What Lies Beneath

Finding the perfect flooring for your boat can be difficult. Weather conditions, especially in the Great Lakes region, mean it is important to find flooring that is resistant to damage caused by water and UV rays. However, in addition to durability, boaters want flooring with aesthetic appeal as well. Furthermore, changes in the marine flooring market, such as the switch from decking and sub floors to other materials, make it more difficult for boaters to know which new marine flooring option is best suited to their boat.

These fantastic flooring manufactures include nine current marine flooring products and their advantages. From easy installation to mildew resistance, these marine flooring products have a lot to offer.


Corinthian AquaWeave

Corinthian Marine manufactures a wide range of traditional marine carpeting, but they also produce AquaWeave, a woven vinyl marine flooring.

AquaWeave combines vinyl and marine carpet yarns to provide flooring that is both comfortable to walk on and well-suited to a marine environment. An AquaWeave feature is Corinthian’s HydroFelt backing, a combination of urethane foam and marine felt that won’t melt to the deck, degrade, or crumble but still provides a comfortable walking surface.

For those looking for a custom mat manufactured to fit your boat exactly, AquaWeave is available for purchase in Corinthian’s AquaMat style. AquaMats make installing new marine flooring easier by offering easy snap-in or drop-in installations.

Like Corinthian’s other marine flooring products, Corinthian’s AquaWeave Evolution AquaMats are designed to coordinate beautifully with any boat interior. The mats are available in multiple designs, including neutral colors, patterns, and styles imitating the appearance of teak. This variety offers boaters the chance to pick marine flooring that features a look they’ll love.

In addition to these features, Corinthian offers a five-year warranty on their AquaWeave AquaMats, so you can have stylish marine flooring and peace of mind. AquaWeave is available as an aftermarket upgrade through Corinthian.

www.corinthianmarine.com



Infinity Luxury Woven Vinyl

Infinity’s Affordable Vinyl Decking, manufactured by Infinity and distributed by multiple dealers including Sailrite, provides marine flooring that is durable, easy-to-clean, and simple to install. The carpet is resistant to moisture, mold, mildew, and stains; this means your flooring can maintain a clean appearance and will resist picking up unpleasant smells caused by mold and mildew. Also, like all of Infinity’s products, the Affordable Vinyl Decking is UV-resistant, allowing it to resist wear caused by the sun’s rays.

That’s only the beginning of the Affordable Vinyl Decking’s excellence; it also provides traction while you’re walking on it, granting more protection against slipping while traveling around the boat.

In addition to these features, Infinity’s Affordable Vinyl Decking provides easy installation and is resistant to delamination. With multiple patterns and colors, this marine flooring allows boaters to find new flooring they’ll love and have peace of mind that it will last.

www.infinitylwv.com




PlasDECK Eco Series

For boaters who love the appearance of teak decking but don’t love the maintenance associated with it, the PlasDECK Eco Series, a Miami International Boat Show NMMA Innovation Award winner, is a great flooring option.

The Eco Series, a synthetic teak marine flooring option, is constructed from the same long-lasting flexible PVC material seen in classic PlasDECK boat decking. The top layer of the Eco Series has the same teak deck appearance seen in PlasDECK’s other marine flooring options. However, it additionally features a black base layer made from recycled PlasDECK material. This unique construction provides the appearance of a teak deck while maintaining an environment-friendly boat. In addition, the use of recycled materials lowers the product’s material costs, allowing PlasDECK to offer the panels at an economical price.

The Eco Series has two separate installation options: PlasDECK Eco Series sheets and the PlasDECK Eco Series Reveal. PlasDECK Eco Series sheets are suitable for larger boats and are rolled for shipping and then trimmed to fit onsite. PlasDECK Eco Series Reveal panels can be engraved with designs such as lines, borders, or geometric shapes, and are suitable for smaller boats.

www.PlasDECK.com




Chilewich

The Chilewich Basketweave floor covering, manufactured by Chilewich and distributed by dealers such as Sailrite, provides protection against the wear and tear marine flooring often sees on the Great Lakes. This flooring can withstand common damages seen with marine flooring due to its resistance to mold, mildew and moisture. Plus its polyurethane backing provides a material that offers additional protection against water damage.

In addition to its sturdy construction, this flooring won’t require high levels of maintenance. It features an easy installation and a simple cleaning process. It can be cleaned using a hose with soap and water, it dries quickly and it is resistant to everyday wear and tear.

