Hydro-Turf install

[gerrychuck]

I am planning to put my Hydro-Turf in my C2K this weekend (Royal Blue top, grey bottom, cut diamond for anyone interested). I don't think I received any sort of installation instructions with the kit, and although it appears to be a pretty straightforward process (peel and stick) I thought I'd ask if there are any particular instructions or hints that I should be aware of.

Thanks in advance!

Gerry

 

[RFoster130]

Lay it all out first. Make sure you know where all the pieces go. Clean the boat good. I washed and dried it. then use rubbing alcohol to clean each spot right before you stick it down. Peel a corner to the part you want to stick down. Get it down and lined up. Push that corner down good and pull the backing off while you push it down. Then after you get each piece down, put something heavy on it for a bit. The adhesive is pressure sensitive. As you wiegh it down, it sticks. Good luck. It is very easy.

 

[biffdotorg]

Print the overhead picture of your boat from PWC Muscle or Hydro Turf's website. It will help you place the pieces in the right place. It will seem obvious once you have them laid out.

Once you have the surface clean and are ready to place, you can use Foster's method to start the stick while you peel or use a partner.

On the large pieces, peel it down about a third, and tear some small pieces off the backing to place under your fingers. This will allow you to hold onto the turf while your partner peels the rest of the backing off. The backing pieces under your fingers come off easier than your bare fingers.

I used a rolling pin to roll them evenly, but walking and other forms of weight should be applied to get the adhesive to set.

Good luck,

 

[gerrychuck]

Thanks guys; just the kind of info I was looking for. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[gerrychuck]

Well, finally got a nice day, and got the Hyrdo-Turf put in. Absolutely no problems at all, and I'm very pleased with the results. Thanks for the advice; definitely helped make the process go more quickly and turn out better! Couple of pics attached; you can see the two colours fairly well; royal blue (maybe could have gone with a darker blue) with gray on the bottom.

 

[RFoster130]

looks great!! :thumbsup:

 

[BMANN06]

Looks sweet!! I grabbed the wifeys rolling pin and used that to press it down. I found it very useful tool, just make sure you put it back before she gets home!!

 

[biffdotorg]

That's about as perfect of an install as you can get. Those colors look great!

The one thing we noticed in our boat this weekend since installing, we love the turf when kneeling. Getting in from the swimdeck etc. It's much easier on the knees. Everyone was sure-footed at all times as well. No regrets at all on the investment.

 

[BMANN06]

The one thing we noticed in our boat this weekend since installing, we love the turf when kneeling. Getting in from the swimdeck etc. It's much easier on the knees. Everyone was sure-footed at all times as well. No regrets at all on the investment.

Agreed! Best mod out there for seadoo's!

 

[gerrychuck]

Thanks for the positive comments; much appreciated! I was really pleased with how easily the turf went on; I just used RFoster's technique and had no problems at all. I was prepared to use weight or the BMANN06 rolling pin technique to press it down, but didn't need to; it sucked right down to the floor with no bubbles or lifting at the edges, it just plain stuck. Conditions were fantastic; about 25 degrees C (high 70's F) and sunny; the turf was sitting in the sun (as was the boat) before going on, so both surfaces were warm and the adhesive was nice and tacky. I've already had the chance to appreciate the 'knee-saving' qualities of the turf; after installing it, I went on to work on installing a fish finder, and was kneeling quite a bit on the floor of the boat. Definitely more comfortable than in would have been on the bare gelcoat. Thanks again for both the advice and the compliments!

 

[biffdotorg]

Gerry, maybe you can help me out. The fishfinder is my next project. Do you have a picture of your fuse box, or where you tapped in for power? I have yet to do the wiring for my new Lowrance I purchased today.

Any help is appreciated. I am going to sand down the flat spot near my bilge pump and epoxy my transducer inside the hull.

This has been covered, so I am sure that should not be much issue. The electricity just threw me off.

Thanks so much in advance.

 

[gerrychuck]

I can probably get some pics tomorrow, but I can certainly tell you how I got power. I pulled the storage bin out from under the driver's windscreen, which gave me access to the backside of all the instruments and their wiring. Directly in front of and below the instrument cluster in the compartment is a rectangular fuse block/power bus sticking itself right in your face. It is divided into an A block (left side of the block as you're facing the stern) and a B block (right side). The B block has the fuses and the connectors for the radio, bilge pump, etc with the red (more orange, really)power wires for those things connecting to the block with spade connectors. On my boat there are several open connectors on the block, so I crimped the power wire for the fish finder (with it's integral 3A inline fuse) into a female spade connector, and simply pushed it onto one of the open male connectors on the block. For ground, there is a huge bundle of black ground wires attaching to a common ground through a ring connector onto a bolt just to the left (facing aft) of the fuse block. I hooked a ring connector onto the ground wire for the Eagle and connected it to the same common ground, and that was it. I was quite concerned about finding power for my unit too, and was very happy to find the open connector on the fuse block and the handy common ground, both very easy to get at and tap into without any splicing or tapping into other wires. Hope this helps; I can take pics if you have trouble figuring it out

 

[biffdotorg]

That's the perfect response, thank you! I have an X-20, so our fusebox should be identical. Your description has helped greatly and I look forward to mounting mine tomorrow night! I'm excited about this project once again.

