Thinking about changing the carpet in my . I have two German Shep dogs. And they get dirty all the time.

I currently have green carpet and it shows off the dog hair like crazy. I'm even considering going with hard wood flooring. Have any of you done this? Do you have pictures? How tough is it to have wood flooring and still have access to the engine room?

Looking for some good ideas.

Thanks,

Matt

I bought a boat that had home center light oak parquet flooring glued down over the plywood floors and hatch. The former owner was real proud of it but it was a mess, looked wrong and added a lot of weight to the engine hatch. little pieces of it kept coming off. It was a huge problem to take up. I got sick from the adhesive remover.

What I did was paint the plywood floor with porch paint. I used blue but a light tan would be nicer. Then I measured the area to make tight fitting rugs that I could cut from inexpensive carpet remmants. If I am entertaining a bunch of fisherman, children or dogs I can pick up the rugs or just replace them when they get nasty.

Forum members have put down some nice flooring. Home center parquet isn't it.

Installed



Mock up on the aforementioned oak laminate in the kitchen




Before

The wood coming off of the individual hatches/boards is not an issue if done right. On a 32 express there are 4 or 5 five individual hatches for bilge access.

What I did on mine was sandwiched a vapor barrier/underlayment between the flooring and the plywood, and then used stainless screws run from the underside, up into the flooring at regular intervals. This prevents buckling with humidity changes, and keeps the wood firmly in place.

Should an individual plank ever become damaged, I can remove the planks, re-cut a piece, and put it all back together. Other than the fact that it shows dust/dirt easily, I wouldn't change it for the world. I really kicked the the "yacht" look up a few notches in my cabin... Now I just have to make the rest match...

-Shane

I would stick with carpet. The porch paint will give you a nice colored border so you don't have to go wall to wall. You need to get to your hatches and the extra sound barrier adds comfort. I think a nice persian style area rug would add some class to the salon.

I made a sole for my galley out of white oak scraps. I cut them into strips and screwed them together with aluminum angle across underneath to hold them together. It is excellent and has looked nice for several years.



This shows how it went together. Note the aluminum angle at each end of the section that is on edge.



This shot gives a closer look at the construction. I put a saw cut in each edge of each piece of wood, then put plastic strip between them to tie them together. There is no glue. The aluminum holds it all together.

This is the fastest construction I know of for a floor and white oak is without equal for durability.

I'm looking for ideas on decking the stern area (walk around area around engine hatch) on my 1969 Marinette RiverCruiser.
http://s1216.photobucket...dd377/projecthouseboat/
I've been perusing forum after forum (some going back a few years,) and I think I've come to the conclusion that Cork may be the decking of choice. It honestly looks pretty good, and it's durability and stain resistance is superior. Also good traction. It is caulked in between slats so its not just a poster board looking surface. The question I have is if I can use household cork (because I can get that in various colors) or is the SeaCork made differently for marine use. Just another piece of food for thought. Roger, Mt. Dora, FL.

Roger,

I finally replaced my rear decking with Starboard. The stuff rocks. Never gonna have to mess with it again.

I'm liking the idea of painting the inside deck and getting a large sheet of carpet and using it as a seasonal thing.

I installed from home depot a rubber type floor resilient flooring totally water proof worked great looks good.
Installed over a year ago trimmed edges with 1/4 round pine stained and cleared trimmed the hatches with stained and cleared oak.
Installed directly over existing plywood.
I forget the cost but I think around 4.00 per sq. ft.
Cuts with a razor knife and very simple to install, not many colors though.
I will post pics if interested .
Bob

Rubber entrance floor mats, you can put them on the dock, soap, scrub and hose them down. Put them back when the mats are dry.