188 mil vs 80 mil Vinyl Flooring

[TheWhisker]

I searched, I promise. But I don't see anything directly addressing this.

Researching the flooring, I know I want to convert to vinyl but I don't know which one to get. I saw a few threads here with the 80 mil installed and while I like it fine, the wife wants a pattern that I can only find here:

https://www.restorepontoon.com/pontoon/ ... ategory=88

The thing is, it seems really thick compared to other vinyl flooring. Is anyone familiar with this and are there reasons not go get it? (i.e. too thick)

[Steiner]

I believe the 188mil is what you get with the "luxury flooring" on most newer boats.....I think a lot of them use Infinity Luxury Vinyl. The thickness mostly comes from the backing which makes it feel cushioned when you walk on it...kinda like what a piece of carpet feels like when you throw it in the garage as rug vs installed in the house with the underpadding. As such, it'll compress wherever you install bolt down stuff. Might want to visit a dealer so you can actually feel it installed to get an idea. My last boat (2017 Sweetwater) had the nice cushy seagrass upgrade and everyone loved it. New boat (2019 Suncatcher) has what they call their top flooring option which is AquaTread Premier and it's 120mil overall, 75mil wear layer. It's not what I'd call cushioned though.

[TheWhisker]

I believe the 188mil is what you get with the "luxury flooring" on most newer boats.....I think a lot of them use Infinity Luxury Vinyl. The thickness mostly comes from the backing which makes it feel cushioned when you walk on it...kinda like what a piece of carpet feels like when you throw it in the garage as rug vs installed in the house with the underpadding. As such, it'll compress wherever you install bolt down stuff. Might want to visit a dealer so you can actually feel it installed to get an idea. My last boat (2017 Sweetwater) had the nice cushy seagrass upgrade and everyone loved it. New boat (2019 Suncatcher) has what they call their top flooring option which is AquaTread Premier and it's 120mil overall, 75mil wear layer. It's not what I'd call cushioned though.

The one I found that the wife likes says it is not a stain resistant material. Sounds concerning to me; did you have any issues with stains or damage?

[Steiner]

The one I found that the wife likes says it is not a stain resistant material. Sounds concerning to me; did you have any issues with stains or damage?

I did not but only had that boat for two years and 60 hours. I don't fish and kept it in the garage so all it had to contend with was whatever dirt us or the dogs brought on board and puppy pee once or twice. It had the Seagrass which is actually trademarked by Infinity. They are the main supplier for many marine companies. I'm sure there's more places to get it but here's a couple links:
https://www.commercialmatsandrubber.com ... -flooring/ (they will send up to six free samples)
https://infinitylwv.com/blogs/resources/tagged/marine

I think most vinyl is similar thickness as far as the wear layer but the backing is where you see the increase. Infinity for instance lists 34mil but their HD collection with the nice backing (linked above) actually goes 150-223mil on overall thickness.

[TheWhisker]

Great, thanks. Looks like a few trips to some dealers is in order. I'm not glad boating season is over, but at least it gives me time...

[Steiner]

Great, thanks. Looks like a few trips to some dealers is in order. I'm not glad boating season is over, but at least it gives me time...

I think we were posting at the same time, check out the edited post above....

[Steiner]

I doubt it'll help much but here's some pictures of the seagrass floor, and a couple of the AquaTread. The AquaTread is actually a 75mil thick clear wear layer with the design screenprinted on the back side of it, then another layer. As I mentioned, it doesn't really have any cushion. For barefoot feel, I preferred the cushiness of the old floor but the new one is nice too. I actually used a small bagless upright vacuum on the old one after every trip and didn't have any issues with that.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5shQ1smnwfk5iKCQ6

[TheWhisker]

Noted. The impetus really is a conversion to vinyl, and also the carpet will no doubt have color differences from where furniture sat vs. sun fade/wear. I don't think a thick backing is all that important, especially since this will be a fishing barge and not a party vessel. Ease of cleanup trumps squishiness underfoot. I'll look at as many types as I can since I have time. Appreciate it again!

As for the pictures, dang they all look great, especially compared to the dull gray carpet in mine now.

[Steiner]

Oh yeah, if it's mainly going to be fishing I wouldn't spend the money on the luxury stuff. When I bought that Sweetwater they also had a fishing setup one that had the solid color "hose off" style vinyl. With the new Suncatcher, they had a couple rear fish models that also had the AquaTread Premier like mine. AquaTread is actually polyvinyl and comes in three flavors. They call it the "most durable" flooring available so you might want to cause more trouble and look into it as well.
https://www.bltllc.com/aquatread-marine-flooring

[TheWhisker]

Ah, some nice patterns in that as well. Certainly isn't easy.

And your current boat- wow, nice!

[Steiner]

Hey thanks. We've been enjoying it but it's pretty much done for the year. Didn't notice you had a Suncatcher too. Here's one of the rear fish models they had when I bought my rear lounge model.
https://www.muddybay.com/default.asp?pa ... wInventory

[TheWhisker]

On the boat in the link, that live well console in the back is a lot like the unit I'm going to use for the same location. The gas tank (a 35 instead of the stock 30 gal) will fit in the "storage" area underneath and I will move the current aerator pump and stuff to the new unit from under the rear seat where it is now. And moving the gas tank under it gives me the rear port area available for a fishing seat so I can have seats at the four corners, where I have it at no corners currently (right rear currently has the trolling motor and the front corners are too short for a seat).

So in other words, there will be a lot of stuff removed exposing a lot of the flooring, which will undoubtedly need to be replaced or the aesthetics (and clean-ability) I want with the new layout will be lost.

[TheWhisker]

Ended up with Tan Teak 80mil vinyl from PontoonStuff, the current sale helped us decide. It arrived yesterday and I'm really glad we got it. Looks better than I expected. Took a gamble getting it without seeing it firsthand but it looks great. Can't wait to see it on the deck.

Speaking of which, I really want to get it on there before the hard freeze of winter sets in. If we get highs in the upper 50's and lows in the 40's, will the adhesive set properly? Instructions say put it on at 55F or more- if I do that is it OK if temps fall below that after the flooring is down but less than 24 hours passed?

[Liquid Asset]

I've worked in the wood floor industry for over 20 years. If it says keep it above 55 degrees I'd recommend you follow the instructions. Nothing worse than having a job fail ( big mess and waste of time and materials) because you pushed the dry times. The adhesive should give a time to full cure and once that is reached you'll be fine. Again I totally understand wanting to get it done but it's not worth it if you have to pay twice! Good luck with your project and please post pics as you go!!!

[curtiscapk]

+1 I waited on my carpet till lows were above 55....