Rubber or Foam Flooring for Jon Boat

[maintenanceguy]

I have a old PolarKraft 1751 john boat. It had a plywood floor when I bought it. The previous owner added a lot of aluminum angle to the floor to make it level and laid a carpeted plywood floor on top of the added angle iron. Today, I drilled out the rivets for the flooring support system and stripped it all back to the original ribs. It's easier to walk now but the ribs are still in the way.

Here's what I want to do:
I want some sort of rubber or foam strips that I can lay directly on the hull between the ribs. The ribs are 1-1/2" tall. If I can find some sort of rubber floor that is approximately 1-1/2" thick, I'll cut it into strips and place it between the ribs. The combination of rubber and ribs will form an almost level floor with nothing sticking up to trip over. After each trip, you could lift out the strips and wash everything down.

It seems so obvious. Somebody should already make such a thing. I've had rubber gymnasium floors installed before and the product is a foam under rubber. It would work except that it's only available in 8mm or 10 mm thickness, which is no where close to 1-1/2". It's also very expensive and very heavy. I don't want to add 300 lbs of rubber to my boat so I'm looking for something less heavy.

I'm hoping somebody knows of something or has a brilliant idea about what material would work.

 

[CedarRiverScooter]

Foam insulation board with a hard panel on top.

 

[maintenanceguy]

Foam insulation board with a hard panel on top.

I've thought the same thing. I'd like it removable in strips. I've tried to come up with something to glue to the top of the insulation board to protect it and give a walking surface. But, it needs to be a little bit flexible because the boat floor isn't perfectly flat.

 

[1960 yellowboat]

How about thin vinyl flooring glued to polyurethane foam? Or laminate flooring Or linoleum? Think outside the box

 

[maintenanceguy]

How about thin vinyl flooring glued to polyurethane foam? Or laminate flooring Or linoleum? Think outside the box

Maybe [thinking...].

I've seen a rubber sheet flooring that gets welded at the seams. That would make a great top layer. The only polyurethane foam I've seen is used to make pillows and cushions. Maybe it comes in a firmer version.

 

[-CN-]

Put down foam insulation board - should require 1-1/2" thick foam. And then lay a rubber mat down that you custom cut around all the vertical ribs and compartments to fit your boat's entire floor.

 

[Matt193]

You could use interlocking rubber or foam tiles over the foam insulation. That might work well and should be easy to clean and remove.

 

[turbotodd]

Use closed-cell foam insulation that is the same thickness as the height of the ribs. Trim the pieces so they fit nicely between each of the ribs, then run some aluminum sheet or even diamond tread across the tops. I like to use some cardboard to make a template, then cut the sheets to the template, lay it in and rivet it down with 3/16" large head pop rivets. This is almost the same exact method that a lot of boat manufacturers use when they build them new, with a few differences which are minor. The foam improves floatation as well. Done this way you will have a flat floor that is strong enough to walk on and significantly increases your boat's value. A lot of people like a floor. Probably one of the most common "upgrades" that people spring for when they buy a new jon. I didn't think I'd like mine. I pulled the floor out a couple weeks after I bought it, went fishing, and the next day I put the floor back in.

 

[LDUBS]

Put down foam insulation board - should require 1-1/2" thick foam. And then lay a rubber mat down that you custom cut around all the vertical ribs and compartments to fit your boat's entire floor.

Lots of ideas here. Here is mine -- Foam sheet like CN suggests then adhere thin ply on top. Make it into strips or whatever shapes you want. Cover it with your carpet, paint, vinyl, or whatever. I have a personal bias against use of bed liner material on the inside or outside of boats as I think it will create problems down the road, not to mention it is overused by some in an attempt to hide problems. Be careful of laminate flooring. Besides weight the MDF core is not going to play well with any moisture.

 

[surfman]

Do you trailer the boat? Seems like you will need to fasten it down or it might blow out.

 

[wmk0002]

I did 1 & 1/2" foam board between the ribs topped with rubber mat from tractor supply.

Pros: Its quiet, cushioned, easily removable, easily cleaned, pretty cheap, mine trailers fine not fastened down
Cons: Gets super hot, is not fuel resistant, is not really that light as the mat is pretty heavy

All in all I like mine. I have been meaning to add a piece of gray cheap outdoor carpet to cover it with in on hot days but that's about all it needs. Personally, I would like to replace it with aluminum and cover that with Hydroturf someday, but with the high cost of an AL 4'x8' sheet and Hydroturf it's something I'll save for later.

