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Author Topic:   Deck mats

Chriscz posted 09-10-2012 02:22 PM ET (US)
So the other night I was walking through the grocery store daydreaming about being out on the water on my whaler. I happened to walk behind one of those kiosks where they hand out samples and walked across a floor mat.
Wow did it feel soft and plush. I immediately thought of how nice that would feel under my feet while out on the water. I looked at the name "Plush Mat" and I ordered one today. http://www.mvgmoldedproducts.com/plushmatindex.html
I'll let you know how it works out. They are made of polyurethane instead of rubber.
What do folks use as mats in their boats?
Right now I have the Home Depot black rubber mats with holes, works well especially when fishing, but not particularly soft.
Jeff posted 09-10-2012 02:51 PM ET (US)
Chris,
A good friend of mine in California sent me a link to a company his friend was starting up. He had an idea to take these standing mats and make a marine version of them.
The company he started is called Seadek and these actually make Boston Whaler Helm mats as well as stand white mats.
http://www.seadek.com/c-11-helm-station-pads.aspx
skinnywater posted 09-10-2012 11:49 PM ET (US)
I could understand using one at the helm between console and pilot's seat - wondering if it would be a traction/safety issue when wet?
lizard posted 09-11-2012 12:19 AM ET (US)
What Chriscz linked is the pads hairdressers use beneath and around their chairs.
The black rubber mats, with holes, were designed for wet, bar environments, to accommodate beer spillage, etc. Be careful when you pull those up, you just might find Jimmy Hoffa under there.
Chuck Tribolet posted 09-11-2012 12:21 AM ET (US)
My entire Montauk is decked in DriDek. I started with three
square feet at the helm and just kept going. It's been in almost
15 years and is holding up well. There's one piece where the
interconnect pieces have torn that I need to replace. I have
a nasty cheap black mat on top of the DriDek at the help as
an anti-fatigue mat.
I also have DriDek in the bathtub where I shower. I had a
old sick dog a while back and this let me bathe her lying down
and the rinse water could run out under her.
It is a little tough on bare feet until you get tougher soles.
Do shop price a lot. Last I looked the best prices were from
DriDek.com and from a veterinary supply place. The 3'x3'
pieces were more per square foot than the 1'x1'.
Chuck
kmev posted 09-11-2012 12:30 AM ET (US)
I went through all kinds of cheap mats until I finally gave up and bought Dri-dek. For what I spent on all the other cheap substitutes I should have bought Dri-dek at the outset. I spent more on all the cheap stuff than it cost for just the Dri-dek - because I was trying to save money.
lizard posted 09-11-2012 12:38 AM ET (US)
DriDek is hard on bare feet.
Binkster posted 09-11-2012 10:01 AM ET (US)
It will probably work fine as it is commercial quality but will be shunned by the purists as it it not "marine" grade and doesn't have WHALER imprinted on it. I wouldn't want to stand on dry-deck with bare feet all day, and you can't clean under it anyway without taking it up.
rich
Chuck Tribolet posted 09-11-2012 11:28 AM ET (US)
Your feet do get used to DriDek after a while.
You can do a reasonable job of washing stuff out from under
DriDek with a hose. If I do a big job inside the console,
I always end up dropping a couple of nuts and washers. They
turn up in the bilge a month or two later.

Chuck
onlyawhaler posted 09-11-2012 12:07 PM ET (US)
While on the thread of deck mats, has anyone for compartive purposes used seashocks at seashocks.com? I saw this name here a few years ago.
I don't know how they would compare to these brands, but would be interested in hearing
Onlyawhaler
Sterling
outragesteve posted 09-11-2012 02:18 PM ET (US)
I have a Seashock mat and it's great. Fits perfectly between the console and leaning post in my 22' Outrage. Highly recommend this mat! www.seashocks.com/
pcrussell50 posted 09-11-2012 04:29 PM ET (US)
My 1998 model 17 Alert, (special service Montauk), came from the previous owner, CWW member Brian/FISHNFF, who is a SUPER hardcore San Francisco Bay area fisherman, (words cannot describe how hardcore he is). He had the boat decked out, (literally), in that thick perforated rubber that is all over the floors of commercial restaurant kitchens.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ lOz0zY0ggz1vp1qKkuN1udMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
It's pretty barefoot friendly because it's not abrasive. But the holes are as big as dimes, and it can still be pretty stimulating underfoot because the foot flesh will be extruding about, down into holed and stretching. It's probably very good for circulation for some people. I should preface that I do my exercise running barefooted, on hard surfaces, so my bare feet can possibly tolerate more than average.
-Peter
fluke posted 09-11-2012 08:11 PM ET (US)
I use a mat made by birdsall and have really happy with it. I think it was 75.00 and has held up well for three years with liitle signs of wear. I read about this product whe a guy at a boat show was watching a rep dropping a bowling ball on this mat and the ball wouldn't bounce!
Mark
litnin posted 09-12-2012 03:45 PM ET (US)
I'm with outragesteve. I have a Seashocks mat and think that it is great. I did not want to drill holes in the deck or stick anything down with glue. One warning, if you trailer, it will blow out. It is a very substantial mat and I felt very sure that it would stay in place but found it up on the edge in the stern of the boat. I either remove it for trailering or put a loaded cooler on top for transport.
lizard posted 09-13-2012 12:31 PM ET (US)
Peter- those are the same mats I referred to above as bar mats. If you don't remove them with EACH use and rinse down, you will be shocked at how quickly debris gets trapped down in there. Insects, too. They mark up floors, don't they do the same on the deck of the boat?
pcrussell50 posted 09-13-2012 06:21 PM ET (US)
I see no evidence of them marking up the deck of my boat, but you are right in that they can trap small debris.
-Peter

