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American flooring budget mat install


Fman

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2 hours ago, Steve B. said:

Thanks UWSkier,

I gotta make a decision at some point between carpet and decadence. Yours looks nice, and affordable.

Steve B.

edit: Even if you had gone with the larger piece, you would still have to have a seam somewhere?

Yes. Max width is 4' and you need to leave access to the rear floor panel

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First use this morning.  We soaked the floor good and hard today with people getting in and out of the boat, wet gear, vests on the floor, etc.  Got off the water 6 hours ago and just checked.  Interior is bone dry.  Granted, our humidity right now is only about 11% and it got the benefit of a 45 minute ride home from the lake at speeds up to 80 MPH, but my carpet would still be pretty soggy at this point.

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Thanks all for your comments on this thread.  I'm looking closely at doing a carpet replacement with this instead of paying the extra premium for seadeck, etc.

But I live in Texas, where summers are hot, and I am concerned that this product will get very hot to the touch when sitting out in the sun.  Can  you please give feedback on what your experience has been in the hot sun, and please confirm which color you have.  I am assuming that darker colors will be worse in this regard.

Edited by ducklaw99
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On 4/8/2021 at 12:16 PM, ducklaw99 said:

Thanks all for your comments on this thread.  I'm looking closely at doing a carpet replacement with this instead of paying the extra premium for seadeck, etc.

But I live in Texas, where summers are hot, and I am concerned that this product will get very hot to the touch when sitting out in the sun.  Can  you please give feedback on what your experience has been in the hot sun, and please confirm which color you have.  I am assuming that darker colors will be worse in this regard.

I'll leave it parked outside in the AZ sun next time I get back from the lake. Had it in the driveway last weekend in 95f and it was hot, but my carpet was hot in those conditions also. Good thing with this stuff is when it's hot, you can just dump lake water on it. 

Edited by UWSkier
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On 4/11/2021 at 3:45 PM, UWSkier said:

I'll leave it parked outside in the AZ sun next time I get back from the lake. Had it in the driveway last weekend in 95f and it was hot, but my carpet was hot in those conditions also. Good thing with this stuff is when it's hot, you can just dump lake water on it. 

Thank you!  Let me know how it feels.  Which color do you have?

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On 4/13/2021 at 7:37 AM, ducklaw99 said:

Thank you!  Let me know how it feels.  Which color do you have?

Parked in the high noon sun today it was pretty dang hot.  Like uncomfortable to stand on hot.  But I drove around the block and it was OK after that.  I think if you're moving and dripping water on it it should be OK, but if you spend a ton of time parked, it might not be the best stuff.  I have some spare material.  I'll test that installed the right way up and see if it's cooler that way.  With the "flat" side installed up on mine, that might be contributing somewhat to the heat.  It's a little less airy on top this way.  Feels better when it's 55F and stiffer though, which is why I put it that way.  I use my boat a lot in the winter.

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2 hours ago, UWSkier said:

Parked in the high noon sun today it was pretty dang hot.  Like uncomfortable to stand on hot.  But I drove around the block and it was OK after that.  I think if you're moving and dripping water on it it should be OK, but if you spend a ton of time parked, it might not be the best stuff.  I have some spare material.  I'll test that installed the right way up and see if it's cooler that way.  With the "flat" side installed up on mine, that might be contributing somewhat to the heat.  It's a little less airy on top this way.  Feels better when it's 55F and stiffer though, which is why I put it that way.  I use my boat a lot in the winter.

Ah, the Laws of Thermodymics win.

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On 4/8/2021 at 1:16 PM, ducklaw99 said:

Thanks all for your comments on this thread.  I'm looking closely at doing a carpet replacement with this instead of paying the extra premium for seadeck, etc.

But I live in Texas, where summers are hot, and I am concerned that this product will get very hot to the touch when sitting out in the sun.  Can  you please give feedback on what your experience has been in the hot sun, and please confirm which color you have.  I am assuming that darker colors will be worse in this regard.

It gets hot, but so did my carpet.  I bought a mister like this one and spray a bit on the floor when it gets hot, but it only seems to happen when we are anchored/docked and high sun. 

Side feature: folks that get hot easily, kids, and ones that won't/can't get in the water to cool off love it.  It became so popular I had to buy a 2nd one.  Just make sure you use bottled water, not lake water as it will quickly clog the nozzle.

