SecondChances
New member
The SeaDek on my swim platform was peeling, and it was apparent that the previous owner had tried to glue it down several times. It was time to replace it. I found good reviews for Aqua Marine Deck on facebook and another forum I frequent so I decided to give it a try. The ordering and delivery process went smoothly, and I received it just a couple of days after ordering. It came rolled up in a box, so as per the instructions, I removed it from the box and laid it flat for a couple of days.
Tools and materials used for this project:
I was pretty lucky because the old SeaDek failed and was peeling up almost completely. It would have all been gone if the previous owner hadn't secured with other types of adhesive. For the sheets that were still adhered I used the very think putty knife to get under and peel up a corner, then pulled up on the SeaDek to pull it off.
Cleaning:
I started using Acetone first, but quickly realized that it wasn't removing the adhesives very well. I saw at least 3 different types of adhesive, and it was pretty thick, so I knew I'd need something stronger. I then tried the Goo Gone Gel, and it was very effective. I sprayed it on, waited 10 minutes and then hosed it down. I needed to do this a few times. I then sprayed it into smaller sections and rubbed it with towel which helped remove the adhesive stuck in the non-skid grooves. This was the worst part of this project, and I still didn't get it as clean as I would have liked. If anyone has found a way to get this completely clean, I would love to hear how you did it. After I was done with the Goo Gone and Acetone I washed everything several times with water and regular boat soap.
Fitting the new Aqua Marine Deck:
I laid the new Aqua Marine Deck pieces out and lined them up the best I could. It was a little smaller than the original SeaDek, so I removed it and cleaned more of the places that will now be exposed. I laid them out again, and lined them up. I tried my best, but there were a few places where it wasn't quite enough to cover all the non-skid. Once I got it where I wanted it, I used the recommended brown masking tape to secure all but 1 of the pieces to the swim platform. I removed the unsecured piece, and used a razor knife to cut a slit in the backing and folded the corners of this backing so I could grab them when installing.
I applied the 3M Primer 94 to the area where the piece will be applied. I used a small paint brush, and was careful to not get too much outside of where the pad will be. My understanding is it can be cleaned off with Acetone, but I didn't want to have to use Acetone so close to the new Aqua Marine Decking as it may affect it's adhesion.
I then placed and lined this piece up, and taped one side of it down. I then lifted the other side and pulled the backing off as I slowly pushed it down on the platform. I them removed the tape from the other side, lifted it up and pulled out the backing and carefully placed it down onto the platform.
After I had a whole piece complete, I took the floor roller and rolled it out to help it adhere and remove any air bubbles. I then did this same process for the remaining pieces of Aqua Marine Deck.
Once I had all pieces installed, I rolled it all again with the floor roller, then left it all overnight to allow the adhesives to do their job.
After Care:
I watched several youtube videos on this process, and one thing I noticed is that none of them ever mentioned waxing the area where chemicals were used to remove the adhesive. Both of these products will remove the wax from the gelcoat. I washed all the areas again with water and boat soap and let dry. I used Meguiar's Premium Cleaner / Wax to go over all the exposed areas of the swim platform, transom, and hull where the chemicals may have touched. I then followed that up with Meguiar's premium Marine Wax.
Things I learned:
Please feel free comment or reach out if you have questions.
Tools and materials used for this project:
- Thin Putty Knife (Amazon Link)
- Razor Knife (Amazon Link)
- Floor Roller (Lowes.com Link)
- Acetone (West Marine Link)
- Goo Gone (Lowes Link)
- 3M Primer 94 (Amazon Link)
- Brown masking tape (Amazon Link) (Brown was recommended by Aqua Marine, but I'd probably use blue next time)
- Meguiar's Flagship Premium Cleaner / Wax and Meguiar's Flagship Premium Marine Wax (West Marine Link, West Marine Link)
- Various rags and towels.
I was pretty lucky because the old SeaDek failed and was peeling up almost completely. It would have all been gone if the previous owner hadn't secured with other types of adhesive. For the sheets that were still adhered I used the very think putty knife to get under and peel up a corner, then pulled up on the SeaDek to pull it off.
Cleaning:
I started using Acetone first, but quickly realized that it wasn't removing the adhesives very well. I saw at least 3 different types of adhesive, and it was pretty thick, so I knew I'd need something stronger. I then tried the Goo Gone Gel, and it was very effective. I sprayed it on, waited 10 minutes and then hosed it down. I needed to do this a few times. I then sprayed it into smaller sections and rubbed it with towel which helped remove the adhesive stuck in the non-skid grooves. This was the worst part of this project, and I still didn't get it as clean as I would have liked. If anyone has found a way to get this completely clean, I would love to hear how you did it. After I was done with the Goo Gone and Acetone I washed everything several times with water and regular boat soap.
Fitting the new Aqua Marine Deck:
I laid the new Aqua Marine Deck pieces out and lined them up the best I could. It was a little smaller than the original SeaDek, so I removed it and cleaned more of the places that will now be exposed. I laid them out again, and lined them up. I tried my best, but there were a few places where it wasn't quite enough to cover all the non-skid. Once I got it where I wanted it, I used the recommended brown masking tape to secure all but 1 of the pieces to the swim platform. I removed the unsecured piece, and used a razor knife to cut a slit in the backing and folded the corners of this backing so I could grab them when installing.
I applied the 3M Primer 94 to the area where the piece will be applied. I used a small paint brush, and was careful to not get too much outside of where the pad will be. My understanding is it can be cleaned off with Acetone, but I didn't want to have to use Acetone so close to the new Aqua Marine Decking as it may affect it's adhesion.
I then placed and lined this piece up, and taped one side of it down. I then lifted the other side and pulled the backing off as I slowly pushed it down on the platform. I them removed the tape from the other side, lifted it up and pulled out the backing and carefully placed it down onto the platform.
After I had a whole piece complete, I took the floor roller and rolled it out to help it adhere and remove any air bubbles. I then did this same process for the remaining pieces of Aqua Marine Deck.
Once I had all pieces installed, I rolled it all again with the floor roller, then left it all overnight to allow the adhesives to do their job.
After Care:
I watched several youtube videos on this process, and one thing I noticed is that none of them ever mentioned waxing the area where chemicals were used to remove the adhesive. Both of these products will remove the wax from the gelcoat. I washed all the areas again with water and boat soap and let dry. I used Meguiar's Premium Cleaner / Wax to go over all the exposed areas of the swim platform, transom, and hull where the chemicals may have touched. I then followed that up with Meguiar's premium Marine Wax.
Things I learned:
- Cleaning adhesives is no fun.
- Aqua Marine Deck recommends brown masking tape, but I'd use blue the next time. The brown left residue and also pulled some of the top layer off on one spot.
- I would use the Goo Gone first, and not bother with Acetone until most of the adhesive is already up.
- I would create my own templates and have Aqua Marine Deck use those to cut the pads so I could have made it a bit larger. That would have solved the issue with the non-skid is showing.
Please feel free comment or reach out if you have questions.
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