I'm on the fence

[robbankston]

I still can't make up my mind about painting or carpet for the deck. I like the utility of painting without worry about the carpet holding water, but I don't think painted fiberglass is going to give the nice look and comfort on the feet. I know the carpet will wear faster but its cheap and I know all the non-fisherman in the family will like it better. Plus it doesn't heat up as bad. I figure also I can always tear out the carpet later after its nasty and paint. I'm torn!!!

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: I'm on the fence

probably a little safer too as you wont slip on carpet.

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: I'm on the fence

Rob the best alternative if you are going to go with carpet is just to go ahead and paint the deck and then do snap in carpet you can remove from the boat to dry out when you get the boat home . Take a look at bear69cuda's thread on his awesom Bayliner thats what he did and it looks great with or without the carpet so he has the best of both worlds ( comfy carpet for the familly aaand ease of maintenance ).


Rick

 

[robbankston]

Re: I'm on the fence

Rob the best alternative if you are going to go with carpet is just to go ahead and paint the deck and then do snap in carpet you can remove from the boat to dry out when you get the boat home . Take a look at bear69cuda's thread on his awesom Bayliner thats what he did and it looks great with or without the carpet so he has the best of both worlds ( comfy carpet for the familly aaand ease of maintenance ).


Rick

Best of both worlds for sure. He did a great job for sure. Just not sure I can shell out the bucks for both. I think I'll have to choose.

 

[robbankston]

Re: I'm on the fence

probably a little safer too as you wont slip on carpet.

True. Wife and 3 kids says safety and comfort is a must.

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: I'm on the fence

Rob Rustoleum is 9 bux a quart or 26 bux a gallon and kiddie sand is 4 bux a bag I bet one bag and maybe 4 quarts and your ready for carpet .


Rick

 

[henrye718]

Re: I'm on the fence

wondering why no one mentioned this stuff. It has the look of carpet, and the easy cleanup of a harder surface. I had it on a brand new smokercraft I owned a while back it was really easy to clean and not slipery and felt good under bare feet. Carpet is the worst thing for a boat floor, stains hard to clean, takes a long time to dry and looks ugly pretty quick once its start mattings.


http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...pla=cabelas vinyl boat flooring&cm_ite=netcon

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: I'm on the fence

Find some bargin bin linoleum or leftovers from Craigslist and lay the carpet over that. It'll keep the water off the deck.

 

[robbankston]

Re: I'm on the fence

wondering why no one mentioned this stuff. It has the look of carpet, and the easy cleanup of a harder surface. I had it on a brand new smokercraft I owned a while back it was really easy to clean and not slipery and felt good under bare feet. Carpet is the worst thing for a boat floor, stains hard to clean, takes a long time to dry and looks ugly pretty quick once its start mattings.


http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...pla=cabelas vinyl boat flooring&cm_ite=netcon

This definitely looks like something worth considering. The only drawbacks I see are the price 22 bucks for 3 feet and one of the reviewers said it gets really hot when you are out in the sun. Living in the south I can only imagine what that means. Thanks for mentioning it.

 

[robbankston]

Re: I'm on the fence

Find some bargin bin linoleum or leftovers from Craigslist and lay the carpet over that. It'll keep the water off the deck.

Considering the amount of epoxy and glass we'll have on the new deck I'm not real worried about putting down another layer of protection. That's a real good idea for folks who are just ripping out carpet on an old deck though.

Thanks to everyone who responded!!

 

[KurtG]

Re: I'm on the fence

The last boat had carpet, the current one has a hard deck. Everyone prefers the hard deck, wife and kids included.

It hasn't been slippery and we are able keep it very clean and very dry. The cleanliness looks much better than carpet, at least used carpet. They don't stay new looking very long.

Our deck is cooler than the carpet was. However the carpet was red and the hard deck is an oyster white shade.

I'll never have carpet again. I'd try the hard deck and then upgrade later if you get complaints. It is easier to do carpet later than to tear it out.

 

[robbankston]

Re: I'm on the fence

Anybody ever use Evercoat Skid-No-More paint on their deck? I wanted to use Durabak until I figured out it'd be about 400 bucks for me to do it. The cost factor makes the Evercoat more appealing. I just wasn't sure how it would look. I know the Durabak is thick enough to cover up any flaws and would probably outlast the boat, but my lotto numbers haven't hit yet.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: I'm on the fence

I put carpet in mine and I friggin' HATE IT. I mean really HATE it. Even right after you clean it, it gets filthy again the very first time you get into the boat from the ground. And the first time you drop a catfish on it just look at the result. Seriously Rob, with all the work you're putting into that boat go vinyl or durbak or even paint. (North Beach's vinyl floor is awesome)

 

[robbankston]

Re: I'm on the fence

I put carpet in mine and I friggin' HATE IT. I mean really HATE it. Even right after you clean it, it gets filthy again the very first time you get into the boat from the ground. And the first time you drop a catfish on it just look at the result. Seriously Rob, with all the work you're putting into that boat go vinyl or durbak or even paint. (North Beach's vinyl floor is awesome)

Ok. You convinced me. No carpet. I'll have to look into the vinyl a bit more. I don't think I've ever been a boat with vinyl floors. Sure would be nice if I could just gelcoat the deck....

