Ordering new boat. Carpet or not??

[Don G]

I like the idea of snap in carpet over vinyl.Thumbs Up.When it gets dirty, remove and spray wash..I know Lund has this option..Don't know if others do..

[boat49]

I have a Bay Charger center console, white with some type of non skid pattern all over the inside where you would walk. It's not noisy when running across the water, it doesn't get hot under foot at all, even during our record heat this past summer!, and its a breeze to clean. I would never have carpet. Oh, I do fish barefoot alot and the non skid is not hard on your feet at all. That's my .02 for what its worth!

[working man]

I have a 2005 20 ft. xpress with the sprayed in liner, it seems plenty durable, and noise doesn,t seem to be a problem as far as the crappie and the catfish are concerned. I also don't notice much noise when I'm running other than the wind. The only thing to watch for is not to wear a shoe with a hard peice of plastic (some have this in the area of the arch support) on the bottom because with only a little water this will turn the hinges into something akin to ice that has been sprayed with silicone and buffed to a smooth finish. I personally wouldn,t trade my sprayed in finish for carpet due to the fact that I also run the Missouri river. When you get out on a sandbar to make lunch or whatever you drag alot of sand back in the boat (or should I say the kids do). With carpet you end up sandblasting your face for several minutes when you resume running. Without carpet this only lasts a few seconds. I know a lot of guys that crappie fish and also have carpeted boats. The ones that don't seem to mind the carpet have very dirty carpet. The ones that have clean carpet complain about how hard it is to get slime out of it after a week of baking in on an extended trip. Something a little off topic but relative to you... When I bought my xpress they put cheap bias tires on the trailer. I only got 300 to 400 miles a peice out of both tires and the spare. If they are still doing this you may want to invest in some radials right away. Mine wore away suddenly and all at once, losing well over 3/4 of the tread on the outer and inner portions of each tire on the same trip, the spare on the next trip. More than a little scary when you get home and see your tires are suddenly well past needing replaced.

[Backwaters]

Well I was told that xpress filled there boat with foam and it dampened the noise. The war eagle with vinyl I had I don't think had any but don't know. I can tell you it was not really hotter than carpet at all. I do not know what xpress does but I do not think it is vinyl but spray and paint. Don't know if that is good or bad compared to vinyl.

Xpress does fill between the floor and hull with foam. That same foam will eventually break down and absorb water which creates alot of weight and a chemical reaction with the aluminum that will eventually leave pin holes. The foam is supposed to be closed cell and it is until pressure is applied to it by walking on it, then it breaks the "closed" cell down to absorb water.

War Eagle does have foam in their boats but they allow for an air gap around it and do not clog up the water drainage.

To answer your original question...

Carpet is the best for dampening noise and best in the heat, but is a pain to clean.
Spray in liner is best for clean up and durability, decent dampening noise and for heat.
Vinyl is easy to clean, decent in the heat but lacks the durability of the spray in liner.

[goofy1]

Well. Looks like I am about to order Monday. According to factory it is a spray in liner xpress uses which is like a spray in on your truck. After applying and boat is ready for paint they paint it same color as boat. I have decided to go with the Silver color they offer because I think it would look better being a matching floor then going with an 18 PFC in red or yellow with red or yellow floors. I liked the War Eagle predator that had the vinyl because you could just spray it out and go. This should be great. Has anyone seen or heard of anyone that has gotten an xpress 18 PFC with spray in floor instead of carpet? Factory said would not be slippery when wet only if ice. I cannot wait to get it ordered. I am also putting a power pole so I can fish during spawn when they are shallow and I want to hold boat to fish a spot without having to stay on trolling motor constantly to fish a spot. Do you think that the power pole would be a good option

[BigRiverMarine]

I think I could get Xpress to color the liner a gray color if you wanted a red or yellow boat. I can ask them Monday if you'd like me to. As for carpet, I've had boats with and without, and the main factor for me was the heat. In the summer months the carpet will be 20+ degrees cooler than metal, liner or vinyl. Vinyl wears out faster, and looks bad when it fades and tears. Liner is quiet, but still very hot. Metal is HOT!! I catfish some, and if you let the slime dry, it brushes out. If you get excessive amounts of slime, still let it dry, brush it out, and rinse with a little water. If you stain it, just use a product like your wife uses to remove stains from your clothes. She'll know what to use on a non chemical stain. I've used carpet in my Ranger, and my last two demo's, and that is my preference, and I don't spend a lot of time cleaning it, just general cleaning like any boat. It looks good too, but again, the biggest factor for me is the heat. I just can't stand the heat from the other materials. It's like being in a frying pan when there's no wind, and usually in the summer, the wind is fairly calm.

BTW, the foam in the Xpress won't absorb water. It's a totally different material than the older foam that everybody used to use.

BRM

[89ranger]

Have to try line x because I am at the point of being tired of replacing carpet and good quality. I was thinking about rubber flooring I know this company that give you a life time warranty

[goofy1]

Well I don't know about spray in liner on metal and being hot. I know my vinyl floor in war eagle was not hot at all. Now spray in I don't know. That rubber sounds great. Sure is hard decision. Especially when paying $27000 for an aluminum boat. Carpet I know is nice and my bass boat was easy to keep clean. Only had to vacuum about 4 times a year. But I didn't have minnows in it all the time. Or a bait well I I'm looking to buy for shad to hunt summer stripers and hybrids. Plus I like going to La trout and red fishing once a year. Dang hard decision!! May not be ready Monday. What about a power pole?

[alamancecreek]

I have vinyl on the main floor of my boat with a drain in the middle. Carpet on the front deck and it's pretty easy to keep clean this way. Spray the carpet towards the center of the boat, everything runs out the drain in the middle of the vinyl. The vinyl is not hot but can get a little slick if it gets wet. Also, make sure if you use any soap at all on the floor that you rinse really really really good. Next time it rains on you while your on the lake, you'll have a slip and slide on the vinyl, promise you that.

[BigRiverMarine]

I'm sure with your wife's heart condition, heat is a no no in the warmer months. The vinyl may not get hot, I've never personally used it, but it does get slippery, and could cause a fall. It also wears out, and tears in heavy traffic spots, like where your feet go in front of the seats. I've seen that on several trade ins. Like Feelay said earlier, the vinyl and the liners get a bit slick. I do like the liner better than vinyl, from what I've seen, its tougher.