Hey Tige’ fam!
Last summer I decided to pull the factory carpet out of my 2007 22VE. I couldn’t stand the smell of it anymore! As soon as it would get wet it was a brutally pungent mix of mildew and cat piss!
I had been looking into some flooring options for some time and I had considered EVA, which is what most boat manufacturers use these days but another option I found was deckadence flooring. It is basically a vinyl material that is sometimes called spaghetti mat, loop mat, miners moss, etc...It’s also superior because it comes with a non slip backing already on it while most imitations do not.
It allows water to go right through it, isn’t absorbent at all, does get overly hot and can be easily removed to clean it or under it at anytime. I decided to go with a color called Luna silver.
I bought my piece 11’ x 6’ piece from Jim’s marine flooring in Florida.
I’m going to write out the project then post the pictures at the end. If anyone has questions on specific parts just ask and I’ll do my best to explain.
Since the website was updated I can’t insert photos in between paragraphs without posting then commenting again.
(Not sure why that was changed but it kinda sucks)
MATERIALS NEEDED-
*adequate amount of Deckadence
*4 mil clear plastic sheeting
*measuring tape
*razor knife and blades
*metal paint scraper
*palm sander and 80 grit sand paper
*philips screwdriver (one big, one small)
*black sharpie
*scissors
*painter tape
*acetone
*paper towels
*beer of choice
Lets get into the process.
First things first I took a bunch of measurements to ensure I’d be ordering enough material to get the job done. Another reason I went with Deckadence is because it comes in 6’ wide sections while all the other comparable materials were only 4’ wide. I didn't want to have to join any seams in the material in the cockpit, I wanted it the cockpit all one piece and the bow to be one piece as well.
Deckadence is more expensive than the others but this was worth the cost increase to me.
after I was confident I had it mapped out I placed my order for the flooring.
I then removed my captains chair, it’s simply attached with philips head bolts.
Then I removed the carpeted trim pieces along the floor line. There are screws hidden in the carpet wherever there is a bend in the trim. I just used a philips head screwdriver to feel around for the metal screw heads at the midpoint around all the bends. This took a little while, maybe 2 beers long. The trim is just 1/8” or so thick plastic strips covered in carpeting.
After the trim is removed you need to remove your gas tank cover. If you don’t know how to do this there are lots of explanations on other threads such as steering cable replacements to look at. You can also message me and I’ll help you out.
After the tank cover is out peel the carpet off of it. I used a metal paint scraper and palm sander with 80 grit to get the glue residue off and then laid it flat, covered it in paper towels, soaked them with acetone and let it sit for 30 minutes or so, enough time to have another beer. Then you remove the paper towels and use the scraper to remove any remaining glue residue. It comes off very easily with the aid of the acetone.
Now hop back in your boat and peel an edge up and start ripping out that stinking, rotted, pathetic excuse for flooring that doesn’t belong in a boat in the first place!
It comes out pretty easy but will leave bits and pieces behind as well as carpet glue residue.
After the carpet is out you’ve got to start the fun part, scraping the floor.
now I’m not gonna lie to you, this part sucks but with some elbow grease, tunes cranking and a 3 cold beers you can get it done!
I once again used a combination of a 3-4” wide metal paint scraper first then a palm sander with 80 grit sandpaper to do the bulk of the work then I covered the floor with paper towel and used the acetone trick again.
After I was happy with the consistency of the fiberglass floor I reinstalled the gas tank cover.
Next step is to begin the process of making the template for the flooring. For this I used some 4 mil thick clear plastic that you can get at any Home Depot or Lowe’s. You’ll need some scissors, a box knife, a black sharpie and some painters tape.
Cut a big enough chunk to cover the whole cockpit then, starting at the center, cut eye shapes in the plastic so that you can tape the plastic in place without it moving. Work your way out to the edges keeping the plastic tight and continuing to cut little eyes and taping them until your at the edges. Cut whatever material away you don’t need and using one hand push the plastic to the very edge and use your sharpie to accurately mark the edge where the flooring meets the wall.
TAKE YOUR TIME DOING THIS! Your flooring is only gonna got as well as your template was made. This is probably at least a 2 beer job.
You will be able to kinda see the captain chair bolt holes through the plastic but will definitely be able to feel them. Use your sharpie to mark the bolt holes on the plastic template then grab your seat base (I separated my seat to make it easier) and align it with the bolt holes then trace the edge of the base.
Once the template is done carefully remove the tape holding it in place and take the template out of the boat and cut it precisely along your sharpie lines that you marked out. Make sure you cut out the seat base marking as well.
***Something to note here, I cut my seat base along the outside edge of it and it looks fine and it worked great but in retrospect I would’ve measured the distance from the edge to the pole and made the cut out circle smaller so the hole fit tight to the chair support pole.
Another thing I would’ve changed is my method for cutting the bow piece. I used my existing bow carpet as a template and once again it worked great but if you look at the pictures you’ll see on the left side where it’s rounded. I would’ve preferred that it followed the contour of the floor to wall instead of the rounded edge of the old snap in bow piece. It would’ve connected to the cockpit piece more cleanly IMO. I simply didn’t think of that until after I had made the cuts.
