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Please tell me why I shouldn't strip the carpet . . .
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Gillie, I hear the latest Rolls Royce Coupe' has twinkle lights in the headliner, so I guess that's one possible high-dollar option that would impress the gals!
In your dry California climate this may not be a big deal, but here in Florida it's common to have 100% humidity for a few hours in the early morning before the sea breeze kicks in. (100% humidity means the ambient temperature is the same as the dew point.) On a calm clear night, the cabin top will radiate enough heat to the black sky that it's surface temperature can actually drop BELOW the dew point! When that happens all that moisture in the air will condense out on the cool surface, usually enough to make you think it rained overnight! With no carpeting on the inside to insulate the inside surface and keep it's temp above the dew point, you'll also get condensation on the INSIDE! (In other words, it'll sweat!) With the 10-20% humidity common to So. California, that's a problem you'll never have, so Carla's suggestion just give it the bedliner look might be a good one. If you put a high gloss paint up there, it'll just magnify the rough surface of the fiberglass and make it look even worse. However if I lived anywhere in the southeast US, I'd stick with the fake mouse fur, as I think it might actually help avoid mildew by keeping that condensation out of the cabin. (Leaving a tub of Damp-rid in the cabin and cracking the hatch about a half inch also helps, as does keeping a cover on the boat!)
Sandy, I'll try to get some measurements and bring you a sample of the OEM carpet on Monday. Another carpet guy said it looked like a latex backing, similar to indoor outdoor carpet, but he didn't know anybody that made outdoor shag carpet! The carpet fibers are definitely some sort of synthetic material because they melt when you put a flame to them. Denny