Cobaltchat.com

Recently ordered a platform from swimplatforms.com and I’m looking for anyone who has gotten a template done for seadeck. Would need to be a mid-late 90s 220.

Playing with the idea of just doing a DIY deal, but it would be nice to have a real one done.

Following this thread. I have the idea for Seadek on a swimplatform on a 1994 222. I got a quote to Seadek the cockpit and swimplatform and it was approx $3k. Seems slightly outrageous, it would be a nice upgrade from the 30 year old carpet. Also wanting to rip out carpet in engine box and battery zone. A true labor of love…

I just did the swim platform on my 323. Used Castaway Customs down at Lake of the Ozarks but I think they have people all over. They did a great job!

I just got my swimplatforms.com delivery a couple weeks ago and I too want to get some foam on it. I've got a CNC machine big enough to make decent sized pieces to puzzle together, but haven't quite gotten had the time to do anything yet..

Also just installed new carpets from Corinthian Marine this weekend. Turned out really nice and matched well to the Sea Dek.

Yes...that does look sharp!

That came out very nice.

Was the snap tool very expensive?

Titaniumboy wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 4:06 pm That came out very nice.

Was the snap tool very expensive?

That one in the picture was! They have some way cheaper ones on amazon now but when I got that one it was really the only one i could find. Either way its well worth having if your putting in more than 1 or 2 snaps.

Titaniumboy wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 4:06 pm That came out very nice.

Was the snap tool very expensive?

I have one somewhere. I paid around $130 (probably 8 years ago) if I remember correctly. Used it to replace carpet in previous boat.
We plan on taking such good care of it our Cobalt soft mat that I hope to never use it again.

jwill323 wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 5:45 pm That one in the picture was! They have some way cheaper ones on amazon now but when I got that one it was really the only one i could find. Either way its well worth having if your putting in more than 1 or 2 snaps.

That looks like a really nice snap tool. I had bought this one last summer on Amazon, but I paid $36 instead of $27. I only have to change one or two snaps at a time, but I’m sure would have got the nicer tool if I had to install a complete carpet set.

How did you go about accurately locating the new carpet snaps so they would align with the existing cockpit snaps?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08V ... =UTF8&th=1

Titaniumboy wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 5:57 pm

jwill323 wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 5:45 pm That one in the picture was! They have some way cheaper ones on amazon now but when I got that one it was really the only one i could find. Either way its well worth having if your putting in more than 1 or 2 snaps.

That looks like a really nice snap tool. I had bought this one last summer on Amazon, but I paid $36 instead of $27. I only have to change one or two snaps at a time, but I’m sure would have got the nicer tool if I had to install a complete carpet set.

How did you go about accurately locating the new carpet snaps so they would align with the existing cockpit snaps?


D275866B-27C9-49FB-9098-4893BE187D15.png

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08V ... =UTF8&th=1

I've done 2 full sets of carpets, 1st one was on our old boat which was a 280 Searay and then on the 323. My process is to lay out all the carpets and get all the edges and seams the way you like them while making sure each carpet piece covers the snaps you are going to attach them to. Then i start at the most obvious seam so on the 323 it was right in the middle between the 2 front seats. Laying/standing on the section you are working on to keep it in place I use a ice pick type tool and from the top side of the carpet push the pick through the carpet directly into the center of the snap attached to the floor. Pull up the carpet slightly and make a hole through the carpet. Then i pull the pick out and push it through the bottom of the carpet and use it to align the top cap of the snap through the hole. Then use your snap tool to compress the snap onto the carpet. Snap it down and move on to the next snap. just need to make sure you keep all your alignments straight. The whole process is a little finicky but once you get a few done you get a groove going and knock it out pretty quick. If you screw up you can remove the snap and try again. The nap on the marine carpets is pretty thick so you'll never see any mistakes if you have to move a snap and the carpets can usually be stretched a little if your off by a hair. Honestly its pretty easy once you get going. The carpets on the Searay were a teak look carpet so aligning all the stripes, edges and seams was a pain in the ass. This one was much easier since it was less/larger pieces and just a solid color with a little texture in it.

One other thing is the quality of the template. On the Searay i had the carpets made from the template they had on file that was from Matworks the carpets were really nice but i didn't feel like the template was as good. On the 323 I did my own template from the original carpets and i thought it was much better / more accurate. This was from Corinthian Marine. They actually have a 10% discount if your a Club Searay member which they honored for me even though the carpets were for a Cobalt! Im sure someone on here could get CobaltChat set up for the same discount but i have no idea how to do that so you can just piggyback on the Cub Searay discount if you like. Lastly i did spray the carpets with a scotch guard UV/ Water protectant about a week before i installed them.

Thanks for the great description of your carpet installation!

1 more thing, Having someone to help really makes it easier. An extra set of hands helps it go way better. 1st time i did this with my wife which you may want to consider carefully! She declined this time!