 

[ezmobee]

Re: I'm on the fence

I don't think I've ever been a boat with vinyl floors.

Look at North Beach's thread. It looks fantastic.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: I'm on the fence

I have to agree with ezmobee on the carpet, as a fisherman, it's a real pain to keep clean and just about impossible to keep that way.
It also holds moisture. I have one boat that still has carpet but not for long.
I've been considering a vinyl or rubber flooring over an epoxy treated deck. Something along the lines of Deco Dot from Cabela's
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...ct&cmCat=Related_IPL_010921&id=0001359016272a
I've seen various types of rubber flooring as well that would be suitable.
The Nautolex vinyl or any of the similar copies just don't seem to last and I've had issues with being able to keep it glued in place as it ages.

 

[Mark42]

Re: I'm on the fence

Get some samples of the marine vinyl that was linked to earlier in this thread. That is the Mari Deck product. Mari Deck and Nautolex are the big names in marine deck vinyl MariDeck is less expensive than Nautolex, but they are the same weight vinyl (last time I checked earlier this year). Shop around, prices vary greatly. I personally like the Nautolex Deco Dot vinyl. Its solid un-expanded vinyl with little raised dots for grip.

 

[Marcq]

Re: I'm on the fence

I went for KiwiGrip, amazing stuff, $110 (one gallon)to do my boat and have some left(1L), easy to apply, becomes very hard , nontoxic (latex base), easy to clean, many colors(or go at home depot and have them mixed your own color), choose your own texture, hides defect on your deck, what more can I say , I love the stuff And customer service is top notch

Here's my boat(Aquasport 170 1979), before and after

Marc..

 

[robbankston]

Re: I'm on the fence

I went for KiwiGrip, amazing stuff, $110 (one gallon)to do my boat and have some left(1L), easy to apply, becomes very hard , nontoxic (latex base), easy to clean, many colors(or go at home depot and have them mixed your own color), choose your own texture, hides defect on your deck, what more can I say , I love the stuff And customer service is top notch

Here's my boat(Aquasport 170 1979), before and after

Marc..

Really gotta like a guy who posts a picture of girls in bathing suits as part of a reply to a question. So how much does one gallon cover? Are you saying you did your entire boat with only 1?

 

[Marcq]

Re: I'm on the fence

Are you saying you did your entire boat with only 1?

Yup, and I have one liter left and I did the top of the gunwale also

Here's KiwiGrip FAQs:


How much will a liter cover?

Stock Answer: Each liter covers 2 square meters (about 20 square feet). Application is very thick - about 2 to 3 mm (a little less than 1/8 inch). A 4-liter pail will generally be sufficient for a 30 foot sailboat.

Better, though less helpful, anwer: It depends. Coverage depends completely on application thickness and on the underlying surface. KG offers a "miniature mountain range" texture with myriad peaks and valleys. A thick application (3mm) will offer tall peaks and deep valleys, yielding a very aggressive non-skid. A moderate application (2mm) will afford a more moderate texture, and a thin application will give a gentle result - suitable for cockpit seats.

The plot thickens. If you're applying over a high-profile, but worn, non-skid, some of your KiwiGrip will sink into the valleys of your current non-skid. Filling these valleys consumes your precious KG while offering little in return. This reduces coverage. Here are a few data points and a couple of buying strategies to consider:

* A Catalina 30 sailboat will typically need 4 Liters (a Gallon) with no leftovers
* One customer used 5 liters on his 23 foot sailboat - very thick application.
* I used 10 liters on my 48 foot center-cockpit sailboat to do cabintops, side decks, foredeck and aft deck, but not cockpit. Moderately thin application over smooth surface.

If you're having trouble deciding how much to buy, consider: (a) Buy too much and return unopened tins for a refund. Your risk is the shipping cost. (b) Make your best guess and buy more if you need it. Your risk is repeating your setup and cleanup. (c) Same as (a) but keep left-overs for repairs and alterations, or sell to your neighbor who now loves your boat more than his own.
http://www.pachena.com/

Marc..