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Author	Topic: Deck mats
Chriscz	posted 09-10-2012 02:22 PM ET (US) So the other night I was walking through the grocery store daydreaming about being out on the water on my whaler. I happened to walk behind one of those kiosks where they hand out samples and walked across a floor mat. Wow did it feel soft and plush. I immediately thought of how nice that would feel under my feet while out on the water. I looked at the name "Plush Mat" and I ordered one today. http://www.mvgmoldedproducts.com/plushmatindex.html I'll let you know how it works out. They are made of polyurethane instead of rubber. What do folks use as mats in their boats? Right now I have the Home Depot black rubber mats with holes, works well especially when fishing, but not particularly soft.
Jeff	posted 09-10-2012 02:51 PM ET (US) Chris, A good friend of mine in California sent me a link to a company his friend was starting up. He had an idea to take these standing mats and make a marine version of them. The company he started is called Seadek and these actually make Boston Whaler Helm mats as well as stand white mats. http://www.seadek.com/c-11-helm-station-pads.aspx
skinnywater	posted 09-10-2012 11:49 PM ET (US) I could understand using one at the helm between console and pilot's seat - wondering if it would be a traction/safety issue when wet?
lizard	posted 09-11-2012 12:19 AM ET (US) What Chriscz linked is the pads hairdressers use beneath and around their chairs. The black rubber mats, with holes, were designed for wet, bar environments, to accommodate beer spillage, etc. Be careful when you pull those up, you just might find Jimmy Hoffa under there.
Chuck Tribolet	posted 09-11-2012 12:21 AM ET (US) My entire Montauk is decked in DriDek. I started with three square feet at the helm and just kept going. It's been in almost 15 years and is holding up well. There's one piece where the interconnect pieces have torn that I need to replace. I have a nasty cheap black mat on top of the DriDek at the help as an anti-fatigue mat. I also have DriDek in the bathtub where I shower. I had a old sick dog a while back and this let me bathe her lying down and the rinse water could run out under her. It is a little tough on bare feet until you get tougher soles. Do shop price a lot. Last I looked the best prices were from DriDek.com and from a veterinary supply place. The 3'x3' pieces were more per square foot than the 1'x1'. Chuck
kmev	posted 09-11-2012 12:30 AM ET (US) I went through all kinds of cheap mats until I finally gave up and bought Dri-dek. For what I spent on all the other cheap substitutes I should have bought Dri-dek at the outset. I spent more on all the cheap stuff than it cost for just the Dri-dek - because I was trying to save money.
lizard	posted 09-11-2012 12:38 AM ET (US) DriDek is hard on bare feet.
Binkster	posted 09-11-2012 10:01 AM ET (US) It will probably work fine as it is commercial quality but will be shunned by the purists as it it not "marine" grade and doesn't have WHALER imprinted on it. I wouldn't want to stand on dry-deck with bare feet all day, and you can't clean under it anyway without taking it up. rich
Chuck Tribolet	posted 09-11-2012 11:28 AM ET (US) Your feet do get used to DriDek after a while. You can do a reasonable job of washing stuff out from under DriDek with a hose. If I do a big job inside the console, I always end up dropping a couple of nuts and washers. They turn up in the bilge a month or two later. Chuck
onlyawhaler	posted 09-11-2012 12:07 PM ET (US) While on the thread of deck mats, has anyone for compartive purposes used seashocks at seashocks.com? I saw this name here a few years ago. I don't know how they would compare to these brands, but would be interested in hearing Onlyawhaler Sterling
outragesteve	posted 09-11-2012 02:18 PM ET (US) I have a Seashock mat and it's great. Fits perfectly between the console and leaning post in my 22' Outrage. Highly recommend this mat! www.seashocks.com/
pcrussell50	posted 09-11-2012 04:29 PM ET (US) My 1998 model 17 Alert, (special service Montauk), came from the previous owner, CWW member Brian/FISHNFF, who is a SUPER hardcore San Francisco Bay area fisherman, (words cannot describe how hardcore he is). He had the boat decked out, (literally), in that thick perforated rubber that is all over the floors of commercial restaurant kitchens. https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ lOz0zY0ggz1vp1qKkuN1udMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink It's pretty barefoot friendly because it's not abrasive. But the holes are as big as dimes, and it can still be pretty stimulating underfoot because the foot flesh will be extruding about, down into holed and stretching. It's probably very good for circulation for some people. I should preface that I do my exercise running barefooted, on hard surfaces, so my bare feet can possibly tolerate more than average. -Peter
fluke	posted 09-11-2012 08:11 PM ET (US) I use a mat made by birdsall and have really happy with it. I think it was 75.00 and has held up well for three years with liitle signs of wear. I read about this product whe a guy at a boat show was watching a rep dropping a bowling ball on this mat and the ball wouldn't bounce! Mark
litnin	posted 09-12-2012 03:45 PM ET (US) I'm with outragesteve. I have a Seashocks mat and think that it is great. I did not want to drill holes in the deck or stick anything down with glue. One warning, if you trailer, it will blow out. It is a very substantial mat and I felt very sure that it would stay in place but found it up on the edge in the stern of the boat. I either remove it for trailering or put a loaded cooler on top for transport.
lizard	posted 09-13-2012 12:31 PM ET (US) Peter- those are the same mats I referred to above as bar mats. If you don't remove them with EACH use and rinse down, you will be shocked at how quickly debris gets trapped down in there. Insects, too. They mark up floors, don't they do the same on the deck of the boat?
pcrussell50	posted 09-13-2012 06:21 PM ET (US) I see no evidence of them marking up the deck of my boat, but you are right in that they can trap small debris. -Peter