Deck Tread

[Spaniard_King]

I am sick of cleaning carpet so I am looking to alternatives.

Does anyone use the dogbone deck tread from PJ Bowers http://www.pjbowers.com.au/decktread.html

My Issue is will it stick to my flowcoated floor??

Would really like to hear some feedback from someone using it in a high traffic area.

cheers

[no chicken tonight]

YOUR sick of cleaning carpet? spare a thought for me!
very interseted in this so will watch anxiously for any opinions.
Ive seen a few similar products but nothing has got me real impressed. I still think the flowcoat with a non skid surface is the best option.

[Tangles]

Garry,
Another option is to give Lucky Phil a call, he recently used some flooring which was on Baitrunner, great stuff, easy to clean, just hose, wont stick to your floor and easy on the feet,

cheers
Mike

[deckie]

That decktread stuff is damn good...but just one of many alternatives. Its just super high density EVA foam with a non skid pattern but its thin and just enough spongyness to help with the feet/leg tiredness during the day. The small packs u get are great to cut to size for bow area, trailer, steps and anywhere u need non slip...glue seems very good but its a but pricey when buying peel and stick preglued in the larger sheets for a deck. May not be quite as hard wearing as others but feels good if u like barefeet.

The preglued stuff will stick well to flowcoated deck straight up..maybe TOO well if u know what i mean. I'd just give it a good clean then maybe an acetone wipe but even that might be more than required.

If you are prepared to pay the price for that sort of stuff then have a look at Seadek also. Depends how much comfort u want or toughness.
Gonna make time one day to go check out some stuff called Comcork...they do a low profile non skid that looks just about perfect for me as long as it wears well.

[Smithy]

I'd investigated the price from these guys before.

http://www.flybridge.com.au/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1&zenid=nm67goj14nmja70m8qmv0jur12

One guy I fish with went proper teak on his BW34, cork on his BW36 and ended up going the fake teak which is a recycled synthetic material on his BW40. Cork must be hard wearing. Peter Stevens the charter boat guy at 1770 had cork in his 770 Reelax and if you saw that boat under Pete's ownership you knew it had a hard life and it was still going strong for him.

[Noelm]

I was snooping around a boat shop on Saturday and saw some non skid stuff on a Savage tinny, it was like sandpaper tape, but it was so sticky it looked like it was painted on, I tried to lift a small corner and it is near on impossible, so maybe nice clean flowcoat and some strips stuck on to prevent slipage would be easy to clean and nice to walk on, the big problem with carpet is the fact that it is nearly always wet and stinks if you get some fish blood on it and you dont clean it 100%

[FNQCairns]

just a thought because I am getting older, be careful of flooring that works too well, sure fire way to put a knee or other bits out is to have too much grip under the feet when on a boat.

[cormorant]

I can't believe you have carpet - my worst nightmare but cheap for manufacturers and looks good in showrooms

There was another thread with some good products . I remember this one but not the others.

http://www.seadekstore.com/largesheets.aspx

www.flexiteak.com/ (http://www.flexiteak.com/)

I have always used the tube matting and it is OK but like everything you need to fit it right, buy uv protected one and wash it down on hot days as it can get hot underfoot. After after too many things in feet , solid things jumping out at my toes and cheaper better shoes about I rarely go barefoot. For tube matting I still think you need a surface underneath it that has enough texture so it doesn't move underfoot or fix at least one edge.We used a 2 pack epoxy with large grit in it as it sticks to flowcoat real well. Some of the newer ones are also joinable ( not our old zip clips) but we liked it split down the middle of the deck on the cat as 1 bloke could still lift it over the side to wash it out wash deck underneath. Some companies will send ya samples since you are in the industry. We got 10 years and then sold the boat with it still copping a flogging.

http://www.bardwellmatting.com.au/a/Anti_Fatigue_Wet_Area/Tubular_Matting

Few people buying a 30m roll would get a good price on tube matting.



