How to Replace the Carpet on a Pontoon Boat

Measure the deck's full length and width, and note every cutout (helm, gates, hatches, toilet or changing-room enclosures). Carpet is sold in fixed roll widths, so check whether one width covers your deck or whether you'll need a seam, and where that seam should fall (ideally under furniture). Order extra: you will trim a few inches off every edge, and cutouts waste material. If you can, keep the old carpet in one piece to use as a pattern, as both Power & Motoryacht and Marine Fabricator suggest.

Photograph every seat, table, cooler bracket, ladder, helm console and piece of trim from a few angles. Label each item and bag its fasteners separately. Disconnect the battery before you unbolt the helm console, and label wires before you unplug anything. Avalon's first step is clearing everything off the deck so the whole carpeted area is open.

Fence panels: on most pontoons the fence is bolted through the deck along the edge. Taking it off is a big job; many owners leave it in place and cut the carpet neatly around each fence base. If yours must come off, label each panel and its position.

Following Avalon's method: cut along the edges and around fixed structures with a utility knife to make manageable sections, pry an edge up carefully, then roll the carpet toward the center, slicing through stubborn glue as you go. Don't gouge the plywood or aluminum with the pry bar or knife. If you need a pattern, keep it in one piece and mark the bow direction on it.

Scrape off as much old adhesive as you can with a floor scraper and putty knives. Softening stubborn spots with a heat gun on low helps; keep heat away from wiring, vinyl, the tubes and anything flammable. Avalon suggests a solvent recommended for marine use if scraping isn't enough. Marine Fabricator, on the other hand, prefers scraping and elbow grease over chemicals because solvent residue can stop the new adhesive from sticking. A good rule: scrape first, use a solvent only if the new adhesive's maker approves it, and let it evaporate completely. The new carpet needs a clean, dry, sound surface.

With the deck bare, walk every inch of it and press with your heel, especially around seat and fence bases, the helm, the gate, the ladder and every screw hole. Probe dark or stained areas with an awl.

• Firm and dry everywhere: carry on.
• Soft, spongy, delaminating or the awl sinks in: that wood is rotting. Epoxyworks explains that water gets into deck plywood along the screws and through the unsealed underside, and that once it has delaminated, the only real fix is to replace the damaged section.

Replacing plywood: cut out only back to solid wood with joints landing on a cross-member or added support, use marine plywood at least as thick as the original, and seal the back, all edges and every fastener hole with epoxy before installing. Epoxyworks stresses sealing the edges around the perimeter of a pontoon deck. Ask your builder before using pressure-treated wood: some treatments contain copper compounds that corrode aluminum cross-members. Our vinyl floor repair guide walks through deck replacement in more detail.

Pull or set any fasteners sticking up, fill gouges, and sweep and vacuum thoroughly. Seal any open screw holes you won't reuse. Some installers add a water-resistant coating to bare plywood before carpeting; if you do, check that your carpet adhesive is approved over it. Let everything dry completely: adhesive over damp wood fails, and it traps water against the deck.

Use an outdoor or marine carpet adhesive whose label lists your deck surface (marine plywood, or aluminum on an aluminum deck) and your carpet's backing type. General rules:

• Avoid indoor, water-soluble carpet glue. It softens when the deck gets wet.
• Trowel-applied adhesive is common for large flat areas. Use the notch size on the label: too much adhesive can bleed through the carpet, too little won't hold.
• Contact cement is often used where carpet wraps over edges or up vertical faces; Marine Fabricator uses a waterproof, heat-resistant contact cement. Some contact cements can react with certain backings, so test a scrap first.
• Note the open time (how long you have before laying the carpet) and the cure time before walking on it or reinstalling furniture.

Unroll the carpet in the sun or a warm space for a while so the roll curl relaxes. Mark arrows on the back pointing to the bow, as Marine Fabricator recommends, so every piece runs the same way; carpet laid with the pile going different directions looks like two shades. Lay it out on the deck, position it with a few inches of overhang on every edge, and rough-cut the big cutouts oversized. The Bass Pro guide suggests leaving about 3 to 4 inches past the deck edge if your edges wrap and staple underneath.

Fold back half the carpet, spread adhesive evenly on the deck with the notched trowel (or as the label directs), wait for the open time if required, then lay the carpet back into it smoothly. Work from the center toward the edges with the roller to push out air and wrinkles. Repeat with the other half. Keep adhesive off areas you won't carpet. Wipe up any adhesive on the carpet face right away with the cleaner the adhesive maker names.

Use a sharp blade (change it often) and a straightedge.

• Cutouts: cut hatch, gate and fence-base openings carefully. Marine Fabricator notes that carpet wrapped around hatch lips needs a larger opening than the hatch itself.
• Deck edges: finish them the way your boat was built. On many pontoons the carpet runs to the edge and is covered by the perimeter trim or rub rail; on others it wraps around the deck edge and is stapled underneath. If you staple, use corrosion-resistant staples shorter than the plywood is thick, a point the Bass Pro guide makes, so they can't poke through the top.
• Seams: butt the edges tightly and glue both sides fully so they can't lift.
• Cutting carpet in place can score the deck below and let water into the wood; slide a scrap of thin plywood or aluminum under the cut line when you trim on the boat.

Give the adhesive its full cure time before heavy foot traffic or bolting furniture down. When you reinstall seats, the helm, ladders and fence bases:

• Cut the carpet back slightly from each base footprint so the base sits on the deck, not on carpet that will wick water into the bolt holes.
• Seal every fastener hole. Epoxyworks recommends sealing fastener holes in pontoon decks with epoxy; at minimum bed each one with marine sealant.
• Reconnect the helm wiring exactly as photographed, reconnect the battery and test every switch, gauge and light.

See our through-bolting guide for seat and pedestal mounting.

• Vacuum or shake out sand often; grit wears the fibers down.
• Clean spills with a mild soap solution and blot dry. Our pontoon deck care guide covers cleaning and drying in more detail.
• Avalon's cleaning advice: a vacuum is all a carpeted deck needs day to day, with heavier carpet cleaners saved for the end-of-season clean, and every bit of soap rinsed or blotted out after spot cleaning, because leftover soap attracts dirt and the stain comes back. It also warns against acetone, thinners or gasoline for stubborn spots.
• Avoid high-pressure washing on glued carpet; it can lift edges and drive water under the carpet. Mercury's cleaning tips go further: don't hose permanently installed carpet at all. Vacuum it, wipe it with a damp rag, and for bigger stains scrub gently with lukewarm water, a mild detergent and a little white vinegar.
• Let the carpet dry before covering the boat, and use a well-supported cover so rain can't pool.
• Note the install date, carpet and adhesive in BoatMend.