Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

[wishboneZ51]

Question for everybody? Has anybody used Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex? I am tired of using carpet due to all of the negatives. I would like to use a product that I can easily get wet, and clean up really easy. Not to mention take care of the use of retaining water or moisture to the sub flooring IE wood. They use a special glue Adhesive 88 to lay it down. What are the negatives to using this over carpet? Any problems with materials?

Here are a link too the two products I am looking at.

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|10918|311409|311410&id=186217

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|10918|311409|311410&id=23803

 

[JAFO1]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

Ezombee mentions that brand in this thread. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=433364
Said he likes it.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

OVER CARPET???? Explain that. I would not lay it over carpet

 

[coolbikeguy]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

OVER CARPET???? Explain that. I would not lay it over carpet

im pretty sure he meant instead of carpet LOL atleast i hope so lol

 

[rbstewart]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

Yeah... INSTEAD of carpet...LOL.

I have used the Nautolex vinyl flooring and Deco Dot a good bit on my Aluminum boat repairs and restoration. IMHO it is the way to go if you want ease of installation, maintainence and cleanup. Brush it and hose it off.
Deco Dot is not a good seller, despite being a good product. What I don't like about it is that you have to be a bit more careful lining up the dot pattern...keeping it "squared up". The textured vinyl floor has a random pattern to it.
STAY away from the 88 adhesive. It is a real pain in the butt to use...especially compared to the other alternatives. It is also expensive. A good quality water based carpet/vinyl adhesive that is waterproof....such as....

http://www.miamicorp.com/default.aspx?page=item+detail&itemcode=K398

Works well. it is easy to thin, brush and/or roll on. It cost approximately the same per gallon as a quart of 88 does.

If you are laying it down on a fibreglass floor, make sure it is S M O O T H before installing the Nautolex. Nautolex does not hide defects like carpet!

 

[wishboneZ51]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

Yeah... INSTEAD of carpet...LOL.

I have used the Nautolex vinyl flooring and Deco Dot a good bit on my Aluminum boat repairs and restoration. IMHO it is the way to go if you want ease of installation, maintainence and cleanup. Brush it and hose it off.
Deco Dot is not a good seller, despite being a good product. What I don't like about it is that you have to be a bit more careful lining up the dot pattern...keeping it "squared up". The textured vinyl floor has a random pattern to it.
STAY away from the 88 adhesive. It is a real pain in the butt to use...especially compared to the other alternatives. It is also expensive. A good quality water based carpet/vinyl adhesive that is waterproof....such as....

http://www.miamicorp.com/default.aspx?page=item+detail&itemcode=K398

Works well. it is easy to thin, brush and/or roll on. It cost approximately the same per gallon as a quart of 88 does.

If you are laying it down on a fibreglass floor, make sure it is S M O O T H before installing the Nautolex. Nautolex does not hide defects like carpet!

I am so sorry for the confusion. No I did not mean to lay this on top of carpet. I meant in stead of using carpet use a much more durable product.

RBSTEWART,

Thanks so much for your responce. Wow what a great bit of tips to go by thanks. You know I was not thinking to much on lining up the solid little dots but I gues that would be important to notice when installing.I do agree the other stuff that looks much like carpet and sandpaper at the same time would be a much easier install.

Do you think Nautolex is to abrasive? When I was checking out the samples at the marine store today it looked tough! I have kids and I was wondering about them slipping and banging up their knees! Either way the 88 is out and I will start looking into your suggestions.

Ok so the floor of my boat is fiberglass, what do I need to do in order to get things prepped for the new floor install?

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

I was recently checking out the Deco Dot for my project, looks like really great stuff. I am still debating between a roll on something or a vinyl something. Carpet is pretty much out of the equation.

Anybody else have experience with it? I'd sure appreciate any comments too, eh!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

I used Nautolex's marine vinyl not DecoDot. Mark42 did though and documented it. I'm a big fan of the marine vinyl. It is VERY non slip. That comes at a cost though. You don't want to kneel on it very long.

 

[wishboneZ51]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

I used Nautolex's marine vinyl not DecoDot. Mark42 did though and documented it. I'm a big fan of the marine vinyl. It is VERY non slip. That comes at a cost though. You don't want to kneel on it very long.

