Why do we build floors? Alternatives?

[OleMiss]

That's not the stuff in the Kayak's. That stuff looks flexible. The stuff from HD is very stiff.

 

[OleMiss]

Is the stuff you posted in the links flexible? Can't tell from pictures. I thought y'all was talking bout the pink and blue insulation boards.

 

[onthewater102]

To be flexible you'd be looking for extruded polyethylene which is extremely expensive (comparably speaking)

 

[Bob E]

Search for pool wall foam.

 

[hipster dufus]

i have a diamond plate aluminum floor in mine. hot as hell. covered in carpet. carpet wore out so i just put in eve foam gym mats. 1/2 in thick soft and quiet. ribs do have a tendency to trip u up.

 

[One Last Cast]

Duck hunting in 25 degree weather, snow and 20mph winds in an aluminum boat is COLD! Give me carpet to try and trap whatever heat I can inside the boat blind.

 

[Stumpalump]

We all don't build floors and the alternative is to rip them out to save weight and make the boat faster, better on fuel and to handle larger swells. The first tin to that I ever owned that still has a floor is the one I have. It's such a deep V the factory put it in but only in the two main areas between the seats. The main advantage to tin is weight. Why add more if you don't have too?

 

[Stumpalump]

Stumpalump » 14 Jul 2014, 06:53[/url]"]We all don't build floors and the alternative is to rip them out to save weight and make the boat faster, better on fuel and to handle larger swells. The first tin that I ever owned that still has a floor is the one I have. It's such a deep V the factory put it in but only in the two main areas between the seats. The main advantage to tin is weight. Why add more if you don't have too?

 

[txninja]

I build mine to walk on. I don't just sit at in the boat and troll all day.

 

[turbotodd]

All it takes is one time to trip over a rib, fall into the drink, and survive multiple attempts to get back into the boat to make you want a flat floor. Some boats have REALLY 'tall' ribs (like 4 1/2" tall) and without a floor on top of those, you WILL trip on them. May not be a fall-into-the-drink type trip, but at some point you will lose your balance.

Another reason-if you have closed cell floatation under the floor, you stand a better chance of recovering the boat if the plug comes out. Or like the one guy I saw a few weeks ago, gets a little out of shape crossing a shoal (well...more like rapids than a shoal), boat went under briefly. Luckily, it floats when completely swamped so they were able to recover it. I couldn't get to them as I was above the 'shoal' and they went down /over it.

If you use aluminum for the floor material over the correct thickness floatation, you can use thinner material-which is obviously lighter-and reap the benefits of more floatation, a floor that's easy to move around on, high resale, and not much of speed loss (if any). I pulled my entire floor out, along with all the floatation, and the boat was no faster and no slower. Made no difference on mine. My floor is .100" aluminum and takes up about 6 feet of the boat floor, from the rear seat to the front deck. The whole thing might be 25 lbs including floatation and rivets.

 

[Y_J]

Stumpalump » July 14th, 2014, 9:53 am[/url]"]We all don't build floors and the alternative is to rip them out to save weight and make the boat faster, better on fuel and to handle larger swells. The first tin to that I ever owned that still has a floor is the one I have. It's such a deep V the factory put it in but only in the two main areas between the seats. The main advantage to tin is weight. Why add more if you don't have too?

Unfortunately some of us don't have the luxury of youth any more and need a flat floor to be able to stand without falling. Especially in a V-hull. I understand everyone has their own likes and dislikes for their own reasons. That's what keeps the world not so boring. For me, personally, Got to have a flat floor or I'll spend more time swimming with the fishes than trying to catch them...