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GatorStep for 2002 Response LX. Anybody replaced their carpet?


motobill

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Hey there:

The carpet in our boat is a worn, and I want to replaced it or get rid of it. My first choice would be to pull it all out and replace it with GatorStep. I have contacted GS and they have a template for a 1999 Response LX. See attached image. A second option would be to just pull out the carpet, depending on what's under there. I'd check, but the boat is at our river house in storage 300 miles away.

So, I have a few questions:

  • Does anybody know if the floor layout for the 1999 Response LX is the same as for the 2002 RLX?
  • Has anybody pulled the carpet out of their Response?
  • What's the flooring like underneath? (Any pictures?)
  • Has anybody replaced their carpet with GS and how do you like it?

Thanks,
Bill

 

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I was considering it for my 05 response.  I am also considering Deckadance. Looks easier and maybe cheaper.  Not quite as cool looking as the gator step, but I am concerned how long the foam flooring holds up.  

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If your floor is anything like mine, then you'll definitely have to paint it with something before applying any other flooring.  I used KiwiGrip which is pretty nice, but I think I'd learn towards Brightside Polyurethane topcoat.  Also, you may consider laying some leveling resin to make the floor flat if necessary.  PM me if you want some pictures of the floor after removing carpet.  Also, I'll have some tips for you too.  It can be a pain but there's a few tricks you can use to make it easier.

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Appreciate your responses. I continue to do some research, including into using Deckadance. The carpet in our ski boat runs up the side of the boat under the gunwale. Most v-drive boats have seating along the gunwale; so, it's is a different outcome for a ski boat. We won't just have to address the floor. We will have to paint or cover the interior sections that are currently covered by carpet and won't be covered by new flooring. We could do mouse fur or something like that, or just paint it. A lot depends on the fiberglass finish underneath. 

I may just have to wait until we are at the river house again in January to look more closely at what needs to be done to get rid of the dead carpet and prep for new flooring.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

--bb

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I considered this approach when I redid the flooring in my 2001.  Ultimately, the amount of floor prep that was required to make the Gatorstep work, along with the cost, swayed me to go with the Deckadence route instead.

You'll find bare fiberglass under the carpet when you pull it up.  It's probably not very level either.

I simply leveled the floor with some resin and fiberglass, painted the whole works with non-skid gray deck paint, then laid down the faux deckadence.

ONLY thing I wish I'd have done is cut all the deckadence material an inch longer.  It actually shrunk on me a little bit and created some gaps in areas that were nicely seamed when I finished the job initially.  A couple times a year, I park the boat out in the sun, get the flooring good and hot, then stretch it out and apply some weight to it.  This usually removes the gaps for a few months at least.

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On 12/28/2022 at 9:09 AM, UWSkier said:

ONLY thing I wish I'd have done is cut all the deckadence material an inch longer.  It actually shrunk on me a little bit and created some gaps in areas that were nicely seamed when I finished the job initially.  A couple times a year, I park the boat out in the sun, get the flooring good and hot, then stretch it out and apply some weight to it.  This usually removes the gaps for a few months at least.

Same.  I've tried to think of an elegant solution but nothing simple comes to mind.  Best I could come up with would be something akin to a custom carpet tack strip that is 3D printed plastic, very low profile, not sharp, and placed only in the corners that would "grab" the deckadence and hold it in place in tension. 

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7 hours ago, formulaben said:

Same.  I've tried to think of an elegant solution but nothing simple comes to mind.  Best I could come up with would be something akin to a custom carpet tack strip that is 3D printed plastic, very low profile, not sharp, and placed only in the corners that would "grab" the deckadence and hold it in place in tension. 

has anyone tried 3m interlock (think goode ski to binding plate interface) to see if it will grip deckadence?

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On 12/28/2022 at 8:09 AM, UWSkier said:

ONLY thing I wish I'd have done is cut all the deckadence material an inch longer.  It actually shrunk on me a little bit and created some gaps in areas that were nicely seamed when I finished the job initially.  A couple times a year, I park the boat out in the sun, get the flooring good and hot, then stretch it out and apply some weight to it.  This usually removes the gaps for a few months at least.

I was looking at the Decadence website and they say to trace an inch wide of the existing carpet, if using it as your template. Did you do that? If so, may two inches bigger than the carpet is the way to go. 

Thanks to you all for your responses to this thread. I will work on this project this spring and will be sure to post some information on my choices, rationale for those choices, the process I uses for installation, and the finished product. As of now, I am leaning toward using Decadence, primarily b/c it sheds water so effectively.

Not sure how Decadence feels underfoot. That is my one misgiving. It seems like it's coarse and may be scratchy. Any comments from those who have used it?

--bb

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1 hour ago, motobill said:

Not sure how Decadence feels underfoot. That is my one misgiving. It seems like it's coarse and may be scratchy. Any comments from those who have used it?

--bb

My buddy has a mastercraft that I think has decadence. Not scratchy in my experience.  I kinda like it

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On 1/1/2023 at 12:33 PM, motobill said:

I was looking at the Decadence website and they say to trace an inch wide of the existing carpet, if using it as your template. Did you do that? If so, may two inches bigger than the carpet is the way to go. 

Thanks to you all for your responses to this thread. I will work on this project this spring and will be sure to post some information on my choices, rationale for those choices, the process I uses for installation, and the finished product. As of now, I am leaning toward using Decadence, primarily b/c it sheds water so effectively.

Not sure how Decadence feels underfoot. That is my one misgiving. It seems like it's coarse and may be scratchy. Any comments from those who have used it?

--bb

I love my new deckadence flooring.  So easy to keep clean and I actually LOVE the feel of it barefoot.  I will say as much as I love the feel on barefoot (feels much more plush than you would expect), on knees it can be uncomfortable.  You wouldn't even know this normally because how often are you on your knees in the boat, but I did notice that when working on the boat kneeling under the console etc that it got very uncomfortable on the knees.  Again on the feet I love the feel so much so it really surprised me that it was uncomfortable on the knees.  I've had EVA foam (SeaDek/GatorStep) boat flooring in the past and really liked it but if given the choice I'd do Deckadence from now on.

Here is my install/review post in case your are curious

 

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