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Gatorstep versus Seadek? Or new carpet?


xx29l9

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Probably a billion threads on this already, but my search brought up goose eggs. Getting an all new interior put in the boat and debating about floor covering. We got plenty of good years out of the factory carpet and I would have no problem updating to the latest carpet....but we are also debating going to a Gatorstep or Seadek flooring. Anyone have reasons for one over the other? It appears that both companies can put a Malibu graphic in the floor if wanted?

Just pondering choices.

Bob

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My short take - getting onto my boat and stepping on carpet that is still wet from yesterday is not cool. On the other hand, standing on the Seadek/GatorStep (not sure which I have) when the sun is shining on it is literally not cool - it's super hot actually. 

If you have enough time between outings for your carpet to dry, stick with what you like. If you run several days in a row, it's tough to beat the new stuff. When it gets too hot, you can spread an empty can filled with lake water onto the floor of the boat, and it cools almost immediately and stays that way til it dries. Simple to clean up, and the stain resistance has been useful for us. 

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You're local to Gatorstep so that's one big reason to go with them over Seadek. They're a small business just south of Portland, so shoot @upperleftwake a note and talk to him about your project.

My experience with black GS on a couple boats is the GS is always cooler than the light colored vinyl on my seats. It will get plenty warm in the direct sun but I remember my old carpet being about the same. 

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Thanks for the replies, one thing Gabe mentioned is that he has seen tears in this kind of flooring if something is drug over it and it catches a snag like someone pushing a cooler across the floor. Not that we have any extra coolers on our boat, but anyone see a tearing problem in this material on the floor or swim deck?

Bob 

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1 hour ago, xx29l9 said:

Thanks for the replies, one thing Gabe mentioned is that he has seen tears in this kind of flooring if something is drug over it and it catches a snag like someone pushing a cooler across the floor. Not that we have any extra coolers on our boat, but anyone see a tearing problem in this material on the floor or swim deck?

Bob 

No issues in my experience, or others I know with it too. I could see it being possible but this kind of flooring is also what just about every newer boat comes with now.

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1 hour ago, Brichter14 said:

Why not deckadence?

Deckadence is nice, but isn't the cost almost the same?  Given roughly equal costs, it is a nobrainer to me to go with a closed cell foam.  

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Just came out of a huge monsoon last weekend, and the dirt and water was about a quarter inch thick on my deckadence flooring.  Took it out, washed it out, cleaned the floor with a towel, and an hour later it was good as new.  I can't imagine what carpet would have looked like.

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So I put brand new carpet in my previous 2012 MXZ which worked just fine.  However I just bought a new 2018 MXZ with the seadek flooring.  After having experiencing both I would give the seadek a higher recommendation.  I think it is more comfortable on the feet and I haven't had any issues with it being too hot.  Certainly, it is easier to clean and it looks great.  Since my 2012 carpet only lasted about 5 years I can't give it any advantage over the sedek. 

Just my 2 cents.

 

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You have glued in carpet.  It is a LARGE amount of labor to convert to EVA foam flooring.  You are either in for a long project or a high bill to get EVA flooring to look good in your boat.  It's the way to go and may increase resale a bit (if done nicely but you won't get your money back in resale).  Not only do you have to get ALL of the glue up, you also have to level the floor, sometimes rebuilding the fuel tank cover.  Then you have to epoxy everything and THEN do the EVA flooring.  I'd love to have it but $$ and Labor vs reward just isn't there.

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2 hours ago, milehighbu said:

So I put brand new carpet in my previous 2012 MXZ which worked just fine.  However I just bought a new 2018 MXZ with the seadek flooring.  After having experiencing both I would give the seadek a higher recommendation.  I think it is more comfortable on the feet and I haven't had any issues with it being too hot.  Certainly, it is easier to clean and it looks great.  Since my 2012 carpet only lasted about 5 years I can't give it any advantage over the sedek. 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Totally agree with these comments.

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I did my LSV for $352 in Deckadence.   It has been bulletproof,  used it on my last two boats.  You can easily remove it and It will not stain, mildew, fade, etc etc.  Call me a fanboy because I am, the stuff is great.

