1988 Supra Mariah Floor Restoration

[lmnelson86]

I got the gelcoat Webbing done last night in purple and black. The webbing agent is mixed in equal parts with the clear gelcoat, and then you add your pigment. It probably took 4 ounces of gelcoat to do both webbing colors. It is VERY minimal, less than you'd ever imagine. I mixed up almost a pint and had most of it left over. I wish I could have mixed less, but its already tough when you're adding drops of wax and drops of hardener to the pot. Turned out pretty awesome if I say so myself.



Purple first:

[lmnelson86]

Purple and Black:

[lmnelson86]

An overall view:

[flipz96]

Looks awesome! Hope to be there soon! Have you got all the carpet of the deck yet? I'm dreading that.

[lmnelson86]

Yea most of the carpet came off with very little effort. I still have to get all of the glue off of the deck, but it is what it is. I have to pull some carpet out of the cubby hole where the battery is, but I'll tackle that once I get there...which is soon, hopefully.

[TitanTn]

You may have already mentioned this, if so, I apologize. Is this going to be the finished floor? I would think it would be extremely slippery with wet feet.

[lmnelson86]

You may have already mentioned this, if so, I apologize. Is this going to be the finished floor? I would think it would be extremely slippery with wet feet.

Yes, this is the finished floor. Honestly I think carpet is one of the worst things you can do to a boat. It stinks, holds water, and is generally just unappealing to the eye. Just my opinion. The floor is actually not very slippery. A couple of our other boats are the same way and we have no issues at all. Granted it is certainly more slippery than carpet, but there is really not a lot of walking room inside of the boat to will warrant taking a spill. I do have in mind some simple snap in carpet runners should I end up being wrong...but I don't think it'll be necessary.

I also left the 1708 unsanded (aside from bumps and boogers) after I finished laying the glass on the floor. The final result was actually quite grippy and almost uncomfortable for my bare feet. Two coats of gelcoat was enough to fill the voids and still leave some grip. You can actually see the pattern of the 1708 if you look closely in the pictures.

[TitanTn]

Yes, this is the finished floor. Honestly I think carpet is one of the worst things you can do to a boat. It stinks, holds water, and is generally just unappealing to the eye. Just my opinion. The floor is actually not very slippery. A couple of our other boats are the same way and we have no issues at all. Granted it is certainly more slippery than carpet, but there is really not a lot of walking room inside of the boat to will warrant taking a spill. I do have in mind some simple snap in carpet runners should I end up being wrong...but I don't think it'll be necessary.

I also left the 1708 unsanded (aside from bumps and boogers) after I finished laying the glass on the floor. The final result was actually quite grippy and almost uncomfortable for my bare feet. Two coats of gelcoat was enough to fill the voids and still leave some grip. You can actually see the pattern of the 1708 if you look closely in the pictures.

Thanks Luke. Hey, to each his own. The floor looks great and I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I'll have to say that my experience with carpet isn't that it doesn't stink, hold water or is unsightly. But I'm a little particular about how people use my boat and thus the carpet doesn't get abused like others might.

I do agree that SOME carpet can be unappealing, but I think the right style and color of carpet really makes things look sharp.

Differences are cool and you get to decide what happens when you own the boat, and especially since you're doing the work. How boring would it be if we all had the same boat? Good work - I look forward to seeing it completed.

[lmnelson86]

Thanks Luke. Hey, to each his own. The floor looks great and I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I'll have to say that my experience with carpet isn't that it doesn't stink, hold water or is unsightly. But I'm a little particular about how people use my boat and thus the carpet doesn't get abused like others might.

I do agree that SOME carpet can be unappealing, but I think the right style and color of carpet really makes things look sharp.

Differences are cool and you get to decide what happens when you own the boat, and especially since you're doing the work. How boring would it be if we all had the same boat? Good work - I look forward to seeing it completed.

I completely agree with you on choice of the style and color of carpet. It can make or break a boat. Proper maintenance and cleaning/drying of the carpet is a must as well. Unfortunately most people (that I have seen) don't care for their carpet in the way they should and it becomes an issue down the road. Like I said, I plan on having some nice snap-in carpets installed should this surface not work out. I have confidence in it though.

Thanks for the kind words, I cannot wait to see it completed either! Its been a very long but fun project to occupy my winter. I wouldn't have had the slightest idea where to start had it not been for this forum, nor would I have known to do a "cap-off" restoration. I hope my thread can influence others along the way in their projects as yours and others did mine.

[lmnelson86]

I've always been a fan of the purple on the 1996 Mustang GT, so this will be the color of the purple of my boat. Cant wait to see this thing shining on the lake under the sun