Floor Material Question - Nautolex

[starcrazy]

My question is regarding Nautolex flooring.

I was wondering how well this material holds up in the cold. I plan on using my boat for hunting / fishing, and was curious how well this material will hold up. Secondly do I want the knit backed flooring or the nonwoven type?

looking at getting the Natural colour.

Or should I just use non slip type paint.

Thanks

Starcrazy
Wayne

 

[starcrazy]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

120 people look at this question and not one person has a comment.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

Nautolex works fine for duck hunting in Wisconsin. Temps to just below freezing often. Kint back is only thing I have used.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

Painted or vinyl, it's all personal preferance and skill level.

The non slip paint is easy to apply and anyone can do it, the vinyl is a little harder to do but not that difficult.

There's a lot of people that have done their decks in both finishes on this site and are completely happy with the results.

Painting is a lot faster, so if you're pressed for time you may want to take that route.

To me vinyl looks nicer, is easier to clean, and more durable.

I put the Nautolex in my boat and absolutely love it:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=509163

I fish 12 mo. a year out of my boat and have never had any cold weather issues with the Nautolex.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

120 people look at this question and not one person has a comment.

Right now there are about 1,300 people viewing these forums, only 139 are members...only a few, if any of these will have used Nautolex….and even fewer will feel comfortable answering, or have the time to do it right away.

I've had it in a couple boats and a good friend used it in his. Our boats get used a great deal in all types of weather and cold doesn't seem to be a problem, although plastics typically do become stiffer and more brittle when cold.

I wouldn't use it again because over time you get rips and holes in it from the normal wear and tear a fishing and/or hunting boat experiences. This allows water to reach the plywood and eventually it becomes soft and rots in those areas.

 

[starcrazy]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

Thanks for the responses, I will have to put a bit more thought into it before I make the final decision. Unfortunately the rebuild funds are getting low at this point, but in the end I still rather spend the money to have it done properly the first time. I will look a bit more into the paint method and make my final choice.


Thanks again for your inputs.

Wayne

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

You can go pretty cheap on the paint with something like this:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...H=REC-_-product-1-_-100672148-_-100672150-_-N

There's also products like Cabelas Tuff Coat and Kiwi Grip that're much more expensive.

Handy tip:

Whether you go with vinyl or paint I suggest sealing your plywood with epoxy resin or exterior grade Spar urethane before applying your finish.

I also strongly suggest removing your decking from the boat before sealing and applying the finish and do each piece individually. When the pieces are painted of vinyled install them in your boat with stainless steel screws or aluminum rivets (rivets are cheaper), This will leave your deck fasteners exposed so you can remove your decking in the future without messing up you nice paint or vinyl job. You never know when you're going to have to go below deck on any boat to make repairs to the hull or things like livewell parts, and being able to remove your decking easily is a big plus when this happens.

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

Right now there are about 1,300 people viewing these forums, only 139 are members...only a few, if any of these will have used Nautolex….and even fewer will feel comfortable answering, or have the time to do it right away.

I've had it in a couple boats and a good friend used it in his. Our boats get used a great deal in all types of weather and cold doesn't seem to be a problem, although plastics typically do become stiffer and more brittle when cold.

I wouldn't use it again because over time you get rips and holes in it from the normal wear and tear a fishing and/or hunting boat experiences. This allows water to reach the plywood and eventually it becomes soft and rots in those areas.

Ondarvr,

This is interesting to me. I've seen nothing but praise for the Nautolex and I am planning on using it in build resotre later this year but I would like to hear more about what you think.

If not Nautolex then what would you recommend? Paint?

-Mark

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

Ondarvr,

This is interesting to me. I've seen nothing but praise for the Nautolex and I am planning on using it in build resotre later this year but I would like to hear more about what you think.

If not Nautolex then what would you recommend? Paint?



-Mark

The first boat I had it in was in the late 70's, it held up OK for a few years but did rip and get holes here and there, there was Glass under it so it wasn't a big deal. Later in other boats I noticed the same thing. My friend took the floor out of his boat and replaced the original product with Deco-Dot (similar stuff) this time thinking it may hold up longer. It lasted a couple of years before some good size holes appeared from the anchor and other bumps and scuffs. After three years we took the Deco Dot and plywood out and replaced it with diamond plate aluminum, looks great and is holding up even better.

