Carpet or Seadek

Hey everyone, I have a Mainship 30 in SW FL and I was considering snap in carpet for the helm seating area. "Seadek" a foam type flooring in different patterns and colors was suggested. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with either one,durability,costs,etc. Any thoughts are appreciated.Thanks

The eagle is carpeted and non of the carpet is tacked, snapped glued nailed down. Its cut to fit so it does not move. When its time to re carpet the old is taken out and used as a pattern to cut the new. It just lays there and lets us walk all over it.

I have a snap on indoor-outdoor carpet on my 1985 mainship...and wouldn't have it any other way. There is NO wear and tear, it's easy to clean, and not at all difficult to take off to clean the deck under. I honestly don't know if the snaps are necessary to keep it there, but they were there when we bought it, so, there they be. Mine is on the back deck instead of the fly bridge, but same-o same-o.

Phil Fill said:

The eagle is carpeted and non of the carpet is tacked, snapped glued nailed down. Its cut to fit so it does not move. When its time to re carpet the old is taken out and used as a pattern to cut the new. It just lays there and lets us walk all over it.

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Same here...Both bridge and aftdeck (it's enclosed) have carpet with no snaps just cut to size. If it moves I've got bigger problems that caused it.

We installed the 'foam type' in January so can't vouch for it's durability yet. I can tell you $3000 will get your swim step and back deck done with change. We chose MarineMat MarineMat decking solutions and both stick down and snap down styles are available.

Plenty of pictures on their site.

Soundown has both carpet and carpet underlayer to absorb noise.

I went with seadek on my swim platform. It was a big improvement in looks and slip resistance, and the squishyness felt good on the feet. I had thought about doing the whole cockpit, but I'm glad I didn't. The stuff I picked was the teak look alike style, which is full of deep grooves. It looks great when it's new, but can be tough to keep clean after a while. Lots of places to keep dirt. I had it for three years, and it was starting to show some wear around the edges.

I think I paid about 300 for my small platform.

I'd go with carpet for a project like you're considering.

Skyboss said:

Hey everyone, I have a Mainship 30 in SW FL and I was considering snap in carpet for the helm seating area. "Seadek" a foam type flooring in different patterns and colors was suggested. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with either one,durability,costs,etc. Any thoughts are appreciated.Thanks

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If helm carpeting was an original Mainship option, Gioia Sails will likely have your templates.

That said...

We replaced our original exterior cockpit and bridge carpet -- in stages -- with new Berber with Sunbrella binding, and AquaLoc vinyl backing from Corinthian Marine Carpet (Corinthian Textile Solutions).

At the same times, we also had some runners made from the same stuff for a couple interior spaces, covering the existing Amtico flooring in the galley and the head... mostly for the cushioning... but it also seems to add a little continuity to the boat, too.

(I had to make templates. Gioia had the templates, but their cost for the same carpet -- first buying from Corinthian (and marked up) and then doing the cutting/sewing/binding -- would have been more expensive.)

Our original exterior carpet had some kind of black rubber backing, pain in the ar$e as it deteriorated -- and I still have a couple spots in the cockpit where it hasn't come up yet even with some serious cleaning. Haven't tried the Dremel tool on it yet...

Anyway, the oldest segments of our replacement carpets are in the cockpit; we put those down in Spring of 2012 and they still look almost new. We just put it back down (after winter, and then our short fishing season) yesterday, and the backing material still looks new. The "almost" is because I noticed a short area yesterday where the binding needs re-stitched.

Cleaning is usually just a quick power wash (electric version), although we've also used the carpet shampooer -- once, I think.

It dries "relatively" quickly after a rain, if given full sunlight. During the boating season we never bother to temporarily remove and store just because of impending weather. We also seldom use the snaps (in fact, never, on the bridge); the carpet doesn't move around much...

-Chris

I recently made a cockpit floor cover for Skinny Dippin' out of "infinity fabric". It's heavy enough to not need snapped down and is comfy on the feet. I ordered through Commercial Mats and Rubber, and got a 8x4 sheet for just over 200.00. I added a binding edge for a finished look. (now available through Sailrite too)

Besslb said:

I recently made a cockpit floor cover for Skinny Dippin' out of "infinity fabric". It's heavy enough to not need snapped down and is comfy on the feet. I ordered through Commercial Mats and Rubber, and got a 8x4 sheet for just over 200.00. I added a binding edge for a finished look. (now available through Sailrite too)

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How about a picture?


Keith

I have a picture of it on my deck! Will have to wait for the weekend for a picture on the boat! The little angled area is where our stairs to the flybridge come down, and the little mat we keep on the swim platform. It is a gray tweed, with a little texture so it is non-skid like and a little cushy on the back side.

Folks that will liveaboard in real winter might want to consider bathroom carpet for the season..

No binding required after cutting to size , and large machine washable to get rid of mud and dirt carried in on wet or snow covered foot wear.

Here it is on the boat!

Besslb said:

I recently made a cockpit floor cover for Skinny Dippin' out of "infinity fabric". It's heavy enough to not need snapped down and is comfy on the feet. I ordered through Commercial Mats and Rubber, and got a 8x4 sheet for just over 200.00. I added a binding edge for a finished look. (now available through Sailrite too)

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Looks very nice. Does it stay wet like fabric after a hard rain?

Nice ! And thanks for the input. Seadek looks great and Im sure is appropriate for certain applications and stations,but I'm a little leery on stains,burns,delaminating, etc.And since its glued to the glass,I heard its a real problem to get off. If I end up somehow screwing up the carpet,I'll just unsnap it and pitch it.

Besslb said:

Here it is on the boat!

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Looks fine. How does it feel underfoot?


Keith

Star0210 said:

Looks very nice. Does it stay wet like fabric after a hard rain?

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No, it is waterproof like a vinyl, just mop it off. But it's also a little padded on the underside so it has a little cushion to it. Very Rubber like. Neighbors down the dock used it as wall covering in their VBerth.

Keith, it is very comfy. We made it primarily to cover the engine room hatch, to minimize the rain that might get in through there. But while we were at it, made it big enough to cover both Fuel filler holes that are in the cockpit for the same reason.

There are several color options too, even a teak and holly look or bamboo. Go look! Infinity Fabrics | Marine & RV Flooring | Boat Matting | Camper RV Floor Material

I am very happy with the results and might make one for the flybridge too!

A word of caution...... if you are screwing snaps into a cored floor make SURE the coring is removed for about a half inch in every direction, solid glass is poured in and THEN the hole for the screw is drilled. If water gets in the core through all these little holes there is a disaster down the line.