 

[eshaw]

I put down foam insulation and then covered it with a sheet of aluminum that was riveted in place. You can go over it with hydro turf. It'll look good, last and is not going to burn you when you touch it and shields you from the suns reflection.

 

[wmk0002]

I put down foam insulation and then covered it with a sheet of aluminum that was riveted in place. You can go over it with hydro turf. It'll look good, last and is not going to burn you when you touch it and shields you from the suns reflection.

What size floor did you have and where and how much was the aluminum sheeting? Cost is the main thing holding me back.

 

[jtf]

Have a 1648 weldbilt, the floor ribs are level in this model. For the floor, used marine plywood treated with old-timers mixture primer, takes a couple weeks to cure, and finished with exterior rustolium. Could have put sand in it for traction, opted for a 6" wide stair tread tape, used for safety steps has abrasive texture against slippage.

Haven't put in foam underfloor yet, but will use liquid nail to the plywood board vs laying into the hull, maybe keep it a bit dryer.

 

[eshaw]

I put down foam insulation and then covered it with a sheet of aluminum that was riveted in place. You can go over it with hydro turf. It'll look good, last and is not going to burn you when you touch it and shields you from the suns reflection.

What size floor did you have and where and how much was the aluminum sheeting? Cost is the main thing holding me back.

I don't remember what I paid for a sheet, it was 6061 T6, .125 inch thick. In hind sight you could probably get by with .100 inch thickness. I'd have to measure but I know it was around 50 inches long and the standard 48 inch width. They used to make some stuff called Black Tip that was a alternative to Hydroturf. Like stated, I'd go with something smooth, not textured.

 

[wmk0002]

I put down foam insulation and then covered it with a sheet of aluminum that was riveted in place. You can go over it with hydro turf. It'll look good, last and is not going to burn you when you touch it and shields you from the suns reflection.

What size floor did you have and where and how much was the aluminum sheeting? Cost is the main thing holding me back.

I don't remember what I paid for a sheet, it was 6061 T6, .125 inch thick. In hind sight you could probably get by with .100 inch thickness. I'd have to measure but I know it was around 50 inches long and the standard 48 inch width. They used to make some stuff called Black Tip that was a alternative to Hydroturf. Like stated, I'd go with something smooth, not textured.

I think you can go even thinner if you have foam board underneath. Alumacraft rep told me they use 0.063" for the floors in their MV1448 and MV1648 Sierra models. In the little I have prices that thickness is also priced the best. I guess it is the most common size bought/sold.

 

[Riverman]

Tread plate aluminum... it will last longer than the boat. Rivet it down to the ribs.

 

[PriceTR24speed]

I picked up an Alumacraft 1542 in late January and only had a week before our first spring bass trip so needed a quick temporary floor option. Based on a forum post somewhere I used 1 1/2” foam board for the floor.

I used the closed cell foam board between the ribs to make everything level. For the floor I used the pink (Owens Corning I Think) 1 1/2” foam board - it has a higher compressive strength than the Lowe’s blue version and others. I covered that with vinyl deck cover - just wrapped and stapled I didn’t glue it because I planned to pull it off and put on plywood for permanent floor. I loosely screwed it down in just few spots and hit the water.

Very surprised by how solid it is! I have had 5 or 6 different guys fish with me over the last couple months and did not tell them what the floor was made of. They all raved about how solid the floor is with no flex - couple of them were big boys well over 300#. After a ton of hours on the water the floor is still solid firm and there are no noticeable dents from throwing heavy gear (coolers, anchors, batteries etc.) around.

I have been so impressed I am seriously considering using it for permanent flooring. It added so little weight and was cheap. My plan is to pull off the vinyl, glue a layer of FRP wall board on top, and permanently glue the vinyl deck cover back on. To attach to the ribs I will put strips of flat bar aluminum under the vinyl and screw thru those. The hope is it would be strong enough to keep all the foam in place if needed to keep the boat from sinking if it gets swamped.

I won’t get around to doing anything with it till this fall so I’ll let you know how well it holds up over the next 9 months.