I do have the suction cup from an old Lowrance transducer to use until I find a good place to epoxy the skimmer. I guess all else fails, I drill into the stern. I would rather epoxy it though.

We will work through this. Thanks again!

 

[gerrychuck]

Glad I could help! Now we just have to get those pesky transducers installed and we're good to go From what I've read there should be no problem getting them to work from inside the hull; it's just a matter of finding the right spot. Onward...

 

[biffdotorg]

You were spot on with those directions! They could not have been any better. Thank you!

Putting in the electrical for my new LCD Sonar was cake thanks to you. I was sort of at a loss as to where to mount it as not to interfere with the shifter, or steering wheel. Without using a ram-mount, I think I found a good spot.

For anyone else doing this install, I attached a couple photos of the places Gerry was talking about. Drilling fiberglass is probably the only iffy part as you know it is permanent.

The transducer mount we addressed in another thread.

More pics are located here:

http://www.biff.org/

Good luck!

 

[gerrychuck]

So glad that I was able to help with that! Looks like you ended up with your head unit in pretty much exactly the same place as I did (the units appear to be identical). I had the same problem finding that one little sweet spot where the unit didn't interfere with either the wheel or the shift lever; there ain't much wiggle room there. How did it go with the transducer?

 

[biffdotorg]

Transducer worked fine in the bottom of the ski locker. It was a bit tricky to get it weighted down on the bag of water, so we got some water in the bilge, and put the bag of water on top to hold it down. Worked fine.

I will be putting on the epoxy very soon. I was going to sand that area of the locker, but my buddys were saying the epoxy would adhere to a rougher surface. I just don't need air bubbles in between. I may course sand it a bit.

 

[Digger60]

I have a 2008 Speedster 150....Im looking at getting the Hydro Turf because the factory white non-slip surface is really hard to keep clean.

I have a couple of questions.

There is a sandy (non-slip) white surface on the boat from the factory..Does the 3M Hydro Turf stick to that grainy surface good ? Not like its a smooth surface to stick to :-( Also wondering if there is a problem with moisture getting between the sandy white surface and the Hydro Turf ?

Thanks

Tom

 

[biffdotorg]

Not at all. in fact, you will find the pre-cut kits will be cut almost exact to the textured surface you have. No need to sand it off. The 3M adhesive will adhere with pressure. If applied correctly, water should not be an issue unless applied with a pressure washer!!

I have also noticed how much I wanted to clean my boat after each outing with the bare white floors. Now, dirt and sand are barely noticeable with the dark grey hydro turf. Heat is not an issue either. We were out last night, and the grey vinyl of the seats got hotter than the floor.

The most notable benefit, as talked about in this thread, is kneeling!! The swimdeck and floor are much easier on the knees!!

Go get it! Good luck!

 

[Longhorn]

Question for Gerrychuck, I see you are in SK, I am in Medicine Hat. Is there anywhere in western Canada for the Hydro-turf or did you have to order from the US? I have searched online, but cant seem to find a dealer locally.

Second question, If I have the factory carpet, does it matter, or can I still install the hydro-turf, or would I have to remove all the snaps??

thanks

 

[gerrychuck]

I ordered mine from PWC Muscle through the link here on the forum; i don't know if there is a Canadian source or not. Ordering from the PWC folks was painless and delivery time was very reasonable. Regarding the factory carpet, I can't help much there; my boat didn't have any so there wasn't anything in my way and no decisions to make. One thing; I went with the precut kit with the adhesive backing and really recommend it. Installation took only a half hour or so with the kit; too easy and great results.

 

[Longhorn]

Thanks so much for your info. I have looked on the PWC Muscle site as well, prices are great. Will look at the pre-cut for sure, sounds like a simple and easy way to go.

thanks again

 

[BMANN06]

Thanks so much for your info. I have looked on the PWC Muscle site as well, prices are great. Will look at the pre-cut for sure, sounds like a simple and easy way to go.

thanks again

You def. want precut with 3M backing ... makes the install a breeze. You will NOT be dissappointed.