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Old 11-02-2015, 20:40   #1
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Carpet on power cruisers?

As a sailor, can someone explain to me why builders put carpet on the floors of power boats? I understand the appeal...sort of...but it's a boat and it's surely going to get wet and dirty.
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Old 11-02-2015, 21:46   #2
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

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As a sailor, can someone explain to me why builders put carpet on the floors of power boats? I understand the appeal...sort of...but it's a boat and it's surely going to get wet and dirty.
Why would it get particularly wet or dirty. It's seems to work fine. I've seen it work on sailboats too.
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Old 11-02-2015, 22:21   #3
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

Mostly cost and it's not just for power boats.
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Old 12-02-2015, 02:14   #4
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

We were in Cannes during the film festival in 2013. 30 Euros a night, surrounded by mega mega yachts. one day we were walking behind the theatre and saw yards of brand new hull carpet in a skip. Turned out that the gigantic yacht nearby held a party the night before and even though they made all of the celebrities take off their shoes, they still covered all of the floors with hull carpet. They then threw it away as the rich do. We scored enough carpet to line our sailboat twice. Now my wife sleeps with George Clooney's and Brad Pitt's bare footprints all over the hull side next to her (can't get the smile off her face).
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Old 12-02-2015, 04:33   #5
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

Interior carpet is mostly for cushioning and sound abatement, sort of easier to clean than some other materials (quick vacuum), less expensive than some other materials, and hence easier to replace or update (different color schemes, etc.).

Exterior carpet is also often for cushioning, and partly for noise abatements, partly for decoration. Another is that carpet is (sometimes) less hot on bare feet than would be some other materials, like a wide expanse of flat fiberglass. (OTOH, sometimes it's hotter, perhaps partly depending on colors.) Carpeting over bare fiberglass can be protective, as when a passenger might drop something heavy.

Our exterior carpet in the flying bridge is seldom wet. Our cockpit carpet dries in about a half-day of sunlight. It's easily cleaned with a vacuum, or occasionally with a powerwasher.

We offload our cockpit carpeting during trolling season; when that's over, we clean the boat, bring the carpeting back on board, and call ourselves cruisers (of a sort) for the remainder of the season.

In my own case, the cushioning feature is critical.

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Old 12-02-2015, 04:39   #6
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

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Why would it get particularly wet or dirty. It's seems to work fine. I've seen it work on sailboats too.
+1
Coming from a "traditionalist" (UK) approach to sailing I had a bit of prejudice against the carpet on some catamarans I sailed on, but I loved it!
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Old 12-02-2015, 04:46   #7
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

This what I'm thinking about installing...
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Old 12-02-2015, 05:26   #8
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

On a sailboat (if you sail) you might get lots of water into your salon through changing watches and stowing rain jackets in the "wet locker". Makes sense not having carpet. Large cruising boats are like houses. Carpet has some advantages just as stated before, but when you need to work on your engines and need to access the panels it can be a big problem. Ask me how I know. Another thing about carpet (I used to own a carpet cleaning business), lite dirt and dust are easy to control with a small vacuum cleaner. However, when people take their shoes off, they expose the most stinky, oily, dirty place on their body. Most people dont even wear socks with boat shoes and they even have sand between their toes. I dont want that on my carpet. Thats why I dont ask people to remove their shoes on my boat. In fact I tell them to keep their shoes on. Most people dont have marking soles anymore and on carpet it isnt a problem. If you had hundreds or thousands of people touring your boat (at boat shows) or partying, it would not be easy to clean up after the party. I still cringe when I see lots of people walking around barefooted on boats thinking they are keeping the carpet clean. The biggest problem is that its not safe to walk around barefooted. I've stumped my toes so many times its not worth the effort. Sorry for the rant on bare feet. Bottom line, for function, wood floors are better. For comfort, carpet is better.
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Old 12-02-2015, 07:22   #9
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

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Originally Posted by Chrisgo View Post
As a sailor, can someone explain to me why builders put carpet on the floors of power boats? I understand the appeal...sort of...but it's a boat and it's surely going to get wet and dirty.
Carpet is far easier and less expensive to install than other flooring materials and it help deaden sound as well. Some people prefer carpet.

Teak and Holly would have been a $4K upgrade to my boat when it was built in 2000.
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Old 12-02-2015, 07:31   #10
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

I use very low pile mats cut to the shape of the cabin deck. They absorb engine noise and yet can be taken outside and hosed down. I used poster board to make the templates for cutting the mats precisely.

Carpets on boats that are not removable are eventually going to stink. There is no way around this. You might get used to the smell but visitors to the boat are going to notice the stink.
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Old 12-02-2015, 09:32   #11
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

We use Flotex waterproof carpet - it is easy to clean and easy to wash and a heck of a lot kinder to bare feet. I love the stuff altho' its a mite expensive.
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Old 12-02-2015, 10:03   #12
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

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Carpets on boats that are not removable are eventually going to stink. There is no way around this. You might get used to the smell but visitors to the boat are going to notice the stink.

Yep. We use a purpose-made carpet cleaning machine (brought from home occasionally), probably more often than many since we have pets aboard, and that does a decent job...

But there comes a time when replacement is appropriate. Pretty much just like household carpet, in that regard. OTOH, our interior carpet is now 12 years old, no odor yet. It's losing a bit of bulk, though, in the main walkways...

Very occasional carpet replacement is relatively inexpensive, though, compared to other things demanding BoatBucks$$$.

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Old 12-02-2015, 11:39   #13
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

Flotex is incredibly hard wearing - frequently used in high traffic corridors of upmarket clinics and hospitals as it is so durable, very easy to wash and does not smell. If we spill anything on ours then some warm soapy water cleans it off. We also can vacuum if necessary. It has a very close cropped pile but does sound deaden nicely as well. Don't confuse the product with common house hold variety cheap carpeting.
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Old 12-02-2015, 12:31   #14
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

I use rubber-backed area rugs and runners all over (not int the cockpit).
  • Warmer in the winter.
  • Better than grinding sand into the teak (easy to vacuum or shake out). Much cheaper to replace every 5 years or so.
  • Not as slippery on wet feet as varnish. One bad fall is worth more than a million dollar boat, IMHO.
  • Never get wet (hard top over companionway, wet stuff dries in the wide cockpit).
  • Even when we soaked all of them (took green water with ALL of the hatches open) we were able to rinse them in fresh and dry them on the tramp in an afternoon. Only happened once and will NEVER happen again.
Actually, I can't think of a good reason not to have removable carpeting. Installed might be a mess.
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Old 13-02-2015, 14:47   #15
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Re: Carpet on power cruisers?

The megayachts usually have Sunbrella runners and covers for all the carpet.
Carpet is just nicer to walk on, although I prefer teak and holly with oriental rug runners.


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