Yes I saw that and it looks great. What type of glue did you use to put it down? How did you prep your surface before laying down your vinyl?

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

I used the same stuff as EZ(different color, we got the shark I think) and couldn't be happier with it.

Like he said it's very grippy, also super easy to clean, doesn't fade from UV exposure, looks nice and easy to deal with.

The downside of the decodot is that hooks are more likely to snag it and I'm pretty sure it's heavier also, which isn't a huge advantage but worth considering if it's going in a small rig.

We laid it down over a epoxy resin sealed deck, used the Nautolex vinyl adhesive and I'm very happy with how well it worked out. Just make sure to sand down any areas so the surface is VERY flat.

My girlfriend did the work, but I can say that you will want to cut it to shape prior to putting it in permanently. We took out deck pieces into the living room and cut it that way first.

 

[wishboneZ51]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

I used the same stuff as EZ(different color, we got the shark I think) and couldn't be happier with it.

Like he said it's very grippy, also super easy to clean, doesn't fade from UV exposure, looks nice and easy to deal with.

The downside of the decodot is that hooks are more likely to snag it and I'm pretty sure it's heavier also, which isn't a huge advantage but worth considering if it's going in a small rig.

We laid it down over a epoxy resin sealed deck, used the Nautolex vinyl adhesive and I'm very happy with how well it worked out. Just make sure to sand down any areas so the surface is VERY flat.

My girlfriend did the work, but I can say that you will want to cut it to shape prior to putting it in permanently. We took out deck pieces into the living room and cut it that way first.

Ok, so if I am understanding everybody here these are the steps that I need to take!

remove the thin origional fiberglass paper from the deck.
Wash and dry top plywood deck.
Roughly sand decking for epoxi
Epoxi resin the entire floor smooth as silk.
Fit new vinyl flooring and make adjustments, get almost perfect.
apply vinyl glue to epoxi deck.
Install vinyl flooring and roll out any bubbles.

Sit back and drink a nice cold beer and admire my new floor!

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

You won't have too much time to get the bubbles/wrinkles out...try to lay it down right the first time.

The advice I got was to apply the adhesive to the deck...let it sit to allow air bubbles to vent...wait until it's a bit tacky(maybe 5-10 minutes) and then lay the vinyl down.

It's a little tricky to get it right the first time, that's why I had my girlfriend do it(she is talented).

Also...have more than one cold beer when you're done, that's a lot of work

Good luck to ya!

EDIT---I forgot to mention that when we rolled the vinyl out we started in the middle, not the ends. Make sure it's in the right spot(out ski locker cutout made that simple) and get the center down, then roll out one end, making sure all the edges match up and then roll out the remaining end.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

Deco Dot is what I chose. Beats carpet by a mile....

My project link: http://shareaproject.com/pages/projectTut,p,672,00.html


A few pics....

BTW, the samples may appear thin compared to upholstery vinyl. Don't worry, the Deco Dot is very tough, and its not expanded like upholstery vinyl, and that is what makes it so hard to puncture. It took about three or more weeks for the adhesive to cure where it was put on over gel coat or polyester resin. It sets up fast on plywood.

Good non-slip decking for bare feet or sandals. Rain or soaking wet kids don't bother it. Water just runs off into the bilge. Same with sand and other junk that comes in from the water. Just sweep it up or into the bilge for washing out the bilge drain. Cleans up easy with a rag and windex. So far no stains from food or gasoline, or anything else that got on it.

 

[wishboneZ51]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

All I have to say is you put a lot of hours into that piece of work you have there. Your boat looks awesome great job and attention to detail. I like how you have a couple of different colors introduced to make a subtle difference but not enough to make it look out of place really nice.

So my question for you is, did you apply straight down on plywood or did you coat in resin? If you did coat in resin would you of done it differently if you had to do it again?

I agree about the beer, maybe a 6 pack to myslef is in order here!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

All I have to say is you put a lot of hours into that piece of work you have there. Your boat looks awesome great job and attention to detail. I like how you have a couple of different colors introduced to make a subtle difference but not enough to make it look out of place really nice.

So my question for you is, did you apply straight down on plywood or did you coat in resin? If you did coat in resin would you of done it differently if you had to do it again?

