Checker plate floor options

[Funchy]

Would love the checker plate option on my new boat build but was wondering best options to put on top when your out fishing so the decks not burning the hell out of anything that touches the floor in summer


What’s everyone using?

[marto78]

On my last boat I had a piece of carpet that I could lift out and clean but the new boat has vinalite flooring going on top of the checker plate. From others I've spoken to it's meant to be easy on the feet and because it's ribbed you can hise it out.

[chris69]

The high density foam seems to be a growing trend.

[tunaticer]

Get your plate floor welded in then put the plastic tube matting over the top.
https://thematgroup.com.au/products/tubular-pvc-matting
easy to clean out and anti fatigue.
I am going this way next time.

[NAGG]

Get your plate floor welded in then put the plastic tube matting over the top.
https://thematgroup.com.au/products/tubular-pvc-matting
easy to clean out and anti fatigue.
I am going this way next time.

It's not that great ...... it's actually pretty hard on the feet - moves around ..... not good if you drop something (hooks / sinkers), heavy , needs to be removed & dried out every trip

I ran some at the helm position to try it out ........ nah no good (IMO).

Chris

[NAGG]

Would love the checker plate option on my new boat build but was wondering best options to put on top when your out fishing so the decks not burning the hell out of anything that touches the floor in summer


What’s everyone using?

If it was me ....... I would just go a plate floor & with sea deck over the top .

Sea deck is pretty comfortable , reasonably cool , cleans OK - can be replaced down the track - entirely or in sections

no issues with hooks -

Chris

[Dignity]

It's not that great ...... it's actually pretty hard on the feet - moves around ..... not good if you drop something (hooks / sinkers), heavy , needs to be removed & dried out every trip

I ran some at the helm position to try it out ........ nah no good (IMO).

Chris

Been on a boat with it and definitely need good footwear with it for any period of time with all the other issues Chris mentioned. How it got anti fatigue label is beyound me although I could be thinking it's the one with the round tubes my mate had.

[marto78]

With that tube matting there's some that have really hard types of tubes and others that are soft which are the better ones to use. I hadn't thought about the dropping of hooks and swivels disappearing into it and the only reason it's going into the new boat was the dealer was doing it at a fair price.

I do like that seadeck stuff but it's pricey and I've that it can stain if oily stuff is spilt on it.

[chris69]

Ok why have checker plate it was ok in the front top deck to stand on for the anchor well and that’s about it ,you could use a epoxy urethane anti slip deck paint on normal plate.

[shaungonemad]

I had checker plate flooring and didn’t find it overly hot , it’s a bit bright until it dulls off.


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[NAGG]

With that tube matting there's some that have really hard types of tubes and others that are soft which are the better ones to use. I hadn't thought about the dropping of hooks and swivels disappearing into it and the only reason it's going into the new boat was the dealer was doing it at a fair price.

I do like that seadeck stuff but it's pricey and I've that it can stain if oily stuff is spilt on it.

I tried the soft stuff on my boat ....... lasted about 4 or 5 trips before I ditched the stuff & replaced it a bit of that playground rubber mat which was much easier on the feet .
Checker plate while is easy to keep kleen ...... is horrid on the feet & can get pretty hot (ouch hot) - you need to be wearing some kind of good shoe . It can get pretty slippery too if say wearing crocs or thongs.
Honestly - if this is a new build try to find it in your budget to go with sea deck ...... if staining is a concern go with a darker colour . Oh & btw I've got a sea deck measuring sticker on the gunnel (light grey) - after 14 months it doesn't look too bad . When you consider that this gets slime & blood on it ....... plus people constantly stepping on it with often dirty or muddy feet .... I'm pretty impressed .

Out of curiosity - would flat plate be cheaper than checker / propeller ?

Chris

[Corry]

We got Sea Deck in our Cruise Craft, absolutely love it, it still gets hot mind you, but we are in FNQ. Over the weekend we used both boats, went off shore then chased crabs up the creek in the little one, it was that hot that you could brand yourself with the stainless fittings in the boat, but the Sea Deck was still bearable, to a point. I wouldn't lay a fish on it without hosing it down first.
In the little boat, it's carpet over deck and floor, the bare aluminum was that hot it caused instant blisters if accidentally touched, carpet was bearable, but carpet sux with hooks and for cleaning. Our new little one that we should be picking up this month is done with Sea Deck, it was a must after having it in the big one, yep, costs more, I think it was around 4k to do a 4.2m boat, that's full floor, front and rear cast decks as well as along the tops of the gunnel, and the trailer guards.
So yep, cost a bit, but it will last, and will make using it a lot more comfortable.
Side note, I haven't had any issues at all with stains, both are the slate colour, with the big boat over grey, the little one over black.

[marto78]

4k to do a 4.2m boat is expensive in my eyes.

There are some cheaper options for eva flooring on ebay (not sure if this link will work)

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/395159123099?chn=ps&_ul=AU&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A17Wxd5SKbSHWL3qYaKZ5NSw54&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-166974-041499-5&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=395159123099&targetid=2205156017499&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9068978&poi=&campaignid=19894965987&mkgroupid=150560547754&rlsatarget=pla-2205156017499&abcId=9308512&merchantid=7364522&gclid=CjwKCAiAq4KuBhA6EiwArMAw1FARG8FDou6BjcI6BEoO 33zwmTE6wbO9Gz4vG17r-DK-RfJ1KnrcFhoCu6AQAvD_BwE

[Corry]

Not really, it covers boat, gunnels and trailer, if I was back down in NSW I'd look at using the cheaper eBay stuff again, but in FNQ the stuff just doesn't last the heat and UV. I found the cheaper stuff wasn't as easy to clean, and having each piece along with graphics laser cut makes it easier to install if you're doing it yourself. The cheaper stuff also retains any indents in it when esky's are put on it in the heat.
It all depends on what quality and longevity you want out of it, it's that good old saying 'a poor man pays twice'.

