wall" is really just tightly fitted and not attached in any way; not even snaps. With the irregular outline of the cabin sole, it doesn't have much chance to move around.
The first season it was in, I buried the bow in a wave with a few port holes carelessly left open. The carpet was soaked. It was a Sunday afternoon and the boat was going to be closed up from Sunday evening until the next Friday. It would have been a mildewed mess if I left it that way, so I just roled up the carpet and took it home to dry out that week.
That might not be possible on a cruise, so I would say that the appropriateness of carpet in a boat probably depends very much on how you are using the boat.
By the way - my PO had glued down green astro-turf! Nasty stuff. Still finding bits of it in crevices and the bilge.
The first season it was in, I buried the bow in a wave with a few port holes carelessly left open. The carpet was soaked. It was a Sunday afternoon and the boat was going to be closed up from Sunday evening until the next Friday. It would have been a mildewed mess if I left it that way, so I just roled up the carpet and took it home to dry out that week.
That might not be possible on a cruise, so I would say that the appropriateness of carpet in a boat probably depends very much on how you are using the boat.
By the way - my PO had glued down green astro-turf! Nasty stuff. Still finding bits of it in crevices and the bilge.
Last edited:
I'm not a fan of carpet on a boat but if you're going that direction here's what I would suggest. A solution dyed nylon carpet will clean better than olefin. The benefit of a solution dyed nylon is that it can be cleaned with a mixture of water and bleach which will help control mold and mildew until you decide to replace it. It will not be harmed by bleach and it will clean up much better than the less expensive olefin carpets. Nylon is more tolerant to abrasion than Olefin. The abrasive sand embedded in the carpet fibers will destroy an Olefin carpet rather quickly. Expect to pay about $15 and up per square yard for a nylon carpet.
If I ever get the cushions redone I would like to get them done in something resistant to bleach. I noticed alot of my favorite old navy Tshirts were starting to turn out tie die looking. I had no idea what was causing it. When I was at the boat a couple of days ago I was using Tilex to clean out the back berth, that shirt was instantly tie died. Now I know that bleach will take the color out of my clothes. Crazy huh??? I was sitting on the cushions, I am lucky I didn't ruin them.
One other thing that happened I feel compeled to tell about, that has nothing to do with anything. It was very dark in the head at night. I have a temporary clear hose for the intake. When I pumped water in to flush it, the whole tube lit up like sparks were being shot up into it. I guess there is phosphorescent algae in my marina. It was really cool but not something you would ever see if you have the right type of tubes on your boat.
One other thing that happened I feel compeled to tell about, that has nothing to do with anything. It was very dark in the head at night. I have a temporary clear hose for the intake. When I pumped water in to flush it, the whole tube lit up like sparks were being shot up into it. I guess there is phosphorescent algae in my marina. It was really cool but not something you would ever see if you have the right type of tubes on your boat.
carpet can be fine
I bought a tan looking olefin carpet off the large rolls at Lowes. It's actually multi color (which helps with the dirt), but the overall look is a deep tan color. I find that if it gets wet it dries pretty quickly and after more than 2 years there's no mildew whatsoever. I also bought small roles of edging that is sold in the carpet area to finish off where I cut. It was pretty easy as the previous owner had some nasty looking shag, but at least that worked as my template. having carpet has been a good idea, the only downside is that the backing material on this type of carpet tends to degrade and crumble, so every so often I vacuum under it. I may try to spray an adhesive to the backing to keep it from crumbling. I'd still rather have some carpet than the bare fiberglass. Good luck!
I bought a tan looking olefin carpet off the large rolls at Lowes. It's actually multi color (which helps with the dirt), but the overall look is a deep tan color. I find that if it gets wet it dries pretty quickly and after more than 2 years there's no mildew whatsoever. I also bought small roles of edging that is sold in the carpet area to finish off where I cut. It was pretty easy as the previous owner had some nasty looking shag, but at least that worked as my template. having carpet has been a good idea, the only downside is that the backing material on this type of carpet tends to degrade and crumble, so every so often I vacuum under it. I may try to spray an adhesive to the backing to keep it from crumbling. I'd still rather have some carpet than the bare fiberglass. Good luck!
My Morgan OI hast carpet in the aft cabin and in the fo'csl. Last year I went to flooring america where I was fortunate to find a husband of one of the gals working there to install quality marine grade carpet that I got through the floor store. As I recall, there was quite a selection of carpet. I was given a large poster board of smaples glued to it that I took to the boat for the purpose of matching the samples with my interior. Good marine grade carpet won't stink if you keep the boat above water. My carpet is glued down. The old carpet didn't stink (it too was marine grade carpet installed in the factory and glued down). The boat is 30 years old. Regular carpet will stink with time if the boat is kept closed up for extended periods without ventilation.
We 've gone to a remnant carpet place, cut a pattern, cut the carpet out and had it bound. Not a big expense. We did not glue it down. Replace as neccessary.
Now we use a runner we order from a catalogue - but they are available at home centers. They are available with attractive designs. My wife cuts where necessary and uses her sewing maching on a "Surge" stitch to bind it. We're on our fourth season with it. We put a non slip pad underneath.
I like carpet on the floor and think it protects the sole. We haven't had a mildew problem. If it gets wet it comes off the boat to dry.
Now we use a runner we order from a catalogue - but they are available at home centers. They are available with attractive designs. My wife cuts where necessary and uses her sewing maching on a "Surge" stitch to bind it. We're on our fourth season with it. We put a non slip pad underneath.
I like carpet on the floor and think it protects the sole. We haven't had a mildew problem. If it gets wet it comes off the boat to dry.
I just use carpet runners with rubber backing in high trafic area and by the births. I remove them in winter and run them through the washer and replace them as needed. No fitting and cutting or binding needed.
Ross, did you see Roger's new table pictures and notice that great carpet- and that sofa! WHAT A BOAT!!!
in my ericson i use on my fiberglass floors a bathroom bathrug--has latex on back and can be replaced for 5 dollars lol...in formosa i use similar but larger--when dirty i shake them and throw into washing machine--easy care and cheeeep---5-10 dollars per replacement--i had a nice spacer but it got full of oil when engine was changed out ,,lol......my sole in formosa is teak and holly.....looks nice but is very cold to feet in winter...so another bathrug ,,,lol--they donot slide in wet situations.....something to consider.....
rogers boat looks awesome--table looking goood......
ross-- i realllly like the silk persian rug idea..lol.....might be a tad slidey in wet, tho.....
rogers boat looks awesome--table looking goood......
ross-- i realllly like the silk persian rug idea..lol.....might be a tad slidey in wet, tho.....
have you considered wood??
There are companies that manufacture interlocking wood tiles made for outdoor use- they're mounted on a plastic base that allows air flow underneath. Easy as, no, make that easier that, assembling kids toys!
This is one company. For the inside of a boat it wouldn't cost much at all, and you cut to fit like wood.
It's the "teak" floor I've always wanted!!
cup
There are companies that manufacture interlocking wood tiles made for outdoor use- they're mounted on a plastic base that allows air flow underneath. Easy as, no, make that easier that, assembling kids toys!
This is one company. For the inside of a boat it wouldn't cost much at all, and you cut to fit like wood.
It's the "teak" floor I've always wanted!!
cup
- Status