Next you’re going to lay out your Deckadence and transfer your templates so you can cut the Deckadence. You want to cut it upside down because you are going to use your template to transfer a cutting guide line using a sharpie.
Lay your Deckadence out on a flat surface UPSIDE DOWN so the backing is facing up. Lay out your template on top of it but ensure the template is ALSO UPSIDE DOWN so the orientation comes out correct, you only get one shot at this so make sure you did this!
If you can get an extra set of hands to help with this step it helps, I tried to tape it down but it wasn’t sticking very well maybe I had too many beers....
***I marked my sharpie lines about an 1/8” wider than the template so that I’d get a nice tight fit in my boat.
After transferring the template to the bottom of the Deckadence use a new sharp razor blade and cut at a slight angle (maybe 3-5 degrees) so the the coil part sticks out a touch more than the bottom base. Cut it on top of a piece of plywood so that you don’t dull your blade so quickly and don’t be shy about using 2-3 blades to do this. 1 beer job (I try not to mix too many beers and sharp razor blades)
Next step was to address the gap in between the gas tank plate flange and the cover. You may have to get inventive and use your now beer fogged brain to figure out a good way for you to close up the gap.
There was about a 1/2” on each side that was left open after removal of the carpet. I decided to cut some strips of a repurposed rubber conveyor belt I had left over laying around from a work bench top project I did. I wanted to use something that was durable but was also easily removed for when I need to get access to that area. I cut three strips to fit and it worked perfectly!
After installing them and putting the Deckadence in the boat I could hardly feel the gap! Cheap and easy fix.
All that is left now is to reinstall the trim pieces or if you are so inclined you could install EVA trim or even gel coat the screw holes and leave it without trim.
I have the Decadence sitting directly on top of the fiberglass and I have though of coating it with epoxy or maybe Evan gel coat but I don’t think that is crucial. It sits in place on the fiberglass in the cockpit very well with no snaps or anything. The bow piece had gelcoat already and the Deckadence does move around a bit on that so I’m planning on using my snap in carpet piece to put snaps on it.
I got to put this upgrade to the test at Lake Powell at the end of the summer and I couldn’t have been happier. Everyone that went also complimented me on how nice it was (not that I care what they think).
No more smelly carpet, no more wet floor!
If you’re thinking about doing it I’d highly recommend it. It’s not an overly hard project, not very time consuming (about 8 beers long) and it was really easy to pull out and clean up after the trip.
Cheers!
Last summer I decided to pull the factory carpet out of my 2007 22VE. I couldn’t stand the smell of it anymore! As soon as it would get wet it was a brutally pungent mix of mildew and cat piss!
I had been looking into some flooring options for some time and I had considered EVA, which is what most boat manufacturers use these days but another option I found was deckadence flooring. It is basically a vinyl material that is sometimes called spaghetti mat, loop mat, miners moss, etc...It’s also superior because it comes with a non slip backing already on it while most imitations do not.
It allows water to go right through it, isn’t absorbent at all, does get overly hot and can be easily removed to clean it or under it at anytime. I decided to go with a color called Luna silver.
I bought my piece 11’ x 6’ piece from Jim’s marine flooring in Florida.
I’m going to write out the project then post the pictures at the end. If anyone has questions on specific parts just ask and I’ll do my best to explain.
Since the website was updated I can’t insert photos in between paragraphs without posting then commenting again.
(Not sure why that was changed but it kinda sucks)
MATERIALS NEEDED-
*adequate amount of Deckadence
*4 mil clear plastic sheeting
*measuring tape
*razor knife and blades
*metal paint scraper
*palm sander and 80 grit sand paper
*philips screwdriver (one big, one small)
*black sharpie
*scissors
*painter tape
*acetone
*paper towels
*beer of choice
Lets get into the process.
First things first I took a bunch of measurements to ensure I’d be ordering enough material to get the job done. Another reason I went with Deckadence is because it comes in 6’ wide sections while all the other comparable materials were only 4’ wide. I didn't want to have to join any seams in the material in the cockpit, I wanted it the cockpit all one piece and the bow to be one piece as well.
Deckadence is more expensive than the others but this was worth the cost increase to me.
after I was confident I had it mapped out I placed my order for the flooring.
I then removed my captains chair, it’s simply attached with philips head bolts.
Then I removed the carpeted trim pieces along the floor line. There are screws hidden in the carpet wherever there is a bend in the trim. I just used a philips head screwdriver to feel around for the metal screw heads at the midpoint around all the bends. This took a little while, maybe 2 beers long. The trim is just 1/8” or so thick plastic strips covered in carpeting.
After the trim is removed you need to remove your gas tank cover. If you don’t know how to do this there are lots of explanations on other threads such as steering cable replacements to look at. You can also message me and I’ll help you out.
After the tank cover is out peel the carpet off of it. I used a metal paint scraper and palm sander with 80 grit to get the glue residue off and then laid it flat, covered it in paper towels, soaked them with acetone and let it sit for 30 minutes or so, enough time to have another beer. Then you remove the paper towels and use the scraper to remove any remaining glue residue. It comes off very easily with the aid of the acetone.