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I have the dark gray that I put in last May (See pictures on page 3 of this thread).   It definitely gets hot, but I dont think any hotter than the carpet did (which was still hot enough to be uncomfortable).   Even a little breeze will cool it off.   If parked in a cove, a splash of water will also instantly cool it down.   In the way we use the boat, it really isn't a noticeable issue.   The more noticeable thing to me is that when it is cold enough to be stuff, it is more uncomfortable on knees than carpet.    On the flip side, it is MUCH easier to keep clean than the carpet, it doesnt mat down, it doesnt stink after it has been wet, and will dry out in FAR less time than carpet.   The carpet was an unending battle to keep nice, and even marginally clean looking.  With this stuff, I hose down the floor when I come back, even if mud has been tracked in from a cove it looks new again.

After a full season with it, I still think it is the best overall choice, and way less expensive than Deckadence.    BTW, I have a friend with a Deckadence mat, and I do think it may be softer than this stuff.    But this is a lot softer on the wallet. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Same question here as @hunter77ah I ordered my mat from AmericanFloorMats and I hope to get this project going in a week or so. Any advice is great for choices of floor coating, template making, cutting tips and tools, etc. My floor is likely bare fiberglass so I have some painting and prep in my future. 

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1 hour ago, hunter77ah said:

What did you guys use to cut the mat?  My mat is on order and I want to make sure I can get clean edges.  Thanks!

 

53 minutes ago, BCJohnsontx said:

Same question here as @hunter77ah I ordered my mat from AmericanFloorMats and I hope to get this project going in a week or so. Any advice is great for choices of floor coating, template making, cutting tips and tools, etc. My floor is likely bare fiberglass so I have some painting and prep in my future. 

I used my carpet as a template... so I wound up cutting exactly the same pattern as the carpet, and installed snaps in all the same places.    I cut it with a utility knife with a new blade, it was like cutting soft butter...  I put a 2x6 under it so that I was cutting against something solid that would not destroy the blade.  I also had a straight edge against the blade so that I got nice straight, clean cuts.  I think I did change the blade in the middle of the job tho, as I remember it dulled quickly.

@BCJohnsontx Assuming you are replacing glue in carpet, I would think you are probably going to have to make a paper template first... FWIW, I would install snaps in the process too so that you can easily remove the mat for cleaning the floor under it, and keep it from moving around.   Lots of posters here have said that the weight of the mat is enough (and probably is on the bigger boats.  I can say that in my 22VLX, I would not want the mat just laying on the floor, especially the section under the helm.  It would definitely move around on me.

 

Edited by JeffC
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@JeffC Thank you that is all very helpful. Yes, my current carpet is glue in so I imagine I will be making a paper template or using heavy plastic. My concern right now is choosing a good paint/epoxy to coat the floor with assuming its bare fiberglass. 

I would prefer to use something off the shelf that I could snag at a local Home Depot or boat supply store vs ordering some special coating. 

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4 minutes ago, BCJohnsontx said:

@JeffC Thank you that is all very helpful. Yes, my current carpet is glue in so I imagine I will be making a paper template or using heavy plastic. My concern right now is choosing a good paint/epoxy to coat the floor with assuming its bare fiberglass. 

I would prefer to use something off the shelf that I could snag at a local Home Depot or boat supply store vs ordering some special coating. 

I used to have a Crownline... and I recall there were some of threads on the crowniehq forum about converting from glue down to snap in carpet there.   Unfortunately, when they upgraded their software to the latest vbulletin version, the place really died down, and I think some of the older threads are gone now.   There was a LOT of glue in carpet in the 90's and earlier vintage Crownlines... including mine (97 18' bowrider... with a 5.7L - it would GET IT).   Had I kept that boat I probably would have been taking on the project, but instead... I bought the BU.     LOVED that Crownline, but the BU is WAY WAY WAY WAY more fun.  

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10 minutes ago, BCJohnsontx said:

@JeffC Thank you that is all very helpful. Yes, my current carpet is glue in so I imagine I will be making a paper template or using heavy plastic. My concern right now is choosing a good paint/epoxy to coat the floor with assuming its bare fiberglass. 

I would prefer to use something off the shelf that I could snag at a local Home Depot or boat supply store vs ordering some special coating. 

BTW, with a 23 LSV, you are almost certainly going to need to seam the mat.   If you go back in this thread, there are some good posts about technique.   Because I used a stand alone mat under the helm, I ONLY had to seam the little finger of mat that goes behind that captains chair.   The only traffic that area sees is flips stored there, so I didnt need  much - I wound up seaming with heavy dental floss, which at least so far is holding up.    If you were putting in a seam through a high traffic area, I expect you will need one of the "heavier duty" techniques... and you may well with a 23 LSV.