Found another

http://www.floorsafe.com.au/deck_treads.html

http://www.geckospeco.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=58

[Spaniard_King]

I'd investigated the price from these guys before.

http://www.flybridge.com.au/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1&zenid=nm67goj14nmja70m8qmv0jur12

One guy I fish with went proper teak on his BW34, cork on his BW36 and ended up going the fake teak which is a recycled synthetic material on his BW40. Cork must be hard wearing. Peter Stevens the charter boat guy at 1770 had cork in his 770 Reelax and if you saw that boat under Pete's ownership you knew it had a hard life and it was still going strong for him.

I have been trying to contact this mob from flybridge.com but none of their numbers are connected::)

Does anyone know if they are still in buisness????

[Moonlighter]

Hi Garry

I think that decktread stuff is the same as is used by Surtees on their side decks and boarding ladders etc on my boat. If so its also the same stuff used by Barcrusher on their sidedecks too.

On the side decks its great to sit on and as I climb on the side decks to get to rods in the rocket launchers it gets walked on too. I just bought some more from Whitworths and have put it on the alloy boarding ladder steps and footrest in front of the skipper's seat that are painted in Nyalic and its going fine so far.

The 3M adhesive backing sticks like you know what to what.

Looks good to me so far at least.

Cheers

ML

[MyWay]

Garry
what ever you putt down u have to lift out sometimes and just rinse with hose

i can not belive you going to glue something to deck of your boat

i can only advice go with cheep staff you can find but something comfortable for your feet it easy to get out of boat for wash and u don't have to scrub your deck every time

cheers my way

PS: thank you again for advice on g/box
i did what you advice and it is all good
thanks again

[Spaniard_King]

Fadil,

my boat now lives in a shed so the carpet takes ages to dry hence looking for an alternative to removing the carpet

[perko]

Gary, I have used Herron Rib rubber matting from Clarke Rubber on the Sailfish and have now got it in the Kevlacat. It is great to clean and good for grip. It is a bit hard on bare feet and heavy to lift out though. It is easy to cut out and shape to suit your boat and looks good. Bloody dear though.

[JB]

Hey gazz how about a fan on a timer that you chuck in the boat after its washed?

Or you could mount an industrial fan on the shed wall, point it at the deck.. then just switch on .. with timer.

Jas

[stue2]

Im not too keen on anything that can store any kind of moisture laying on the floor.
Not sure about glueing mats down as you could create a pocket of moisture.
The carpet looks great and good to walk on so I will save that for when the wife comes out, probably only get used once.
A mate has just layed tube matting in a light grey so Im waiting for the verdict on that. other wise its two strips of ribbed rubber mat in a light grey if i can find some.

cheers, Stu

[Dean1]

I just ditched my rubber tube matting from clark rubber as it was causing myself and crew dramas. When the floor gets wet and you lean over the side the matting slides from under your'e feet causing you to spill your beer and a sore gut from falling on the side of the boat. It also gets slippery on the top and you lose alot of traction.

Also it slides around on the floor so your gear ends up all over the place.

Dissapointed in it.

My last boat had removeable carpet which i found the best.

Just running a nude floor at the moment and it seems to be doing the job fine :-?

[Stuart]

Im about to lay the cork deck like this in my plate alloy boat. I sourced the cork myself so its a fair bit cheaper.

Stu

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/attachments/materials/2888d1112410282-synthetic-teak-deck-fleexiteek.gif

[Spaniard_King]

Im about to lay the cork deck like this in my plate alloy boat. I sourced the cork myself so its a fair bit cheaper.

Stu

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/attachments/materials/2888d1112410282-synthetic-teak-deck-fleexiteek.gif

Stuart, How is the cork fixed to the floor/deck??

[Chimo]

Hi Garry

have you considered this http://www.duro-design.com/index.cfm/floating-cork-flooring/

C
C

[Stuart]

Contact cement is fine; you just got to abrade the surface. It comes in 1.04 square meter sheets; you then have to cut that into strips at what ever width you want. It also comes in thicknesses of 3.2, 4.4, 6, 8 and 10mm. Its very hard wearing and ultra gripe.

