Carpet to Hardwood

Question, we are upgrading our salon flooring. Right now we have carpet and I was wondering if anyone has moved from carpet to hardwood having their engine(s) directly below the salon floor? How much did the noise in the cabin increase? Was it so noticeable that you had to change the way in which you cruise? (ie navigate slower, reducing RPMs?) I am concerned about the level of noise in the salon. I was considering bamboo strand woven for durability and look.

We have carpet over a 1/2" foam underlay and the boat is a lot noisier when the carpet is up with just the teak floor. Nice and soft on the feet also, dog hair is a pain on carpet but the handheld vacuum takes care of it.

Just lift up your carpet and take the boat for a ride, you will be able to decide.

My wife is in the process of putting down teak flooring in our salon. The engines are underneath and inherently noisy being Detroit Diesels. The carpet was gone when we got the boat but we did put down big "rugs" cut to shape. I can tell you that when I open the small engine room entry hatch the noise seems to intensify tremendously. The boat has decent sound insulation in the engine room, but could use more.

I went from carpet to painted plywood about 5 years ago.

Am 100% happy w it but Willy is not as yachty as most here. Got rid of a lot of dampness too.

Carpet over 1/2" foam in the salon here. While working on the engines, I have test run the boat with the carpet up. Really makes a big sound difference!!

Bry,

There was carpet in Ebbtide when we brought her home. Carpet is gone now, little bit louder but definitely worth the trade off. Significantly less damp feeling and much easier to keep clean.

Bob

Carpet over Wood

I found this question interesting since we recently went in the opposite direction (sort of). When we purchased our first couple of trawlers I had to have teak floors and spent the money to do so. Of course the first thing we did during commissioning was have custom carpets put down everywhere with a 2" reveal to remind of the money spent underneath. Fast forward to our third trawler and Mary decided to replace the carpet (teak floors underneath) with wall to wall carpet to eliminate the dust collections where the carpet stopped. So now we have wall to wall to carpet covering the teak below which provides a nice soft footing. Bottom line is regardless of the wood you choose you will likely cover it up with carpet so don't spend a fortune.

Regarding the noise levels, carpet does provide a little more sound insulation but not enough to make a difference. It will come down to how the boat was built and insulation in the engine room. We find the salon in N35 with a 6 cyl Yanmare 350hp is slightly quieter then the heavier N40 with 6 cyl Lugger turning at half the RPM. The boats were built at different yards and I think the N35 was better built for various reasons.

John T.
N3522
La Tempestad

We put also put carpets over the teak and holly floors and love it. We did carpet everywhere except for the PH which had a non-skid material that we liked.

Exactly right about rugs over the wood floor. But, I track a lot of crap into the boat, especially when the "domestic goddess" in not there. Diesel engine oil is, as far as I know, Permanent. So throw away rugs in high traffick areas are a good idea. I do absolutely love the look and feel of oiled teak, just not outside.

Cork tiles (the real stuff, not Home Depot) after six years full time liveaboard with a dog...... not a single mark. Easy on the feet, good sound damping.
Hugr variety of colours and patterns.

Bob Cofer said:

Bry,

There was carpet in Ebbtide when we brought her home. Carpet is gone now, little bit louder but definitely worth the trade off. Significantly less damp feeling and much easier to keep clean.

Bob

Click to expand...

Why they covered that beautiful floor is beyond me. A few rugs placed in front of the sink or entrance but otherwise why cover that up?

On our europa style 36' trawler we put carpet down in the lower sleeping cabins area. It was for warmth under foot, to quite pump and air conditioning sounds. With hard walls and floors sounds would be amplified. In the saloon/galley area we used area rugs. It made a big difference in livability of the boat.

No Noise , 2 lb per sq ft lead with 2v inch foam under the floor will cut the noise more than carpet.

Wood Flooring

I made my own flooring when I removed the carpeting. I used plywood Teak and Holly. For insulation, I used standard ceiling tiles cut to size for heat and sound insulation. Since they can crumble and get really messy in the engine room, I covered them with this thin foil insulation. It fits pretty tight and dust proof for the most part. This is held in place with screws and large washers, I think about 2" dia. or more. I'm too lazy to look right now.
My salon is fairly quiet, probably because I have gas engines, not diesel.

For those of you that have carpet do you carry a vacuum? We have a four year old and dog...so far I have been bringing the home vacuum every few weeks but that is getting old and will get even more so during the summer.

bshillam said:

For those of you that have carpet do you carry a vacuum? We have a four year old and dog...so far I have been bringing the home vacuum every few weeks but that is getting old and will get even more so during the summer.

Click to expand...

Yes, we carry a vacuum, and would if there was no carpet.

A word about noise. There are noises while the engines are running, but there are also ship's noises at rest with no engine running. We have used carpet for the latter. It helps to keep the sounds of toilet flushing, water pumps, air conditioning, etc. to a manageable level. Carpet will do little to deaden engine noise.

Vacum Selection

bshillam said:

For those of you that have carpet do you carry a vacuum? We have a four year old and dog...so far I have been bringing the home vacuum every few weeks but that is getting old and will get even more so during the summer.

Click to expand...

We have had good success with small Dirt Devil brand vacuums. Small, easy to store and good pick-up power.

John T
N3522
La Tempestad

boatpoker said:

Cork tiles (the real stuff, not Home Depot) after six years full time liveaboard with a dog...... not a single mark. Easy on the feet, good sound damping. Hugr variety of colours and patterns.

Click to expand...

This is what I've thought about doing when it's time to replace the carpet. The engine noise is the only possible problem that I'am concerned about. But with the use of a rug or 2 in the solon that may help if noise is a problem.

You might want to consider using a Dynamat type product. There are several on the market, some better than others, and of course some cheaper than others.
The Official Dynamat Website

You can place it under the wood, or on the inside of the hatch for noise reduction.

Just a thought.

OD

We have an imitation middle eastern type carpet runner from aft cabin door to steps down to the sleeping cabin. Inexpensive by the meter at stores(you can buy edging for the cut ends), replaceable, looks ok, easily rolled up if needed. And a floor rug. We carry a vacuum cleaner.

For those of you that have carpet do you carry a vacuum? We have a four year old and dog...so far I have been bringing the home vacuum every few weeks but that is getting old and will get even more so during the summer.

Do you have room for a RV central vac setup?

You can have a free setup , come pick it up.

bshillam said:

For those of you that have carpet do you carry a vacuum? We have a four year old and dog...

Click to expand...

Yes, of course, full upright with its own removable/portable canister, HEPA filter, etc. Plus mini-vac.

Our First Mutt sheds...

-Chris

My Aussie sheds & I keep a smaller dyson upright onboard & use it every day.