I agree about the beer, maybe a 6 pack to myslef is in order here!

The beige seats and side panels will eventually get replaced with off white and blue. Thats why I went with the neutral grey deco dot, it will match what ever colors are used.

As far as putting down the deco dot, it will only look as nice as the ply is smooth. I had to fill a few holes, dents, knicks, splits and knot holes with thickened resin. A quick sanding and all was well. Be sure to run a 80 grit sanding block over the deck before applying the glue, and a shop vac helps keep it all clean too. A quick coat of resin will help seal the ply, but will make the glue take longer to cure. Its up to you, if you can wait, go with a coat of resin. All overlap seams are about 1 inch. Look where the deck meets the seat bases, I used a strip of wood as a gauge to cut the floor section off about 1 inch up the seat base. Then the seat base piece overlaps the floor piece. Glue seals the overlap, making it water proof.

Take your time and it will come out nice. Don't use too much glue, you can use less than with carpet. Experiment on a piece of ply first before jumping into working on the boat.

I also removed all the carpet trying not to cut or rip it. Then those pieces were the perfect templates for cutting the deco dot. Rolled out the entire roll of deco dot on my deck, then set all the pieces of carpet on it to make the most efficient cuts. Note there is an orientation to the Deco, so keep that in mind when cutting pieces. On my boat, the floor pattern runs left to right, and the vertical sections run horizontal. Most people would never notice, so don't worry too much. Just make sure any butt joints have the same orientation or it will show.

 

[wishboneZ51]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

Mark 42,

Thank you so much for the wisdom. I am reading your instructions and have a question about your process.

My seat bases are really small, like 3/4" by 3". On the end caps to the seat base strip, how do you cover such a small piece and it still look good? I was thinking that maybe I should not cover those seat bases that the lounge chairs connect to. Instead I was thinking of painting them to match the color of the vinyl!

If I were to do it that way, what other methods or materials could I use to seal and water tight the boat without comprimising the astetics of the boat?

I have some pictures that show those little lounge chair mounts in my restore for reference purposes.

 

[starcrafter65]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

I used DeckoDot on my first resto - and would NOT recommend it or use it again. It was painful on knees and bare feet and I found - worse - it scuffed through very easily - also being one color - it showed everything.

I used Nautolex on my second and would recommend it to all. Looks great, multicolor, I think it is "tougher" and is easier on bear knees.

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

I am using blue Nautolex for my floor. No the deco dot but the multi-hue stuff. Laying it in next year. I only have it rolled up right now but from what Ive seen and tested it's great stuff.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

Mark 42,

Thank you so much for the wisdom. I am reading your instructions and have a question about your process.

My seat bases are really small, like 3/4" by 3". On the end caps to the seat base strip, how do you cover such a small piece and it still look good? I was thinking that maybe I should not cover those seat bases that the lounge chairs connect to. Instead I was thinking of painting them to match the color of the vinyl!

If I were to do it that way, what other methods or materials could I use to seal and water tight the boat without comprimising the astetics of the boat?

I have some pictures that show those little lounge chair mounts in my restore for reference purposes.

Thanks for your confidence in my suggestions! LOL! I would paint the small pieces to match. I found a grey Rustolium that is a good match and will paint the a few small areas that are not easily seen, rather than use the deco dot.

I used DeckoDot on my first resto - and would NOT recommend it or use it again. It was painful on knees and bare feet and I found - worse - it scuffed through very easily - also being one color - it showed everything.

I used Nautolex on my second and would recommend it to all. Looks great, multicolor, I think it is "tougher" and is easier on bear knees.

That is odd. We had no issues with it being rough on the knees, but then again, I can say we were not kneeling on it much. Although I did spend a lot of time on my knees on it when installing the stuff. But again, no issues.

So far, after a season the deco dot has been holding up great. No wear, especially on sharp corners. Have to admit the stuff is very tough, and the dots are so small I really can't say there was an issue standing on it bare foot.

Just goes to show different folks have different opinions about the same product.

 

[JCNailen]

Re: Decko Dot Marine Flooring made by Nautolex

Looks like awesome stuff, and good reviews from you guys, but wow it's expensive.