Stu

[deckie]

If u like the idea of the cork, also have a look at...
http://www.naturalfloorcoverings.com.au/Vinyls-Hard_Floorings/Comcork/Aqua-Deck-Profile/_AquaDeck-1.htm
http://www.naturalfloorcoverings.com.au/Vinyls-Hard_Floorings/Comcork/Low-Profile/_Low-Profile-1.htm

[Horse]

We have been using Tredgrip. Its waterbased and you just clean and recoat if it gets too dirty or scuffed up. Its a soft rubber non slip paint.

http://www.dominionplas.com.au/tredgrip.htm

You can get it from Boat Craft Pacific

[odes20]

Hi Spaniard King

It might be right accross the grain of all the thoughts so far, but I too became sick of cleaning carpet and so when I rebuilt the floor of my Yalta Odessa 2000, I gave the flowcoat deck a scrub down with a rough rag and thinners to get it fresh and clean, then after masking up and practising outside the boat, I gave it a flick coat of colored flowcoat which gave it the standard dotty surface. Not only is it easy to keep clean, but you get a great grip on it wet or dry. My mate was always slipping on his floor as well, and was so impressed so we did his as well. His floor was grey so we put a white flick / droplet coat on his.
Mine was freshly flowcoated white, so I put a blue flick/droplet coat on mine.

It works a treat.

Cheers
John

[stue2]

I just ditched my rubber tube matting as it was causing myself and crew dramas. When the floor gets wet and you lean over the side the matting slides from under your'e feet causing you to spill your beer and a sore gut from falling on the side of the boat. It also gets slippery on the top and you lose alot of traction.

Also it slides around on the floor so your gear ends up all over the place.

Dissapointed in it.

My last boat had removeable carpet which i found the best.

Just running a nude floor at the moment and it seems to be doing the job fine :-?
Dean1. you raise two very important issues. no tube matting for me

[Spaniard_King]

Hi Spaniard King

It might be right accross the grain of all the thoughts so far, but I too became sick of cleaning carpet and so when I rebuilt the floor of my Yalta Odessa 2000, I gave the flowcoat deck a scrub down with a rough rag and thinners to get it fresh and clean, then after masking up and practising outside the boat, I gave it a flick coat of colored flowcoat which gave it the standard dotty surface. Not only is it easy to keep clean, but you get a great grip on it wet or dry. My mate was always slipping on his floor as well, and was so impressed so we did his as well. His floor was grey so we put a white flick / droplet coat on his.
Mine was freshly flowcoated white, so I put a blue flick/droplet coat on mine.

It works a treat.

Cheers
John

This whats under my carpet and its worst than an ice skating rink!

[megafish71]

Contact cement is fine; you just got to abrade the surface. It comes in 1.04 square meter sheets; you then have to cut that into strips at what ever width you want. It also comes in thicknesses of 3.2, 4.4, 6, 8 and 10mm. Its very hard wearing and ultra gripe.

Stu

Hi Stu, any more info on this product, and where do you get it from. Looking for something for my boat also.

Cheers Ron

[oldboot]

Personaly I hate carpet with a pashon......indoors, outdoors anywhere.....I do not believe there is such a thing as clean carpet..straight from the factory its filthy.

When I pulled up the carpet from my old floor......there was heaps of sand in and under it.....fishguts and carpet disgusting..and yep it takes ages to dry properly......and this my well be where all the moisture that sends you bimini mouldy is comming from.

anyway....Ive had a serious look arround for all sorts of texture stuff for a variety of uses.

There is a crowd at banyo...Industrial plastics I think..they do bakerlite..they have an inpregnated cork product that looks similar to stuff I have seen...great stuff but expensive.

the black sand paper tape stuff can be got cheap at bunnings in 50mm width... buy the generic product not the major brand name.

QLD diesel spares have similar stuff in a real good range of widths up to 150mm I seem to remember.

I have done quite a bit is texture using sand.... but it is a fiddle and there are issues.

there are heaps of rubber and other traction paints about but there are issues there too.

NOW
My mate has just had his big sailing cat up the slip for its bum scrape and some other work.

He recons granulated polycarbonate in the last coat of paint ( whatever you are using) is the go...he has tried other things and so have his yachty mates...these guys repaint things every couple of years

the big problem with quite a few of the alternatives is when you come to refinish.......the granulated polocarbonate sands off well and cleanly.

any hard granulate like sand goes thru sand paper badly and the grains that come free cause little gouges, the rubber or tar like products are just nasty horrible to get off....ask my mate Tony about that one.

