www.iFourWinns.com

I posted before about how the sun, water soakings, and age have crumbled the black rubber backing of the cockpit carpet, mainly the area where the carpet leads to the transom door. I have been looking for a solution save an expensive complete replacement.

I think I have found a solution, but not sure of its long-term durability. I got black GE Silicone II window/door indoor/outdoor sealant. I applied it with a caulk gun and spread it with a wide spackling knife. It is very flexible, does not stick to the deck, does not discolor the deck, and looks great. It did not soak through to the carpet fiber part. It provides better friction than the original to prevent moving when walking on it.

My only issue is that it is not as porous as the original backing, so it might make the carpet hold more water and take longer to dry. But the original stuff took a while to dry too.

It took a full 10.1 oz container to cover about 2.5 sq ft.

I will keep you posted on its long term effects. Which will have to wait until next season as winterizing is quickly approaching.

Joe

Please do...mine is deteriorated to where I'm not using it.

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Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

Joe - I tried what you suggested and it has worked very well. I completely covered the backs of all three carpets (3 tubes) and you are correct,, no mess, no discoloration, no bleed-through.

Thanks for the great tip.

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Gary L. Marker
2002 FW 268 Vista "Life Preserver"

Great!

Just make sure if it gets wet due to swimmers coming in and out of the cockpit, that you let it dry. My guess is that the orginal backing was porous enough to let the deck underneath dry a little better than this fix. So, check it often since this Silicone II will not let moisture on the deck dry that well. Then again, if you covered the full underneath, the water on the carpet part won't go through and your deck won't get wet in the first place.

I first used "whip dip", the rubbery stuff used for the end of cut lines to keep it from unraveling. It was a little sticky to the deck. And for the price of one bottle of that stuff, you could buy 3 tubes of the Silicone sealant.

Thanks for reporting back.

Joe

You saved me alot of money


Thanks