Vinyl for boat floor?

[DEERSLAYER]

I'm going to be putting a floor in my new john boat soon and I am trying to decide whether to use that textured vinyl floor covering or carpet. What do you guy's think? I figure vinyl would clean up easy but I'm not sure if would get slippery when wet or if it would dampen sound the way I suspect carpet would. Also, if I get carpet, how good a quality do I need? Or should I just get outdoor carpeting from the local hardware?

[Chad]

I would go with the vinyl for the ease of cleanup and it won't stain like carpet would. Chad.

[WALLDADY]

They sell a couple grades of marine carpet in the Bass Pro , and Cabelas catalogs . I used indoor / outdoor carpet from the hardware store and it was cheaper and worked fine . A suggestion that is working for me is to use thro rugs over the carpet . This reduces the staining , wear and tear , and are easilly removed for cleaning .
I think the vinyl will be slipery when cold and wet .

Just my thoughts .

Good Luck and Safe Trips ...... Walldady

[cointoss]

Deerslayer, carpet is a pain to keep clean, sucks up water and then grows fungi if it is not aired and covered properly when wet.

[DEERSLAYER]

I'm leaning toward vinyl, but I would like to deaden the sound of moveing around in the boat and such. Maybe there is some kind of glue to put it down with that absorbs sound or maybe I could find a thin sheet of rubber somewhere to put down first. I don't know, maybe I will just say the heck with it and go with the traditional carpet. Any ideas on sound deadening with vinyl?

[wildboar6768]

maybe a spray in liner? Just a thought.

[goosewa]

Deerslayer,

I would personally stay away from both Vinyl and Carpet. Like it was mentioned Carpet holds too much water and Vinyl is too slippery.

Do yourself a favor and buy Marine Grade Plywood. It may cost a few dollars more but it will last much longer. To stop rot use a good exterior paint and coat all cut and exposed areas.

I believe Home Depot and Lowe's sells and additive for painting floors which adds a sand like grit for traction. Throw a little bit of that in to ensure the floor is not slick.

-Goosewa

[DEERSLAYER]

Wildboar6768,
I had that idea in the back of my mind also. Either as the surface by itself {although I think it might stay to tacky to easily spray clean} or under the vinyl {it might double as a glue, I'm not sure}.

goosewa,
I would like a little more sound deadning than I think plain plywood would give me. Although I'm not really sure how much difference just plywood would make.

[goosewa]

Just curious, How big is the boat?

Ran painted plywood in my 15' Starcraft. Actually, the floor pieces had carpet on them ended up tearing it off and running bare wood. You might be very suprised of the deadning qualities of plywood. (At least I was.. after dropping two pound lead weights for hand lining on the floor alot...)

I have heard of people using those spray-in liners. The problem with that is that they are permanent. Not good if your boat is riveted and you need to replace rivets. (I know how many times do you replace rivets?)

You would not want to fish your boat in the summer if you used a Black Spray-in liner. You would cook with sun hitting that black floor. Assuming you would be using black. I believe they only make a few colors and your only other choice would be beige. Especially if you use your boat for duck hunting. I highly doubt you would use white or red in a duck boat.

It all comes down to the phrase: "Keep it simple".

-Goosewa

[DEERSLAYER]

14'

[DEERSLAYER]

I just wanted to say thanks for the input guy's.

[The Whale]

My .02, hit the local carpet shops and ask if they have any left over pieces, (remnants ?) of a tight weave, berber perhaps ?. Just lay them in the boat, cut to fit so to speak. That way you can take them out and hang them to dry when they get wet. To clean them up, just hose them off and let dry. No muss, no fuss.

Whale

[tubejig]

you could try a rubber mat that acts as a bedliner for a truck.
They can be purchased at Wal-mart, Meijer, etc. They
cost about 35 bucks, and one good stanley knife will
make it fit so it can be removed. Yes, it does get warm
in the summer but splash a little water on it or roll
it back a touch so your feet are not in contact if you are
barefooted. My dad uses rubber floor mats in his and
they provide pretty good traction and can be washed
easily. I have installed flooring goods for a few years
and I would not recommend vinyl you would use in your
kitchen for a boat floor. It's too darn slippery. Carpet
looks and deadens sound pretty good but the only
draw back is cleaning and if you have a gas leak
it will eat away at the glue until the rug rinkles.

good luck,

tubejig

[DEERSLAYER]

Wish I could find one of those rubber mats but in a lighter color.

[Chad]

Talk to a roofing company or some one that puts rubber roofs on trailers, they might have a choice of colors for the rubber they use. Black and white might be your only options, though.

I did not mean to use household linoleum on your boat. I meant the stuff that some boats come with, that textured stuff they sell in Bass Pro and Cabelas.
Chad