Now hop back in your boat and peel an edge up and start ripping out that stinking, rotted, pathetic excuse for flooring that doesn’t belong in a boat in the first place!
It comes out pretty easy but will leave bits and pieces behind as well as carpet glue residue.
After the carpet is out you’ve got to start the fun part, scraping the floor.
now I’m not gonna lie to you, this part sucks but with some elbow grease, tunes cranking and a 3 cold beers you can get it done!
I once again used a combination of a 3-4” wide metal paint scraper first then a palm sander with 80 grit sandpaper to do the bulk of the work then I covered the floor with paper towel and used the acetone trick again.
After I was happy with the consistency of the fiberglass floor I reinstalled the gas tank cover.
Next step is to begin the process of making the template for the flooring. For this I used some 4 mil thick clear plastic that you can get at any Home Depot or Lowe’s. You’ll need some scissors, a box knife, a black sharpie and some painters tape.
Cut a big enough chunk to cover the whole cockpit then, starting at the center, cut eye shapes in the plastic so that you can tape the plastic in place without it moving. Work your way out to the edges keeping the plastic tight and continuing to cut little eyes and taping them until your at the edges. Cut whatever material away you don’t need and using one hand push the plastic to the very edge and use your sharpie to accurately mark the edge where the flooring meets the wall.
TAKE YOUR TIME DOING THIS! Your flooring is only gonna got as well as your template was made. This is probably at least a 2 beer job.
You will be able to kinda see the captain chair bolt holes through the plastic but will definitely be able to feel them. Use your sharpie to mark the bolt holes on the plastic template then grab your seat base (I separated my seat to make it easier) and align it with the bolt holes then trace the edge of the base.
Once the template is done carefully remove the tape holding it in place and take the template out of the boat and cut it precisely along your sharpie lines that you marked out. Make sure you cut out the seat base marking as well.
***Something to note here, I cut my seat base along the outside edge of it and it looks fine and it worked great but in retrospect I would’ve measured the distance from the edge to the pole and made the cut out circle smaller so the hole fit tight to the chair support pole.
Another thing I would’ve changed is my method for cutting the bow piece. I used my existing bow carpet as a template and once again it worked great but if you look at the pictures you’ll see on the left side where it’s rounded. I would’ve preferred that it followed the contour of the floor to wall instead of the rounded edge of the old snap in bow piece. It would’ve connected to the cockpit piece more cleanly IMO. I simply didn’t think of that until after I had made the cuts.
Next you’re going to lay out your Deckadence and transfer your templates so you can cut the Deckadence. You want to cut it upside down because you are going to use your template to transfer a cutting guide line using a sharpie.
Lay your Deckadence out on a flat surface UPSIDE DOWN so the backing is facing up. Lay out your template on top of it but ensure the template is ALSO UPSIDE DOWN so the orientation comes out correct, you only get one shot at this so make sure you did this!
If you can get an extra set of hands to help with this step it helps, I tried to tape it down but it wasn’t sticking very well maybe I had too many beers....
***I marked my sharpie lines about an 1/8” wider than the template so that I’d get a nice tight fit in my boat.
After transferring the template to the bottom of the Deckadence use a new sharp razor blade and cut at a slight angle (maybe 3-5 degrees) so the the coil part sticks out a touch more than the bottom base. Cut it on top of a piece of plywood so that you don’t dull your blade so quickly and don’t be shy about using 2-3 blades to do this. 1 beer job (I try not to mix too many beers and sharp razor blades)
Next step was to address the gap in between the gas tank plate flange and the cover. You may have to get inventive and use your now beer fogged brain to figure out a good way for you to close up the gap.
There was about a 1/2” on each side that was left open after removal of the carpet. I decided to cut some strips of a repurposed rubber conveyor belt I had left over laying around from a work bench top project I did. I wanted to use something that was durable but was also easily removed for when I need to get access to that area. I cut three strips to fit and it worked perfectly!
After installing them and putting the Deckadence in the boat I could hardly feel the gap! Cheap and easy fix.
All that is left now is to reinstall the trim pieces or if you are so inclined you could install EVA trim or even gel coat the screw holes and leave it without trim.
I have the Decadence sitting directly on top of the fiberglass and I have though of coating it with epoxy or maybe Evan gel coat but I don’t think that is crucial. It sits in place on the fiberglass in the cockpit very well with no snaps or anything. The bow piece had gelcoat already and the Deckadence does move around a bit on that so I’m planning on using my snap in carpet piece to put snaps on it.
I got to put this upgrade to the test at Lake Powell at the end of the summer and I couldn’t have been happier. Everyone that went also complimented me on how nice it was (not that I care what they think).
No more smelly carpet, no more wet floor!
If you’re thinking about doing it I’d highly recommend it. It’s not an overly hard project, not very time consuming (about 8 beers long) and it was really easy to pull out and clean up after the trip.
Cheers!
these are the spots I was talking about that I would’ve done differently had I thought of it before hand.
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