 

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  • 1 year later...
On 9/10/2019 at 7:27 PM, 18vlxguy said:

When I bought my boat it had carpet in it. I upgraded to seadek over the summer and count be happier with the decision. Easy to clean and dries in no time at all.

malibu floor.jpeg

malibu floor 1.jpeg

 

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2007 23LSV boat on Lake Travis AustinTx area- Been looking at West Coast Install on Gatorstep/sea deck & asking group personal experience on self install project vs experience with reputable Austin area installers & Cost

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On 9/10/2019 at 12:23 PM, MakeNWaves said:

Just came out of a huge monsoon last weekend, and the dirt and water was about a quarter inch thick on my deckadence flooring.  Took it out, washed it out, cleaned the floor with a towel, and an hour later it was good as new.  I can't imagine what carpet would have looked like.

My concern being not glued or button'd down would be it slipping as people are stepping around with wet feet, etc. No need to seam the edges? Going under seat frames etc, you just squish it underneath?

Steve B.

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Its heavy and non slip.  It doesnt go under the seat bases. It's kind of an area rug.   It also has a unique texture and some love it and some hate it.  I prefer it to foam in the boat because its removable and doesnt stain but both options are way better than carpet.  I cant wait to get the carpet out of my boat but it's a big project and I keep putting it off.  Closed cell foam would probably be my second choice.  I also know I'm the minority and most people prefer foam.  

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33 minutes ago, Gavin17 said:

Its heavy and non slip.  It doesnt go under the seat bases. It's kind of an area rug.   It also has a unique texture and some love it and some hate it.  I prefer it to foam in the boat because its removable and doesnt stain but both options are way better than carpet.  I cant wait to get the carpet out of my boat but it's a big project and I keep putting it off.  Closed cell foam would probably be my second choice.  I also know I'm the minority and most people prefer foam.  

I watched several of their video's. In one he kicks a small section pretty good and it doesn't budge. Nice. Paintable. Now I'm wondering how much surface prep I would need to do after pulling the existing carpeting. I'm either going back to similar carpeting or this product.

Steve B.

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On 12/19/2020 at 3:38 PM, MystiikVLX said:

Is there anything to put on Gatorstep to prevent staining or help keep it clean?

I've never had GS stain.  I have gotten blood, wine, soda, and lots more and unfortunately my boy threw up in the boat.  None of the mentioned fluids stained the GS.  I cleaned it with diluted soapy water and cleaned with a scrub brush.  

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This may be a dump question but can you leave the carpet in place and put the EVA "area rug" down while using the boat and then just remove it so the carpet and it can dry?

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28 minutes ago, Zippymbr said:

This may be a dump question but can you leave the carpet in place and put the EVA "area rug" down while using the boat and then just remove it so the carpet and it can dry?

eva comes with a backing to stick covered by a membrane ,  so no you cant put it down on top of your carpet, old boat with glued carpet, bite the bullet and do the work  to remove glue, possibly build new size center hatch if you have one ( carpet has width folding down into hatch lip from floor and hatch )  .  if you have snap in carpet, its no big deal except for the templating , if you use a removable like deckadence snd you have old carpet you would have to remove glue, sand and paint floor and then lay it down and remove to clean it by when desired 

your floor dry time is almost instant with EVA,  its worth the trouble vs carpet dry time and the stink that probably rarely goes away unless you power wash it therefore soaking it necessitating dry time

it ‘s winter, time for big projects!

Edited by granddaddy55
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12 hours ago, granddaddy55 said:

eva comes with a backing to stick covered by a membrane ,  so no you cant put it down on top of your carpet, old boat with glued carpet, bite the bullet and do the work  to remove glue, possibly build new size center hatch if you have one ( carpet has width folding down into hatch lip from floor and hatch )  .  if you have snap in carpet, its no big deal except for the templating , if you use a removable like deckadence snd you have old carpet you would have to remove glue, sand and paint floor and then lay it down and remove to clean it by when desired 

your floor dry time is almost instant with EVA,  its worth the trouble vs carpet dry time and the stink that probably rarely goes away unless you power wash it therefore soaking it necessitating dry time

it ‘s winter, time for big projects!

thanks for the explanation, now I want to start ripping up my old carpet!

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