Replaced my Swim Platform with GatorStep!

[prorider17 30]

Hi all,

I wanted to share my recent modification to my 2005 Lightning C4. I've had the boat for a few months now and love it. The other week, we were hanging out at the springs, and my wife was sitting on the swim platform with the original rubber pad. When the pad gets wet, it easily stains and leaves marks on anything that touches it. She got up and saw her entire leg covered in black marking. It was at that moment I knew we needed to replace the pad. I immediately called my dealer (Transition Watersports) and got the ball rolling. They're a GatorStep dealer. They worked with me to get the design squared away. I ordered on a Thursday and had the new pad arrive Monday! 

Removal/application process.

1. Removal - I park my boat outside (for the time being). I called GatorStep and asked what the best route was to remove the existing pad. They said get it hot, pick a corner and pull. I did just that. The pad had been in the sun all day, so I picked a corner and bam.. the entire pad was off in less than 1 minute. 

2. Cleaning - I picked up a plastic scraper and a bottle of Goo Gone. I squirted the entire bottle on the pad, saturated all the remaining adhesive and let it sit for 10 minutes. I came back with my scraper and went to town. 

 

3. Prep - After I removed all the old adhesive, I took isopropyl alcohol and wiped everything down three times to ensure the surface would be best for adhesion. 

4. New pad -  Super simple process: Line up the new pad with the platform, peel a corner, stick down, ensure you're aligned and finish up. Nice thing about GatorStep is that, if you mess up, it's 3M backing, so you have a few chances to pull back up and re-apply without losing any adhesion. I went with the Centurion logo'd Cascade design in sharkfin gray with the scraped surface. Took it out the next day and couldn't be happier! Now, I need a swim platform cover to keep it protected. 

 

In all, I couldn't be happier. Word of caution... once you do the swim platform, you'll want to do the entire cockpit and bow... #ByeByeWallet

[49faith 4]

Nice. I can't see the pics, but I want to do the same. My swim deck and kick pads are in rough shape. I emailed them directly in the middle of April and after one response I never heard back. I guess I'll have to go to the dealer.

[RhuntIII 555]

Excellent write up but no pics. We like to see pics.

 

[Shaka 146]

Cool write up! I ordered an entire Gatorstep floor for my Enzo last week.

[Jake707 171]

ya. Pics or it didn't happen..........

[Dandy 43]

It looks like he tried to post pics, but they didn't load.  I am seeing place holders with what looks to be a file name, just no actual pic.  

[prorider17 30]

Trying to add these pics! Sorry everyone... I tried embedding the images from my Google Photos album, as they're linked and high-res. Oh well. Guess I'll do one at a time. Here's the platform after I put on the GatorStep.

[prorider17 30]

Holy downsize.. I really have to reduce the size of my pics!

Here's the platform after I pulled my boat out of the lake.

 

[gravity12 83]

Nice. 

 

[ReSession 165]

A muskrat chewed my pad a few seasons ago and I have a replacement pad I need to swap out...been holding off on this project just because it seems like a pain but your goo gone marinating process seems like the best/quickest method! 

[DarksideR 1,679]

Excellent write up. Thanks for sharing! Looks great!