Doubling up on bunk carpeting ..

[yam240sx]

Recently re did my trailer bunks .. I ordered a highly rated carpet from amazon with many good reviews .. everything when all done came out pretty good however I noticed the carpet is not as plush and fluffy on the flat parts of 2x6s where boat sits after about 2 months when boat is off the trailer ... it seems to be causing minor scuffs and small scratches on bottom of boat on long tow trips ... mentioned doubling up the carpet at my local marina and said no way its not recommended .. I see his point but cant see how it could hurt ... thoughts ??

 

[Julian]

I cannot think of a reason why doubling up carpeting on the bunks would be a problem. If you google this you find plenty of people doing it.

There are also recommendations to sand down the end (round them off) especially where the boat puts a lot of weight on the bunks.

What was "his point"?

 

[yam240sx]

His theory is that the extra layer would eventually slide and have big creases and pockets develop ... I dont see how if stapled very tight and taught but only one way to find out i guess ...

 

[Zuppy51]

As long as it allows the material to dry out, you should be ok. Otherwise might prematurely rot the wood.

 

[Julian]

I have one section of carpet missing on one bunk. I awas thinking of just doubling up the whole bunk. Any further thoughts on why doubling would be a bad idea.

 

[drewkaree]

His theory is that the extra layer would eventually slide and have big creases and pockets develop ... I dont see how if stapled very tight and taught but only one way to find out i guess ...

Well, that's just a "pull the staples, fix it, and restaple everything" problem, not something to tell a person "No Way!"

I'm with @Julian I don't see the problem or issue with it. Using pressure treated wood would also lengthen or alleviate rot concerns. Worst case, you'll have to replace them, but they should last far longer than non-PT wood, so again...not something I'd consider a drawback.

Something to consider as well, they sell thicker carpeting, dunno how many mils more than "typical" carpet, but if it's twice as thick... ?

 

[Cambo]

The stock carpet was installed with large staples not from a staple gun they were approximately 1“ wife by 3/4” deep. I did install carpet over the existing due to it wearing through in certain areas. Regular staples will not work but I used a Bostich sx150 air staple gun with 1 1/2“ x 1/4 staples. This carpet has not and will not slide using this type and quantity of staples. The new carpet was only 12” wide so it wrapped the top and two sides so the pressure of the boat will squeeze out 90% of the water. My bunks have never rotted could be salt water vs fresh water I’m not sure but if they do they can be replaced.

 

[yam240sx]

Do it . make sure everything is tight and taught .

 

[Julian]

The stock carpet was installed with large staples not from a staple gun they were approximately 1“ wife by 3/4” deep. I did install carpet over the existing due to it wearing through in certain areas. Regular staples will not work but I used a Bostich sx150 air staple gun with 1 1/2“ x 1/4 staples. This carpet has not and will not slide using this type and quantity of staples. The new carpet was only 12” wide so it wrapped the top and two sides so the pressure of the boat will squeeze out 90% of the water. My bunks have never rotted could be salt water vs fresh water I’m not sure but if they do they can be replaced.

I used stainless 3/4 inch deep staples for my gun last time and it worked great. Used a ton of them as I had to buy a whole box of them....so have tons left over from last time!

Now I just have to wait for the rain to stop.

Of course now that I've slept on it, I may just pull off the old carpet to inspect the bunks and hardware. May round off the edges better while I'm at it.....you know how these jobs go....LOL

 

[drewkaree]

I used stainless 3/4 inch deep staples for my gun last time and it worked great. Used a ton of them as I had to buy a whole box of them....so have tons left over from last time!

Now I just have to wait for the rain to stop.

Of course now that I've slept on it, I may just pull off the old carpet to inspect the bunks and hardware. May round off the edges better while I'm at it.....you know how these jobs go....LOL

Overengineered is a favorite of mine!

At the very least, I'd do a better round off on the front & rear sections of your bunks (at which point, my brain would have me looking at the rest of the bunk board and saying to myself, why the hell don't I just do the whole dang thing). The front would (potentially) have more pressure on that front edge once your stern was floating, which is why I'd round that off, and once it was loaded and out of the water, I'd want the rear rounded better to shed more water, and then I'd look at the top edge...and down the rabbit hole I'd be, rounding each edge, wondering if an ogee would shed more water, could I use a different profile, etc etc etc.

Get you a nice palm router since you're going to need it for this project, and make sure to tell the wife it's for the boat, and if you don't get this tool for this purpose, the boat is probably on its last legs because of the incompetence and terrible design of the trailer, and you're shocked it's still holding up as well as it does...and then ask nonchalantly if she still has those shoes and purse that she bought to match some outfit for some event you went to, and has never worn since that point...y'know, just to be nice, and not to throw her off the trail of foolish tool purposes or anything like that!

Bosch Colt router was the most ubiquitous, now every manufacturer has one, and some even have a cordless version! (not saying I have a second one, as it may be used against me by the wife someday)

 

[Heizen]

Depending on the type of carpet you purchase, you may decide to use staple or adhesive to attach it. If you choose to use glue, make sure it is high-quality and water adhesive. For the staple method, you need to carefully position the carpet on edge to ensure you have enough space to secure it.