Floor covering ideas

[sunshinecoasting]

Where I live and sail we have nothing but fine white sand which I am finding abbrasive to my floors in the cockpit and cabin, with kids swimming and us on and off the boat a lot while tied to a tree in the shallows I am thinking I need a floor covering, I dont really want carpet so I am considering cutting those EVA foam interlocking camping tiles in to shape to fit the floor, you know the ones with the holes in them. Has anyone done this and if so, how does it look (pics) and is it both durable and practical? Function is better than form in this case so looks are not extremely high on my concerns list, having said that I dont want it to look dog ugly either.

Thanks in advance, Dennis.

[bartmac]

Done exactly that ie foam interlocking tiles c/w holes from Clark Rubber...cut to size,easy to take out and clean,dirt sand etc falls thru leaving the actual surface clean....both in the cockpit and inside floor...works a treat and cheap.Nice and soft under foot and reasonably non slip.No pictures at the moment...Mac is asleep...we used a nice neutral gray....and offcuts were used elsewhere for packing and anti rub....waste not want not

[sunshinecoasting]

I was thinking either black (to suit all the trim and sail covers) or blue which is the theme I have adopted indoors.

Do they slip around much? BCF have them for $19.99 a pack of 4 (620X620X11mm) each comes with one edge strip too. I am measuring the boat up tonight when I get home to work out how many I need.

Cheers, Dennis.

[133bhp]

Those foam tiles were okay but collect dirt undernewath and are wet underfoot. I now use rubber grasss/horse mat with large open holes and dimples undernath allowing dirt to wash out to a degree, and are dry underfoot. easy to fit and stay put.

[RobertB]

I used Lonseal flooring from Defender. does not get slippery when wet, easy to apply with carpet tape and edge caulk, easy to clean, and durable.

[dlandersson]

Ditto.

I used Lonseal flooring from Defender. does not get slippery when wet, easy to apply with carpet tape and edge caulk, easy to clean, and durable.

[bartmac]

I didn't bother with edge strips,just cut the edge lobes off...and no had no problems with the tiles slipping....one thing though the ones we bought are to some degree absorbent....so we tend not to get the interior ones wet whilst using the boat (dry cleaning mainly) and only wash between boat usage.So far rain has not wet the cockpit ones sufficiently to be a hassle.The holes do let dirt thru...but that's actually a good thing...less dirt to adhere to your feet to be carried inside......I like my bed clean and definitely NON gritty.Lifting the tiles and sweeping underneath is not a big chore and I'm afraid to say we actually have vacuum cleaner on board ....wouldn't have bought it for the boat but some of these things do double duty in our camper and share batteries with my tools and torch.....yes to be sure to be sure...we carry a 18V drill/screwdriver and angle grinder c/w 12v charger

[sunshinecoasting]

I didn't bother with edge strips,just cut the edge lobes off...and no had no problems with the tiles slipping....one thing though the ones we bought are to some degree absorbent....so we tend not to get the interior ones wet whilst using the boat (dry cleaning mainly) and only wash between boat usage.So far rain has not wet the cockpit ones sufficiently to be a hassle.The holes do let dirt thru...but that's actually a good thing...less dirt to adhere to your feet to be carried inside......I like my bed clean and definitely NON gritty.Lifting the tiles and sweeping underneath is not a big chore and I'm afraid to say we actually have vacuum cleaner on board ....wouldn't have bought it for the boat but some of these things do double duty in our camper and share batteries with my tools and torch.....yes to be sure to be sure...we carry a 18V drill/screwdriver and angle grinder c/w 12v charger

LOL, were you a boyscout once??? I'm happy enough to just use a brush and shovel once a day, I dont get much sand in the cabin anyway, I am more concerned with the cockpit, it seems to cop a lot of traffic. Last time out I set up a bucket at the transom to wash feet in as you entered, helped a bit. Thanks for the advice, I am hoping to get out this weekend for an overnight jaunt at Mooloolaba, the weather is supposed to be excellent.

Cheers, Dennis.

[fishheadbarandgrill]

We installed Dri-dek from West Marine. You can cut to fit, it's cheap, easy to clean and the tan color matches the M's interior.

Bob

[bartmac]

Our boat usage is currently only very sparse but usually for 10-14days at a time and with just the two of us...no kids so keeping the whole thing clean and sleeping on board means theres a concerted effort to boatkeep ("housekeep") so as to minimise discomfort...we are on holidays but try and sleep in bed that's sandy or a body which is salt coated...doesn't work especially if its also hot and humid.Its exceedingly difficult keeping things salt free and dry on a boat and our sub tropical climate doesn't help.As you said a bucket at the transom works well...we also have an outside shower (linked to the on board pressured water system) at the transom and a tray you stand in whilst you shower catching the water for later foot wash.All that said the holey tiles work in well and feel nicer under foot than the fibreglass

[sunshinecoasting]

We installed Dri-dek from West Marine. You can cut to fit, it's cheap, easy to clean and the tan color matches the M's interior.

Bob

Hmmm, product looks good but I can't find it available anywhere is Australia.

[jpaszk]

Le Click Teak Interlocking Deck Tiles :
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywor ... h1un7sd6_b

[Russ]

I used Lonseal flooring from Defender. does not get slippery when wet, easy to apply with carpet tape and edge caulk, easy to clean, and durable.

That is absolutely gorgeous.... but holy cow it's expensive. If I'm reading this right, it's $40 for 72" piece 12" wide. How many did you use?
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... id=1758398
I used the cheapest wood flooring I could find at Lowes. Looks pretty good, but I regret not using something prettier like that.
I think I paid $40 for 3 boxes that covered the whole cabin.

Le Click Teak Interlocking Deck Tiles :
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywor ... h1un7sd6_b

Thanks for the link.
I never knew about these things. Not sure if they would work on my boat, but I could find other household uses for them.
Did you put them in the cabin or cockpit?

[RobertB]

I bought a piece equal in length to the main (lower) floor. I was able to get all three pieces out of this one length (low main piece, piece under the table, and forward piece up to the head). I do not regret this purchase at all. The first mod my wife demanded was getting rid of the factory carpet and this fit the bill. The second one she wanted she just got today - I just installed the stern rail seats (still need to finish shortening the lifelines). Also installed the grab handle above the swim ladder and re-rigged the daggerboard with a block to make it twice as easy to pull up.