THE best boat carpet
Choosing the best boat carpet for your boat raises the question “is carpet even right for a boat”. I mean let’s be honest why would anyone put carpeting in a boat to begin with? Yes it will mold, yes it will fail, yes it will get soggy and smell and no you don’t have to settle.
To answer this question one has to first look at the origin and accept the fact that boat carpet and carpeting (marine rated or otherwise) is simply antiquated.
Fact is when the manufactures needed a deck covering option all that was available at that time was carpet. Now we have many choices and what better way to explore the choices than to listen to those that already diligently and judiciously explored all the option.
Mr. Tony Centore Boat Owner & Waterman.
I took our boat out of storage I realized my deck covering had to go. I thought about going with no deck covering at all but with the slipping and pounding I’d take I decided to research an alternative covering.
So while exploring deck-covering options for my boat, I was intrigued to discover we’ve made some serious advances over the years.
Carpeting remains the most affordable option, and there’s been advances in material, durability, look and feel, and carpeting is carpet! No way man there are better options now.
There’s a product out now too, like “gator step,” often used with or in place of carpet it’s kind of like a EVA but reviews all over the place so no way.
There’s a seadck (AKA EVA foam) that I looked into put it’s down with an adhesive (no way I’m gluing anything to my deck) you can’t pull t up and it’s a pain to keep clean and stains… so I moved on.
I finally found DECKadence to be the best boat carpet. It’s derived from the same PVC extrusion process as the synthetic teak, but the because they spool the PVC in a coiled process it allows air and water to flow right through it while keeping the surface cool and dry. They attach a poly-vinyl mesh backing that also allows water to flow while it grips to the deck which keeps it from moving around on the deck.
DECKadence doesn’t require any binding or edging and can go right over deck hatches and deck drains. They say and (I can see why) it’s the easiest DIY in the industry. Check out this bad ass video.
There are even videos and tips on how to install and even seam the product (if need be) on that site, DECKadence is sold in square feet the material is 6′ (six feet) wide but can easily be seamed to accommodate any width or configuration. Sell a lot cheaper than synthetic teak too at about $10 dollars a square DIY.
So if you’re in the market for a deck covering makeover I hope this helps, good luck and happy boating!
-Tony