Replacing Boat Carpet With Spray Can Paint
Updated: Jul 25, 2022
Replaced My Bass Boat Carpet With Rustoleum Spray Can Paint
Well it all started when I began taking the old carpet off. I did not want to be removing carpet and old glue again in a few years (if I still had the boat). I have a 1988 Stratos 181 Pro.
It is a great running boat with a 1988 Evinrude V6 150. If you are looking for a great alternative that is cool to the touch and not slippery, try it out.
Tools I Used
My main tool was a Palm Sander. I used it with 60 grit sandpaper and sanded the deck, floor and doors.
I also used a Paint Scraper with a long handle.
In a previous blog post I used more tools. On my boat the adhesive was really dry and thin. also the carpet just pulled up. Which made it very easy to remove, check out my other blog post with more tools you may need to remove your boat carpet https://www.top5toolstouse.com/post/tools-to-replace-boat-carpet-fast
As you can see in the pictures the glue was thin and dry. I did mostly all of the rough old glue removal with the long handle Paint Scraper.
On the floor I used the Palm Sander, 60 grit sandpaper and a mask. There was a whole lot more uncoated fiberglass here. I assume because the floor was repaired at some point and not properly recoated.
When painting I did have all the doors removed and applied painters tape. I applied two coats of Rustoleum spray paint and I used 6 cans. It went on smooth and dried fast. I am really surprised at how well it covered. I think possibly if it holds up well this year, I may purchase a gallon of Rustoleum paint and roll a coat on with a textured paint roller.
You can see in the pictures I have already made a trip to the river.
Video
Summary
Like I said, I am extremely happy in how it turned out and is a great alternative to carpet in my opinion. The question is if I had a newer boat would have I done this? Probably, with the price of everything it is a great alternative. It is not slippery or easy to scratch and cool to the touch. If Rustoleum wants to send me a gallon of White Semi-Gloss paint I will be happy to put it on, give it a trial run and give a review https://www.rustoleum.com/