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Carpet Removal


saskicker32

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Howdy Everyone,

I'm in the process of doing the infamous carpet removal on an '03 VLX (glued in carpet). I removed basically all carpet (the only exception will be seat bases. I was able to clean up the floor pretty easy of glue my issue is the inside of the gunnels & observer compartment. I have everything completely removed (upholstery is getting done next month). These areas (gunnels, observer compartment, and below bow cushions) the fiberglass is still "fiber" like. The glue seems extra "gummy" in those areas. I've tried spraying it with more adhesive remover and then high pressure hose (not power washer) and it remains. I used an orbital sander with 40 grit and it doesn't want to "bite" enough into it unless I try to apply too much pressure to the sander and then it doesn't want to work.

Ultimately I'm going to kiwigrip everything so I just want to make sure I've prepped enough for that.

Also for the people who have done this, what thickness HDPE / Starboard did you buy for the gas cover and middle locker? HDPE / Starboard is getting pricey at the sizes needed. I measured the aluminum honeycomb and it was a little more than an inch but I'm thinking of just going with 3/4" and shimming if needed, I'd rather be too thin and raise it than be too tall.

Everyone wasn't lying, this is a project!

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Definitely a project.    
I did the same.   Lost a bunch of posts here but I also posted over on WG.  
I used a wire wheel on a cordless screwdriver to clean the floors of glue along with the oscillating tool and cutting blade.    The wire wheel made short work of the glue.  

For my center hatch I used 1” Coosa board and reinforced it with the aluminum honeycomb it replaced.    Middle locker I used 3/8 HDPE from the trunk space liner that I removed.   
 

The really hard part is deciding where you stop.   I ended up gutting it and basically have ended up with a new boat.  I went nuts 
 

Just keep at it!

Edited by ROFF
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18 hours ago, saskicker32 said:

Also for the people who have done this, what thickness HDPE / Starboard did you buy for the gas cover and middle locker? HDPE / Starboard is getting pricey at the sizes needed. I measured the aluminum honeycomb and it was a little more than an inch but I'm thinking of just going with 3/4" and shimming if needed, I'd rather be too thin and raise it than be too tall.

Everyone wasn't lying, this is a project!

I had a hard time swallowing the 1" thick HDPE too, so I repaired the honeycomb sheet by drilling and filling the damaged areas with resin, and then finalizing it with 2 layers of fiberglass on the top.  It is pretty beefy and was a lot cheaper than the HDPE, but having said that, it did take a lot of time and was a pain, so if I had to do it again, I'd just get the HDPE and probably go with GatorStep everywhere.

As for your glue removal, I found heat and time really help so be patient and keep at it, you'll be glad you did!

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On 4/19/2021 at 6:53 PM, ROFF said:

Definitely a project.    
I did the same.   Lost a bunch of posts here but I also posted over on WG.  
I used a wire wheel on a cordless screwdriver to clean the floors of glue along with the oscillating tool and cutting blade.    The wire wheel made short work of the glue.  

For my center hatch I used 1” Coosa board and reinforced it with the aluminum honeycomb it replaced.    Middle locker I used 3/8 HDPE from the trunk space liner that I removed.   
 

The really hard part is deciding where you stop.   I ended up gutting it and basically have ended up with a new boat.  I went nuts 
 

Just keep at it!

I hear that on where to stop. I contemplated moving my batteries from the observer compartment to below the observer seat so I'd get most of the compartment back but decided I didn't want to buy new AGM batteries to fit. I am removing the hard tanks in the rear and installing new 900 lb wakemaker bags back there and replacing all the ballast pumps (stayed cheap and didn't switch to reversible). I also contemplated switching lighting in the boat to LED but again said meh. 

 

I will get the HF oscillating tool (see me being cheap above), I'll grab the multi-speed and some saninding pads as well. My palm sander like I said just can't bite into what I need, the floor is basically clean it's just the gunnels that are super "gummy". All the carpet came out pretty easily it's just the glue.

 

For people that needed to level out on the floor I have those few spots I should probably do prior to me laying down the kiwigrip. What bondo type product did you use? I'm trying to finalize glue cleanout and prep for kiwigrip! I bought 12 liters of kiwigrip, they say 1 liter = 20 sq.ft. so hopefully I have enough to get the floors, gunnels, lockers, observer compartment, and bow. I just want to do it right and do it once. Ultimately I bought the pool mat (deckadence knock off) that will be the flooring but I want the kiwi grip to be nice enough to be a floor by itself.

 

Thanks All, as always this forum is incredible.

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I sort of leveled my floor using epoxy and chop mat but it turned out just OK. Can't tell with the floor covering down and it feels level under foot, I just don't like how it looks naked. 

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19 hours ago, saskicker32 said:

I will get the HF oscillating tool (see me being cheap above), I'll grab the multi-speed and some saninding pads as well. My palm sander like I said just can't bite into what I need, the floor is basically clean it's just the gunnels that are super "gummy". All the carpet came out pretty easily it's just the glue.

Get the cheap battery one.

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/rotary-oscillating-tools/oscillating-multi-tools/20v-lithium-ion-cordless-brushless-oscillating-multi-tool-tool-only-57319.html

 

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4 hours ago, malibu2004 said:

I used mineral spirits and 7 in 1 paint tool and it came right up. No extra tools needed. 

 

Man, I wish mine had been that easy.  I wonder if they changed glue or something.  A few areas it came off easy, stupid easy on the aluminum tank cover, but other areas it felt like I was removing resin instead of glue.

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On 4/22/2021 at 5:36 PM, formulaben said:

Man, I wish mine had been that easy.  I wonder if they changed glue or something.  A few areas it came off easy, stupid easy on the aluminum tank cover, but other areas it felt like I was removing resin instead of glue.

My floor was easy it's the gunnels and that's exactly how it is, it feels like resin and doesn't want to come off.

 

Hopefully last question: What bondo product did you use to level the floor in the area's that needed it? I have probably 3-4 areas that have the raised bumps from the foam insertion that I need to smooth out a little before putting kiwigrip down.

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Because I had the dreaded sunken floor I used resin and fiberglass, so she's super strong now.  I used a random orbital with 60 grit to remove any bumps and painted over that.

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16 hours ago, saskicker32 said:

My floor was easy it's the gunnels and that's exactly how it is, it feels like resin and doesn't want to come off.

 

Hopefully last question: What bondo product did you use to level the floor in the area's that needed it? I have probably 3-4 areas that have the raised bumps from the foam insertion that I need to smooth out a little before putting kiwigrip down.

I used a marine resin and did the whole floor. I had the unfinished bumps all over my floor. I would also say I did WAY to much prep work to get it totally flat and shinny. 

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