Floor material options ?

[Bearclaw]

I have some questions about floor covering options on an aluminum floor. I am working on a 99 tracker 17' v hull, took out the old rotted carpet and plywood and replaced it with aluminum. I've never had a boat with aluminum on the floor.my current boat has plywood with the vinyl flooring on it and I like it a LOT better than the carpeted boats I have had. I took this boat out Saturday for a lake test and the bare aluminum was very hot. I was thinking of the do it yourself Bedliner material as my number one choice. How does a light colored one work,does it keep the heat down? I have read about the marine specific floor material but seems like I read something about it lasting only a couple of years. Any thought and advice is appreciated. I'm in South Carolina so summertime fishing is hot. IVe wire brushed the floor in somewhat a step of prep.. I used truss head screws to fasten it down.

 

[stinkfoot]

Currently in the process of putting 10mm coroplast on mine instead of 3/4" marine ply which weighs around 150lb. After that I am not too sure. Either interlocking foam squares(light coloured)-cheap or this stuff(expensive)https://www.seadek.com/c-5-sheet-material.aspx

 

[archery68]

I have had 4 jet boats with perforated aluminum floor in them. Dealers here in Missouri install them. They install more bracing and screw it down. Very very poplar option here. Does not get hot at all. I go barefoot in my boat smallmouth fishing in the summer heat and I assure you the carpet up on my front deck gets hotter. I would not own a boat without the perforated aluminum. If u get mud, sand, whatever in your boat, take the plug out and take a water hose to it. Clean in a few minutes. It's lightweight as well, hopefully you can zoom in on the pics so u can see the floor better.

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[buckmaster27012]

perforated aluminum floor is what i've got also but I think it would be a little late for that option. water and dirt just go throught it and to bottom of boat and come out drain plug. i've got my front deck painted durabak and its not very hot. is aluminum up under and its painted a sand color. they also make those foam pads to stick on but d/k what color options they have but could look at that, i think may be called seadeck or something like.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Hydroturf. You can get some free samples to check it out. Great product, second only to Seadek for the absolute best floor covering for boats.

 

[Shaugh]

That nice clean metal floor is a beautiful thing in a boat. I'd be looking for something that just lays over it and can easily be removed for cleaning. You don't want to hose out the entire boat to clean up a spilled beer or nightcrawler container...and coating it or gluing down carpet or vinyl seems unnecessary. Something like these plastic grid floors would be nice imo:

https://www.plasteak.com/plasteak-recycled-plastic-products/plastic-flooring-grates

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Mark-Armadillo-Tile-Buckskin-Beige-12-in-x-12-in-Polypropylene-Interlocking-Multipurpose-Floor-Tile-9-Pack-22409/206880600

 

[Butthead]

I have had 4 jet boats with perforated aluminum floor in them. Dealers here in Missouri install them. They install more bracing and screw it down. Very very poplar option here. Does not get hot at all. I go barefoot in my boat smallmouth fishing in the summer heat and I assure you the carpet up on my front deck gets hotter. I would not own a boat without the perforated aluminum. If u get mud, sand, whatever in your boat, take the plug out and take a water hose to it. Clean in a few minutes. It's lightweight as well, hopefully you can zoom in on the pics so u can see the floor better.

That looks sick!
Any idea on the specs of the material? And what are they screwing the ends of the floor into between the ribs?

 

[user 21876]

I saw this recommended on another site and I am going to install it in mine

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/bcg-4-ft-x-8-ft-roll-up-mat#repChildCatid=34561

Those that have used it say it is every bit as durable as the Hydroturf, but only comes in the black diamond plate looking material.

I will post the link to the other thread on it.

Found the other thread on it:

https://www.mudmotortalk.com/mmt_v2/viewtopic.php?t=34557

1244 Atchafalaya Outdoor Designs W/ 12hp Copperhead

 

[ericman]

I would not put bedliner in for a boat floor. Water, sand, and shoes will wear it out and peel it out, no matter what you do. I would glue carpet right to the aluminum. With rubber cement.

 

[ProduceMan]

I've used this product on another boat's deck. Very durable, got 4 yrs out of it before it needed redoing. https://tuffcoat.net/

 

[stinkfoot]

I saw this recommended on another site and I am going to install it in mine

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/bcg-4-ft-x-8-ft-roll-up-mat#repChildCatid=34561

Those that have used it say it is every bit as durable as the Hydroturf, but only comes in the black diamond plate looking material.

I will post the link to the other thread on it.

Found the other thread on it:

https://www.mudmotortalk.com/mmt_v2/viewtopic.php?t=34557

1244 Atchafalaya Outdoor Designs W/ 12hp Copperhead

I use that on the floor of my camper. Very comfy for bare feet but gets damned hot on a sunny day in a boat.

 

[archery68]

I have had 4 jet boats with perforated aluminum floor in them. Dealers here in Missouri install them. They install more bracing and screw it down. Very very poplar option here. Does not get hot at all. I go barefoot in my boat smallmouth fishing in the summer heat and I assure you the carpet up on my front deck gets hotter. I would not own a boat without the perforated aluminum. If u get mud, sand, whatever in your boat, take the plug out and take a water hose to it. Clean in a few minutes. It's lightweight as well, hopefully you can zoom in on the pics so u can see the floor better.

That looks sick!
Any idea on the specs of the material? And what are they screwing the ends of the floor into between the ribs?

they have to weed in many additional braces between the ribs. I am not sure on the spacing of these braces. They just screw the floor down to the braces. The specs of the material? No clue. It's just perforated aluminum sheeting. In my boat dealers shop there is a huge roll of it, just un roll what they need. I would venture to guess that 90 % or more of new boats sold in south central/east Missouri have the perforated floor in them. They are not cheap but the dealers know what they are doing. I have talked to people who have installed themselves and wouldn't do it again. You could call Ernies Sales in Ellington Missouri, also on the web as the Jet Doctor, Holts Sales in Van Buren Missouri, Current River Marine in Doniphan Missouri and they could give u details that I don't know.


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[archery68]

That was suppose to say weld in the braces, not weed.


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[Bearclaw]

THANKS Fellas for all the replies. Very good info. I am now leaning towards the matts that sears sells, it seemed to be the most economical and I am selling this boat when finished. Thanks again for the replies. Whatever route I go, I will post up some pictures

 

[riverbud55]

used a door entry mat from Lowes,,,,makes for fast easy clean out of the boat

 

[Bearclaw]

I decided to go with the mats from sears, they had em on sale for about $ 11.00 per roll. The link on the mud motor talk site was a old number but I found the new item number. It's supposed to in this week. I will post up some pics as I install it.. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Bearclaw]

Here's what the mats from sears looks like and here what it looks like in the floor. The rolls are basically 4'x8'. I'm not guise sure how I'm going to run it front to rear or side to side. I'm thinking the floor is 52" wide and about 10'. Looks like I will have 3 seams no matter which way I run it. The stuff looks to be about 1/4" thick.

 

[eshaw]

I wish I'd seen this sooner. This stuff is really bad about breaking down after being left out in the sun. I got some from PEP Boys, appears to be the same stuff. I hope it works out for you but don't sit on it with anything light colored after its been on for awhile.

 

[davidbenner]

Are you interested in Eva foam teak and would you like to see and feel it? Then order a sample!

We charge a small fee of €5 for processing and sending samples.

 

[Still Afloat]

The DYI bed liner is junk in my opinion. It’s heavy and unattractive. Good luck if you ever want to remove it.

If you want to coat it there are several good traction paint products out there. From what I’ve read the products that use aluminum oxide grit hold up better than silica grit.