[disorderly]

We went checkerplate on the china super-vee..

I cut some carpet to fit and it just sits on top and pulls out and gets hung up, hosed and left to dry and then chuck it back in..

Chucked the first piece away when it began looking daggy and still on the second piece now....

I'm pretty lazy so If just going for a short spin or to the islands where sand will be trudged back onboard I often dont even worry about the carpet which makes for a really quick and easy hose out of the checkerplate.

I have tried that cheaper ebay seadeck and of course it feels good on the feet but its just crap, it stains, fades and peels off and then its hard to scrape off the adhesive off when trying to remove it..

I've had planty of different floors but loose carpet over checkerplate is by the far the best I have had..and if worried about it slipping out from under the feet a strip of velcro could easily be stuck under the gunnels but its not needed on our rig....

[Lovey80]

I’ve had enough of carpet and different mats. Looking to go a sea-dek option from now on. It’s so much better under foot than the rest of the options. I want to replace my ply floor in the Webster with some sort of ally panel that’s lighter before I do it. Can’t seem to find the right product.

if I was having a platey built, it would for sure be just a standard smooth ally sheet floor with Sea-Dek or equivalent everywhere.

[chris69]

You could leave the Checker plate floor bare and just wear some thongs or crocs and in winter add some socks .

[Dignity]

You could leave the Checker plate floor bare and just wear some thongs or crocs and in winter add some socks .

Yep, just check with the emergency wards at your local hospital for crocs related accidents, they can be deadly on wet surfaces.

[NAGG]

Yep, just check with the emergency wards at your local hospital for crocs related accidents, they can be deadly on wet surfaces.

Can vouch for that ....... learnt that real quick after buying my Barcrusher - not recommended at all

Chris

[Lovey80]

Checker plate floors on boats is a horrible idea. It provides exactly zero non-slip effects when wet and just makes it harder to put down coverings.

[chris69]

Yep, just check with the emergency wards at your local hospital for crocs related accidents, they can be deadly on wet surfaces.

There my faverate fishing slippers but there not the expencive ones i use the cheap ones.

[disorderly]

Checker plate floors on boats is a horrible idea. It provides exactly zero non-slip effects when wet and just makes it harder to put down coverings.

yeah i reckon you havent had a boat with a checkerplate floor then....almost 5 years in from personal experience I havent found it slippery when wet unless its covered in fish slime, bait or blood which on a wet deck deck boat can easily just get a quick hit with the deckwash and out the scuppers...

and the only thing it makes harder is with glued down seadeck which IMO is stupid on a fishing boat anyway and only makes more work to keep clean....

anyone that hasnt tried it, cut out a carpet square and chuck down unglued over the checkerplate and try it ..seriously there is nothing easier...

I have carpet glued on ply in my smaller boat and its a real pain to get clean and its always full of sand and debris which of course then ends up down in the bottom of the hull after getting washed.......

[NAGG]

yeah i reckon you havent had a boat with a checkerplate floor then....almost 5 years in from personal experience I havent found it slippery when wet unless its covered in fish slime, bait or blood which on a wet deck deck boat can easily just get a quick hit with the deckwash and out the scuppers...

and the only thing it makes harder is with glued down seadeck which IMO is stupid on a fishing boat anyway and only makes more work to keep clean....

anyone that hasnt tried it, cut out a carpet square and chuck down unglued over the checkerplate and try it ..seriously there is nothing easier...

I have carpet glued on ply in my smaller boat and its a real pain to get clean and its always full of sand and debris which of course then ends up down in the bottom of the hull after getting washed.......

I own one boat with checker plate & one with carpet ........ neither is worth considering if you have the option with going to seadeck

Carpet while being cooler & reasonably comfortable can be an absolute pain to clean ....... it holds sand , dirt etc .... hooks are a pain .... it can stain with oil & blood too ....... but ultimately vacuum & washing is a pain.

Checker plate is hot ...... it is slippery when wet / covered in slime / blood .... & it can pit ..... hard on the feet . Yes it is easy to kleen at the end of the day.

Carpet wont last much better than Seadeck

& while cheaper ...... Go Seadeck

Chris

[chris69]

Theres nothing wrong with carpet you can wash it down when you get home and just like the carpet in the house you vaccum the bits and peices up too easy,and if its realy hot a wet down cools things down,and carpet makes the boat a bit more homely and quiter drop something on the checker plate and it puts a ping out to all the fish.

[Lovey80]

I have carpet (glued to ply) in my small boat now. I'm someone who uses bait jigs pretty regularly and carpet drives me nuts every time I get one of those little hooks stuck in it.

[chris69]

I have carpet (glued to ply) in my small boat now. I'm someone who uses bait jigs pretty regularly and carpet drives me nuts every time I get one of those little hooks stuck in it.

Buy your self a Sabaki rod the hooks go inside the rod problem solved.

[Lovey80]

Buy your self a Sabaki rod the hooks go inside the rod problem solved.

I have two of them and only really use them on the offshore rig. Mostly only the smaller rigs fit inside them with 2 sets of strings hanging out the top. I use the jigs I use in the small boat are mostly for winter whiting and I want a light small rod for that.