Sugar crystals thrown over the last coat sort of warks but leaves the surface sticky for ages and some of the grains get coated in paint and are released with wear..and this may also promote mould and the like.

Coffee granuals works and it sands off well... but as the grains are revealed with wear you have a staining problem

as for any of the adhesive items......yeh they will wear out...then you have to get them off......Oh JOY... just done some of that myself....that if they stick long term

Yep I recon this granulated polycarbonate has to be the go.......He said he got his from Gilbert's.......I'll be pressing him for details myself...very shortly.

cheers

[odes20]

So what did you go with in the end Spaniard King??
Cheers
John

[sporty1]

Hi Guys

over the carpet in my boat (see avatar) I have put the interlocking eva foam squares from Bunnings( lots use them for camping as floors for tents etc). I cut them in as required around the sides and my Center console seat,I use sikaflex-291 to glue them together (they are interlocking anyway)in a pattern that still allows them to be removed for cleaning. I also sikaflex a couple of velcro strips at the front and back just to ensure thay don't move at all. This solution costs about $60 for a 5.5m center console, and I find it works well. You can buy either the EVA squares with the holes or as I did the solid no holes squares. Hope this helps.

[Spaniard_King]

So what did you go with in the end Spaniard King??
Cheers
John

I am going with Old boots suggestion of the polycarbonated Crystals in the Flow coat for the heavy work areas and the decktread from PJbowers in the helm areas.

Will put up a post when its all done. about 3 weeks time.. or when I get around to it ::)

[snatchy]

Hi Guys

over the carpet in my boat (see avatar) I have put the interlocking eva foam squares from Bunnings( lots use them for camping as floors for tents etc). I cut them in as required around the sides and my Center console seat,I use sikaflex-291 to glue them together (they are interlocking anyway)in a pattern that still allows them to be removed for cleaning. I also sikaflex a couple of velcro strips at the front and back just to ensure thay don't move at all. This solution costs about $60 for a 5.5m center console, and I find it works well. You can buy either the EVA squares with the holes or as I did the solid no holes squares. Hope this helps.

:thumbsup:
i have done this too. good, very cheap;D floor covering. just make sure you fix it to the floor somehow otherwise it will slip. i got mine from kmart. 2 lots at $18 each (i think) for a 21ft half cabin.

[Ringoscar]

Plenty of good solutions here to suit all applications & budgets.
They all will wear out eventually in heavy-traffic areas, even the flowcoat/polycarb granules; they just work their way out of the waxed flowcoat and into the bilges through general wear & tear.
The strategies that are easier to maintain and to replace or re-coat are the most practical but a caulked timber strip or plank is by far the longest-wearing, if not the cheapest or most appropriate.
My best/worst effort was the coffee crystals in the flowcoat; even after 3-4 hot pressure cleans, there were sticky bits still emerging. And the tiny pits the crystals left filled with water and were stench magnets for mud, blood and squashed bait.
I went over that lot pretty soon with a hot-mix flowcoat stirred up with the sweepings from under the sawbench in a busy sign shop - polycarb and acrylic in mixed colours. Boosted it with a bit of fine beach sand. Sprinkled on a bit more mix as it gelled off and swept the job down a few times after it set hard. Looked a tad rough but stayed rougher, especially when the mohair roller left a few peaks of its own – probably my best effort so far.
I've had the Seadek sheets down on this boat for over a year and apart from a few scuffs, it's come back to natural colour every time after a soapy scrub. Spots of blood, slime, oil and grease come out with a bit of rubbing, although rust tends to soak in a bit.
Wet or dry, it's the best thing you'll ever feel under bare feet and everyone loves the stuff.
The thicker helm pad is probably worth sticking down just where you want maximum comfort and grip while standing over long periods.
The Australian importers Flybridge Pty Ltd seem to be AWOL lately, maybe see if the Florida-based www.seadek.com (http://www.seadek.com) will still ship to Oz, they used to. And the exchange rate is certainly hot.