Marine Mat / EVA Foam Opinions

JoeStang

I'm going between replacing my worn out carpet with PVC woven or Marine Mat EVA foam. They will both be snap-in, so I'll be reusing the OEM snaps and be able to take in it & out as needed. 

Has anyone had a foam floor that they regret doing? I would cover the entire cockpit and platform and would go with a light/medium grey so it hopefully wouldnt be too warm or show dirt too easily. 

LaRea

For EVA foam, one thing to watch out for is flooring installed next to vertical surfaces -- especially inside corners.  Walls and stairwells will reflect sunlight onto the flooring, making the sun exposure 2-3 times more intense than other areas of the deck.  Over time, it can damage the flooring by making it shrink.  I'm already seeing that damage on the Flex Dek I installed three years ago. 

It's really comfy on the feet, and we have a light color that doesn't get too hot.  At first, it looks fantastic and cleans up easily.  After a year or two, it gets harder to clean.  At three years of full-time cruising, ours is ready for replacement.  Obviously, it'll last longer for weekend cruising.  

YYZRC

EVA foam is total garbage. Look at it wrong and it’s stained. 30 seconds with a dog and it’s “chipped”. Any color other than the lightest grey is hot AF.

I have EVA in my dinghy and jet boat only because it’s cheap and those boats don’t get a lot of use.

grouch0jr

I've got OrthoDeck on my boat, PO installed it and I believe this is it's 3rd season. Mine isn't snap in (which would certainly be nice when it's replacement time), but we love it. Stains are easily removed with upholstery cleaner, and it's very comfortable.

Ian

I got MarineMat in 18 and it’s still in great shape with only one piece in the well to the cabin with a small chip out of it that happened a while ago. Snap in for the cockpit, stick on for the platform and steps ups, it has faded slightly but cleaning is easy and looks like new.