The Basketweave flooring is also appealing because of its versatility. It can be installed in multiple locations throughout your boat because it works equally well within the cabin and the deck and is available in multiple colors.

www.chilewich.com



SeaDek Marine Products

SeaDek’s Dual Density Helm Pads are a great accessory for boaters looking for a comfortable surface to stand on when they have to spend extended amounts of time at the helm. Dual Density Helm Pads are non-absorbent and provide a comfortable yet durable surface due to their construction from a UV-resistant closed-cell PE/EVA blended material. The mats also offer increased comfort with an extra soft 17 mm foundation, which is topped with SeaDek’s standard 3 mm non-skid brushed top layer. In addition to providing comfort, they offer exceptional traction in demanding sea conditions.

For ease of application, SeaDek Helm Pads feature a 3M peel-and-stick adhesive that is specially designed for a robust bond to your boat’s deck.

The mats come in large (16 by 39 inches) and small (14 by 36 inches) and are available in storm gray over black and white over storm gray. In addition to their Helm Station pads, SeaDek offers a wide variety of do-it-yourself products, as well as an International network of certified fabricators and installers who can provide custom flooring installed at your home or dock.

www.seadek.com



Marine Mat

The Marine Mat Snap-It Series is a great flooring option for boaters who want to avoid the downsides of marine carpet and prefer mats with a snap-in application instead of a glue-in application.

The Snap-It Series features easy application with a snap-in application that makes flooring easy to apply and, when needed, easy to remove.

Aside from an easy application, the Snap-It Series offers a comfortable surface since it utilizes a closed cell EVA foam for its top layer, polyester in the middle of the foam and a non-skid traction layer on the bottom. These mats don’t require high levels of maintenance either because they are stain-resistant, easy-to-clean and fast-drying.

The Snap-It Series features don’t end there either. This product also comes in a wide variety of color and texture options. Plus, to ensure boaters’ peace of mind, Marine Mat offers a three-year limited warranty.

www.marinemat.net

 


Coosa Composites

For boaters on the Great Lakes looking for a new sub floor, Coosa Composites offers Polyurethane Foam Panels. These panels consist of a high-density, polyurethane foam that is reinforced with layers of fiberglass, providing the material with durability while avoiding many of the disadvantages seen with wood sub-floors.

And because the panels are practically impervious to water absorption since they absorb less that one percent of water, they won’t rot, mold or mildew, ensuring less maintenance and greater longevity for your boat’s sub floor. They are also 60 percent lighter than wood so they will add less to a boat’s total weight.

Coosa Composites’s polyurethane foam panels are even more appealing because they won’t delaminate because of the harsh weather conditions seen on the water.

www.coosacomposites.com



Spradling CompassHB

Spradling’s CompassHB, short for hybrid, is the first woven marine flooring to combine woven PVC and olefin yarns to provide marine flooring that is cooler due to heat-resistance, slip-resistant, quick to dry and more.

Solution-dyed, UV-stabilized yarns allow for protection against degradation caused by the sun. The flooring is more water-resistant than regular carpet because the face of the product and its backing won’t absorb water, which can lessen worries about soggy flooring when those having fun in the water come back on board. CompassHB flooring is easy to clean and features stain-resistant yarns. Furthermore, CompassHB is suitable for a marine environment because it provides mold, mildew, and bacteria-growth protection.

CompassHB has three backing options including: HydraFelt, which features a foam and felt combination for a comfortable cushion for feet; HydraLock, which utilizes foam and a scrim layer for a water absorption resistant surface and a faster drying floor; and the HydraPlus, which combines the excellent cushioning under foot with the surface bonding and water-resistance of the HydraFelt and HydraLock options. This product is available to OEM boat manufacturers through Spradling. 

www.spradlingvinyl.com



DECKadence Marine

Though using regular carpet as marine flooring presents plenty of problems, many people like the appearance of carpet flooring. DECKadence Marine’s Engineered Marine Carpet, also known as EMC, offers this appearance, but it also avoids some downfalls of regular carpet. For example, it requires no adhesives for installation and it prevents wetness caused by water absorption because water flows through the carpet. This marine flooring is particularly suited for marine environments because it is constructed with soft synthetic PVC strands developed specifically for the marine industry.

Along with these features, EMC offers low-maintenance installation and cleaning processes. It’s great for those looking for a do-it-yourself flooring installation process because it can be installed in minutes and it hoses clean. Furthermore, it’s anti-slip, so it makes walking around the boat safer. EMC can also be personalized with logos so you can ensure your marine flooring matches your boat’s style.

www.DECKadencemarine.com