Boat Flooring - Carpet or No Carpet?

[bigesox11]

I am going to replace the flooring on my 2002 Tracker and was leaning towards not using any type of carpet this time. I'm thinking the carpet will just get dirty or stained and will only stay wet longer. Just looking for some pros and cons. For instance, will the deck be any hotter without carpeting or about the same if I decide to paint instead? Thanks.

 

[jbcurt00]

Consider Nautolex or similar marine vinyl.

Jig-n-grub will be along shortly to go over the many benefits

Ease of cleanup, esp on a fishing boat

 

[bigesox11]

I called a place that sold Nautolex, but they said that it didn't have any padding or cushioning to it. I was maybe looking for something that had some cushioning to it, kind of what bartenders have as they are on their feet all of the time. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[mccoytr]

http://www.seadek.com/

 

[Star]

I have used home depot indoor outdoor for 8 years in a small 14' fisher. It is screwed down with ss ferrules not glued.
The 1/2" exterior ply was coated with 3 coats of varnish. The sections can be pulled out for cleaning. It is easy on bare feet and Not slippery. It cost me about $60 enough to do the boat 1 1/2 times. It does trap dirt and sand but that is good because it keeps it out of the bottom of your boat. Try it is the cheapest by far.

 

[jigngrub]

How much time and money do you have?

Are you in a hurry to get this project done or do you plan to take your time.

How handy with the tools are you? Do you mind buying specialty tools to do a project correctly?

Do you plan on replacing your old decking with new plywood or are you going to reuse what you have?

 

[bigesox11]

Have time, have tools, probably will replace plywood, I don't want to spend too much. My boat is a 2002 Tracker Pro DV-16 with only a 40hp that is mainly used for fishing. I was entertaining the idea of trying to put some type of cushioning floor down, but I do not want to put too much money into this project. I love the boat, but it is just a little fishing boat.

 

[max62]

Having owned fishing boats and recreational sports boats for years, I find that I prefer a tough non-skid surface on a fishing boat and an easily-replaceable carpet on recreational/sports boat. I am used to always having at least 2 separate boats (fishing vs. recreational sport). But recently decided to downsize to just one multipurpose boat due to lack of time and other commitments. I'm having the same dilemma: carpet or no carpet in my current project Larson 19ft runabout.

Here is my list of pros and cons for each type of a deck surface.

Carpet:
Pros
- feels nice on your feet, all the ladies love it
- Doesn't get hot when the sun is out
- Non-slip
- Cheap and easy enough to replace (if snapped into place)

Cons:
- Gets dirty quick and tracked mud gets embedded deep
- Tough to remove stains
- Holds water longer
- If not dried, starts to rot and smell may even wick moisture to unglassed wood structures (deck, stringers, etc)
- may be tougher to remove (if glued down).


Now on to surface coating like a truck bedliner or specialty paint/coat
Pros:
- tough, durable
- most can be easily washed off
- water dries quick
- water-proofs the deck
- usually non-skid
- looks rugged (which may be a negative thing for some).

Cons:
- too many options for coatings, dont know which ones to trust
- must coatings are black so get really hot in the summer sun
- messy job to apply, may need multiple applications
- if wrong product used, may be pain to remove
- may need to add silica send or some other aggregate to make it non-skid


Hope this helps you decide.

 

[Browndog10]

I am considering the Nautolex myself. Buddy has it on his lund with snaps for carpet. First year he left the carpet in, havent seen the carpet in 5 yrs. We do alot of pike fishing and it can get bloody (hopefully the pikes blood not ours) He says its much easier to clean and if he doesn't get a chance to air the boat out (garage kept) immediately after a trip it doesn't get that mildew smell that the carpet does.