Boat carpet or bedliner?

[blue hooks]

We used to use spray in liner on our boats we build at Gator Trax years ago. It was done professionally by a Rhino Liner facility close to our shop. It was a nightmare. If they spray it on thick enough to last, it was too heavy. (had to add like 30lbs or more of sand to the mix and you would STILL bust your butt when wet and break your neck if you had mud on your shoes)
If they sprayed it thinner to lighten it up, it would peel off in about a year to two years. This was spraying it over BARE CLEAN aluminum that had been primed with a self etching primer. Bottom line...it will NOT last...when it fails you WILL have a holy mess...it will be JUST as hot as bare aluminum in the summer, and it offers ZERO traction, stopped using it years and years ago.

you also should be well familiar with hydroturf as i think gator trax may even sell it and use it in their own if I'm not mistaken. i do know this, aluminum boat, no matter how hot out gets, still can fish barefoot and not even know the difference

[Kman]

you are correct, that is what we use and I DO love it. Been using it 8 or 9 years now. Only reason I didn't suggest it to this gentleman is when you have a boat that HAD carpet, its so HARD to get ALL the glue up and out of the way to stick down hydroturf. And hydroturf wont go up the side walls and in nooks and crannies like carpet. Only good on flat surfaces to stand, walk, or sit on. Great for that though.

[Crappie chasin fool]

I'm not a fan of the rhino liner product at all. I had it professionally sprayed in the bed of my dually and have ran into all the issues previously stated. Its slick when wet, peels up easily, fades in the sun, and is not repair friendly. SUPPOSEDLY the durabak addresses these issues. According to the manufacturer it's got uv inhibitors just like paint so it won't fade, they say it will stick to anything including itself so even if you damage a section you are supposed to be able to just recoat that spot, the grit is processed rubber made from old tires so I'd think it'd provide much better traction than sand or another form of hard grit. Also if the US navy and coast guard have approved it for a non skid coating for wet areas I can't imagine that it'd get slick. As far as the surface getting hot in the summer time I'm not a barefoot, or even a sandal or flip flop kinda guy. Heck I haven't even owned a pair of tennis shoes in over 15 years. I figure my wolverines can handle any heat coming off the deck

[Kman]

Not familiar with that product, might be great!
I will tell you this though, the barefoot part is but one aspect of the aluminum being so hot. You cant TOUCH it when its hot, your hands, your arms, the backs of your legs when you sit down, your butt, all that comes into play when the surface of that stuff gets that hot. Maybe this is better than traditional spray in liner though, Im not sure. Please let us know how it turns out.

[jimmyfreeland]

If you have a decent boat you should just replace the carpet. Basically will make your boat look new again. I wouldn't risk ruining my boat if It were me.

[Eagle 1]

not sure what war eagle uses but it's held up well and has been great on reducing heat as well as being slip proof . I would try to find out what they use .

[gatoloco]

I was looking into the same thing. I ran into a guy who did his 18' bass boat and loves it. he said it has been on for 5 years and no issues. just make sure all of the old glue is gone and it will be good to go.

[Crappie chasin fool]

I probably should have mentioned its a fiberglass bass boat. The only aluminum in it is the lids. Also I'm in this boat reeeeal cheap. I did some trading around and basically I've got $500 total invested in it which is another reason I'm hesitant to spend 500-800 to get carpet installed

[strmwalker]

I'm not a fan of the rhino liner product at all. I had it professionally sprayed in the bed of my dually and have ran into all the issues previously stated. Its slick when wet, peels up easily, fades in the sun, and is not repair friendly. SUPPOSEDLY the durabak addresses these issues. According to the manufacturer it's got uv inhibitors just like paint so it won't fade, they say it will stick to anything including itself so even if you damage a section you are supposed to be able to just recoat that spot, the grit is processed rubber made from old tires so I'd think it'd provide much better traction than sand or another form of hard grit. Also if the US navy and coast guard have approved it for a non skid coating for wet areas I can't imagine that it'd get slick. As far as the surface getting hot in the summer time I'm not a barefoot, or even a sandal or flip flop kinda guy. Heck I haven't even owned a pair of tennis shoes in over 15 years. I figure my wolverines can handle any heat coming off the deck

you will love the durabak product I have it in my boat and its not slick wet or with frost on it !!! and you can walk barefooted in the summer on it too !!! I did mine 3 years ago and love it !!!!

[genec]

A boat that looks that good ,i would recarpet,unless i only catfish which i don't