Outdoor Floor Matting

But first…… No more foraging from the top of the ladder.  The girls (cows) have worked out when they see me with the ladder, tasty fruit is on the menu.  Unfortunately they have taken to giving the bottom of the ladder a little nudge resulting in me hanging in the treetop with white knuckles.  I don’t think this is deliberate…. just their way of reminding me they are waiting!

One thing I’ve noticed on Kelly-Louise is how useful the rubber matting is in the cratch and semi-trad areas of the boat. My concern was water would be trapped between the matting and the steel deck resulting in corrosion. However the matting on KL has a “stipple” base which raises the bulk of the mat off the deck.

I suspect matting will be even more important during the winter as there is probably a safety (slipping) hazard walking on the steel deck if (when!) it is covered in frost or ice. Moreover, couple of ‘old crocks’ boarding and alighting a wet or frozen deck presents yet another hazard.

In order to avoid the confusing ‘jigsaw puzzle’ effect of separate mats we would want the matting to either be a single piece or interlocking pieces. However this assumption is almost immediately negated by the need to access the engine compartment and separate weed-hatch. Perhaps a “one piece” mat with the hatch areas removable.

And so to Google to search for potential products

Makro has a matting made from rubber (600x900mm) at £12.59 per piece. However the description doesn’t state it has a stipple base.

Dri-Dek appears to be fairly well known and the largest pieces are 3’x4’. However it appears to be rather expensive.

Versatile Flooring has a flexible and interlocking produce (300x300mm). There is a range of colours with the cheapest being black at £3.25 per piece.

Softfloor sell and outdoor matting that can interlock although it doesn’t state whether it has a stipple base. The size is 3’x3’ and it comes in a range of colours. The price per piece is £12.95 plus VAT

B&Q have rubber matting. It’s interlocking and 900x900mm. The cost is £14.98 per piece. However it doesn’t state whether the matting has a stipple base.

Rubberco sell a rubber matting that does have the stipple base. Size per piece is 1m x 1.5m at £18.60.

Looking at the size, characteristics, and price of the various products, I think our choice is down to either the B&Q or the Rubberco.

We need to examine the B&Q product to ensure it has a stipple base.

The other thing we need to do is measure the cratch and semi-trad dimensions. It may well be that the difference in dimensions between the two products may make one of them a better fit. Both the cratch and semi-trad areas have side lockers so the B&Q produce at 900mm wide may be a better fit. But then the Rubberco is 1.5m long compared to the B&Q at 900mm. This may make it a better fit when it comes to the length of the cockpit and cratch.

At least we aren’t in a hurry to make a decision.