The floors in my current boats are all fiberglass with a non skid gel coat finish, no issues after ten + hard years of use.

We use our boats several times per week and they don’t get babied, so your results may vary

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

Ondarvr,

This is interesting to me. I've seen nothing but praise for the Nautolex and I am planning on using it in build resotre later this year but I would like to hear more about what you think.

If not Nautolex then what would you recommend? Paint?

-Mark

I would actually like to see pictures of this damage, I doubt it was installed properly. Maybe just stapled and not glued down as per manufacturers directions.

I was a little skeptical when I first recieved my Nautolex vinyl, I thought "Is this stuff durable?" so I tried to rip it like a rag with my hands... it didn't happen, the material is tough!

I've had it on my boat for 8 months now and it shows no signs of wear and has no dings or holes in it. It is like "one" with the plywood it is glued to. Hooks don't stick in it and I haven't found anything that'll scratch it, let alone cut it yet.

This isn't "kitchen and bathroom" floor vinyl, it isn't soft and cushiony. This is very durable marine grade deck vinyl and when installed properly it's tough as train wheels!

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

You need to re-read what I wrote, especially the last sentence .

I probably use my boats much more often and much harder than most people do.
Some were factory installed and others were put in by us....yes using glue and the correct techniques.

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

Hey guys, I didn't mean to start a debate over which flooring is best. I still plan to use Nautolex for my deck since ondarvr is lucky enough to use his boat more in a week and I typically do in a month, I think mine will hold up for a while.

Thanks for the feedback...sorry for the hijack.

-Mark

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

You need to re-read what I wrote, especially the last sentence .

I probably use my boats much more often and much harder than most people do.
Some were factory installed and others were put in by us....yes using glue and the correct techniques.

Nah, I don't need to reread it. I was typing my post when you posted your reply and didn't see it until after I posted.

I'm not sure it's fair to judge a product by the way it was made 40 yrs. ago, I'm sure there's been improvements made.

I was surprised by your original post because you're the first person I've ever heard of complain about the Nautolex vinyl other than installation mishaps and mistakes... operator error, ie won't stick and air bubbles. That still gives it 4.9 out of 5 stars for me.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

The latest use of the product was just a few years ago, so it's 40 years of experience with it, if it has been improved over the years the results are about the same.

We camp a great from our boats, so carrying chain saws, axes, pop up shelters, fire wood and all the other stuff that goes with camping takes its toll. So do crab pots, shrimp pots, down rigger balls, heavy anchors (mine weighs 55 lbs), like I said, we use them frequently and hard.

It's sort of an accelerated testing ground for how things hold up.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

It sounds like you need a scow instead of a pleasure craft.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

I installed Nautolex in my boat and am very pleased with it. It is very non-skid and quite durable. However, I can certainly see ondarvr's point of view as I did put a cut into it with my kicker motor the other week. What I did would have damaged ANY flooring material, the difference is in how repairable the damage is. Despite this, I would certainly use the product again.

 

[Chip Chester]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

Used Nautolex to replace similar product on my Carver, using their adhesive and monel staples. Completely pleased. Didn't chime in because I don't do any cold-weather boating.

 

[starcrazy]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

Thanks again everyone to responding.

I only will have two ares of concern where it may rip, be in the bow section when we place our hunting equipment in and in the storage area in the bow. Most of our gear will be in a 14' aluminum. Just going to tow it behind the boat to the shallows and walk in the smaller boat to set the decoys.

The rest of the time I am sure the material will hold up. I was just curious on how it will handle the ice forming on it.

Bottom line, getting older and fear of water is getting greater. The days of going out at 3 am in a 14' boat stacked with decoys and a dog are over. Life jacket or not, I enjoy just taking my friends out and watching my dogs work.

Thanks again.

Wayne

 

[cabrita]

Re: Floor Material Question - Nautolex

Just in the middle of repairing by lund's floor and I just thought I'd add that finding dot decko nautolex is gray is next to impossible. I think the mill shutdown or it's been discontinued. Defender and iboats don't have it listed