I am about to replace the carpet in my bass boat and was looking into getting a pad under it but I have a few questions. Do the latches still function as they should? Will hooks get into the carpet easier? Can I still get a pro looking finish? Also is it much harder installing the carpet with the padding?

I removed my latches and yes anything on top of decks like locks will be affected. You adhere pad first and then carpet. Definitely more work. I can't think of any affect of hooks getting in carpet. A treble can get in either padded or non padded carpet. Your end result can still be excellent even with a pad. Hope it turns out awesome!

I had V's carpeting do my boat and I had him pad the entire front deck. I'm sure he accounted for the padding but the locks work fine and now having done it, I won't ever have a boat without it! Makes all the difference in the world. And no, hooks don't catch it easier. It actually seems, if you use a heavier carpet, that the hooks don't catch AS easy....