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@JeffC Yes, I was thinking a seam would be needed around the drivers area for sure. I saw the note on the dental floss and I think its genius. I may use some alternative form of thread like a heavy braided fishing line to sew the seam together so it disappears as much as possible.  

For the snaps, not sure how those get attached to the mat. My guess is that the mat is dense and strong enough that a standard snap installation worked fine for ya'll without any added reinforcement? If so, I will plan on adding the stainless snaps when I do my install for sure. 

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5 hours ago, BCJohnsontx said:

@JeffC Yes, I was thinking a seam would be needed around the drivers area for sure. I saw the note on the dental floss and I think its genius. I may use some alternative form of thread like a heavy braided fishing line to sew the seam together so it disappears as much as possible.  

For the snaps, not sure how those get attached to the mat. My guess is that the mat is dense and strong enough that a standard snap installation worked fine for ya'll without any added reinforcement? If so, I will plan on adding the stainless snaps when I do my install for sure. 

I did standard snap installation and so far so good.  The back of the mat is more dense than the top.   I wondered about it, was a LITTLE concerned about it but decided to go for it.   I have had it in and out quite a few times without any issue, but I dont just yank on it either.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 4/27/2021 at 7:37 AM, BCJohnsontx said:

@JeffC Thank you that is all very helpful. Yes, my current carpet is glue in so I imagine I will be making a paper template or using heavy plastic. My concern right now is choosing a good paint/epoxy to coat the floor with assuming its bare fiberglass. 

I would prefer to use something off the shelf that I could snag at a local Home Depot or boat supply store vs ordering some special coating. 

First post. I have been doing a complete change of everything on my 2003 VLX. I will do a complete write up but figured I would share that part as it’s relevant. 

After a lot of reading on these forums and others I went with Tuffcoat Smooth and its associated primer. Prep was not bad. Removed carpet. Was rough fiberglass underneath.  Power washed all glue off really well. Then scraped as needed the tougher spots. Put primer on and 24 to 48 hours later three coats Toughcoat. Have to say the results exceeded my expectations. Waiting on my American Floormat to put on top. Pictures to follow if interested. 

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7 minutes ago, Gbarnesnavy said:

First post. I have been doing a complete change of everything on my 2003 VLX. I will do a complete write up but figured I would share that part as it’s relevant. 

After a lot of reading on these forums and others I went with Tuffcoat Smooth and its associated primer. Prep was not bad. Removed carpet. Was rough fiberglass underneath.  Power washed all glue off really well. Then scraped as needed the tougher spots. Put primer on and 24 to 48 hours later three coats Toughcoat. Have to say the results exceeded my expectations. Waiting on my American Floormat to put on top. Pictures to follow if interested. 

 

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@Gbarnesnavy That looks outstanding so far. I went with the American Floor Mats material and did almost the exact same project a few weeks back if you need any inspiration here: 

 

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3 hours ago, BCJohnsontx said:

@Gbarnesnavy That looks outstanding so far. I went with the American Floor Mats material and did almost the exact same project a few weeks back if you need any inspiration here: 

 

Thank you.  My wife was really nervous when I ripped everything out.  I admit I was a little too.  lol  So worth it though.  

I saw your post  Great work!  But you cheated and had your wife help.  :)  Mine refused.  lol  Not sure about the condition of your gas tank cover, but for you or others that need to replace theirs after looking at HDPE and honey comb replacements, I went with 1 inch marine plywood due to cost difference, and lets face it if you are going with American Floor mats over Deckadence you are trying to stay on a budget, it was the best choice.  Came out really well and i was able to make the gap around it smaller and it is flush with the floor now.  After removing carpet from the aluminum honeycomb the remaining panel will be lower than the flooring by design.  I found you needed 1" thick HDPE, marine ply, or new honeycomb if you plan on going a different direction than carpet.

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I'm actually doing this project as well. I'm using kiwi-grip (thinking I should have maybe have just used paint because that kiwi-grip is pricey). I did also go Starboard to replace the gas tank cover. The downside is I wanted to apply kiwigrip to it, but everything I read says nothing is going to stick to that. i was using kiwi grip because I was hoping to use my boat with and without the deckadence. With a bunch of kids or stuff just pull the mat and have kiwigrip floors (My friend does this with his removeable carpet and I like it). So I'm kind of bummed i went the HDPE route, it was pricey for the 1" it was ~350 bucks for that size. I also replaced the center bilge access with 3/4" HDPE.

 

I'm also going back and forth on the rear lockers, under front seats, and passenger (battery) compartment whether to go kiwigrip or go with more of a bedliner style coating.

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