Deck/ Flooring Coverings: What's Your Experiences?

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cooter brown

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I wanted to see if we could get a conversation thread going on different deck/ floor covering options other than carpet. I'm looking for experiences with Sea Dek/ Hydro Turf, Bedliner material such as Herculiner, Raptor, LineX, Kiwi Grip, Tuff Coat, etc., and mats such as Styx River. Looking for application information and long term reports on the product used. Do you like what you chose and would you do it again?

I'm still debating on Hydro Turf or a bedliner type material. My boat is going in saltwater so carpet is out of the question. I have read good and bad all over the internet about all of the above products. It would be great if we could pool some information together on real world use of these alternate coverings for our Tins.

Batter up...... who's got some opinions and experiences- good or bad?

Thanks- Eric
 
I've used the black Dupliliner bed paint on plywood, MDF, aluminum, and a truck bed. While I didn't like it too much in a truck bed, I do think it's awesome on everything else. It's worked fantastic on my numerous wood projects. My current floor is plywood covered with the bed liner paint, then carpeted over that. I can't say from direct experience how it would do with saltwater, but I would speculate it would hold up to it well, but would fade and discolor quicker than normal.
 
I have the Styx River Neo-mats and i love them. Redfish blood and everything else washes out easy with just a water hose. They dont get hot at all. I have them glued to the front deck and rear bench seat, and bolted to the ribs along with the plywood flooring.
 
I went with plywood decks covered with Durabak(bedliner) and Hydro-Turf. I am very happy with both. Durabak doesn't bother my bare feet and the hydo-turf looks great and feels good under my bare feet. I went with Durabak do to its water tight seal and the many colors they offer. Plus it comes with a uv additive so it wont fade.
 
I am putting Diamond Plate Aluminum, with a coat of Cabelas Tuff Coat in the floor sections of my 1436 Tracker. I am not worried about it getting hot in the summertime, because I usually don't go barefoot in the boat. Don't want to find a fish hook that may have fallen out of a tacklebox the hard way. #-o
 
The front and back deck of my boats are aluminum with carpet over it. The middle is aluminum diamond plate with "styx like" mats and I like the mats better on bare feet!

Jeff
 
Thanks for the comments guys, keep 'em coming.

The more I research, the more I keep going back to Hydro Turf. I emailed Kiwi Grip for more information. They recommended using an etching primer but really liked epoxy primer. The theory is to paint the Kiwi Grip on just after the epoxy primer is setting up and getting tacky to the touch. It makes good sense and should be bulletproof. I guess all bedliner type material will stick and last if you do the proper prep work. I was originally surprised how much Hydro Turf costs. But, when you start to add up all the primer, tape, rollers, and misc supplies, the Hydro Turf really starts to look better.

Bayou Voodoo, do you have pics of your Hydro Turf? I found some in larger sheets that is 3mm and available in black or white only. I wonder how hot the black would get? I did get a sample of the 3mm black from them in the mail and it seems to be very tough stuff. I set it out in the sun and it doesn't seem to get too hot but it's hard to tell from a 1x1" square sample. I spoke with Hydro Turf and they recommended against using the 3mm saying it wasn't thick enough to be comfortable to walk on. Heck, I've been walking around on bare aluminum decks my whole life. 3mm seems plenty thick to me.

Fastcajun, what type of glue did you use to keep the styx river mats down? I've read the 3M 90 spray adhesive works well. Hydro Turf recommends a rubber cement...

Thanks again guys- Eric
 
I went with 5.5 mm Hydro-Turf and used the recommended DAP rubber cement. I used the gel version of the cement. The 5.5mm isn't real thick either. I would have to say pass on the 3mm sheets. I was told the spray glue works but it is a pain to use. With the gel all I had to do was paint it on and lay down the turf.
 

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