The operation of a low-pressure inflatable watercraft (LBBB) is always a trade-off between comfort and functionality. The smooth surface of the cylinders and the bottom itself provides excellent hydrodynamics, but it poses significant problems with the stability of the angler or tourist while driving. boat-mat It becomes not just an accessory, but a critical element of equipment that ensures safety and convenience.
Many owners face a dilemma: buy a ready-made solution or make the coating themselves. The market offers a variety of options, from budget linoleum to high-tech materials. EVAThe right choice directly affects how comfortable you will be standing for hours waiting for a cool peck or dragging a boat on a rocky shore.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all the nuances associated with flooring for inflatable boats, you will learn about the advantages of various materials, get step-by-step installation instructions and learn secrets that will help to extend the life of your boat. Only the correct installation of the mat guarantees the absence of swelling and detachment at temperature changes.
Why do you need a rug in a boat with NDND
At first glance, PVC's slippery surface may seem like a trifle to come to terms with, but we've shown that not having a good coating makes fishing or cruising a test of the vestibular apparatus, and that at the slightest wave or sudden movement, it's almost impossible to balance a smooth plastic, especially if you have shoes with hard soles on your feet.
Besides the anti-slip function, boat-mat The water in the water is often cold, and direct contact with the cool bottom of the NDND quickly freezes the heat from the body. EVAIt creates an air cushion that keeps the feet warm, and this is especially true in early spring and late autumn, when the count is minutes.
Protecting the bottom of the boat, too, with heels of shoes, sand, small pebbles and fishing gear (jig heads, hooks) can damage the PVC's strong but vulnerable fabric. The mat takes the full mechanical blow, prolonging the life of an expensive product. Replacing a damaged mat will cost many times cheaper than repairing the bottom of the boat.
- 🛡️ Safety: eliminates the risk of falling overboard or getting injured inside the cockpit when pitching.
- 🌡️ Thermal insulation: retains the warmth of the feet, preventing hypothermia from contact with cold water and air.
- 🔧 Defense: protects the PVC fabric from abrasion, punctures and aggressive effects of fishing gear.
So having a good flooring is not just a matter of comfort, it's also a matter of water safety, and ignoring this aspect can lead to a bad situation where the boat becomes an unstable platform.
⚠️ Attention: Using a too thick or heavy mat can shift the center of gravity of the boat and impair its driving performance. Always consider the weight of the coating when calculating the carrying capacity.
Materials review: from linoleum to EVA foam
So material selection is the first and most important step, and there are several major coating types that we have today, each with its own proponents and opponents, and let's look at them objectively, based on specifications and experience.
The most common and budget option is the usual one. linoleum. Many people use the residues from apartment renovations to cut cockpit-sized pieces. It's cheap, easy to wash, and strong enough. But linoleum has serious disadvantages: it sank and cracks in the cold, and it can smell and slide even harder in the sun if water hits it. It's often covered with carpets or special anti-slip tapes to improve grip.
A more advanced solution is based on materials EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate)It's the same material that makes sneakers and yoga mats, and it's lightweight, it doesn't absorb water, it has great thermal insulation properties, and it's nice to touch. EVA-mats They are often produced as modular puzzle tiles, which allow you to assemble the coating of any configuration, they do not rot or are not exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
The third option is specialty rubber or polyurethane embossed mats designed specifically for the marine industry, which have the best grip even in the wet state, but cost much more than their counterparts, which are often used on boats, but also find use in top-end PVC boats.
Secrets of EVA material
EVA foam is a closed-mesh material, which means that even if you hook it, the water will not soak up deep, but will remain on the surface. Unlike carpet, which works like a sponge, EVA will dry in minutes and will not smell damp when stored.
Surface preparation and necessary tools
Before you start mounting, you have to prepare the surface of the boat carefully, and the quality of the preparation depends on 90% of the success of the whole operation, and if you plan to stick the mats, ignoring this stage will lead to the fact that after the season the coating will begin to bubble away.
You'll need a set of tools and materials to work with, and you won't need to skimp on glue, because it's going to keep the structure in extreme conditions, water, sun, frost and mechanical stress, and you'll need regular stationery glue or a "moment" for shoes, but you need specialized chemistry.
The degreasing process is key. There are always microparticles of dust on the surface of PVC, fat spots from the hands and residues of factory lubrication. Even if the boat is visually clean, the use of degreasing is mandatory. It is best to use special PVC formulations or regular acetone (with caution not to damage the paint of the logos).
- 🧴 Degreasing: acetone, white spirit or a specialized PVC cleaner.
- 🖌️ Brush or roller: for uniform application of glue.
- ✂️ Scissors or construction knife: for precise fitting of the shape of the mat.
- 📏 Roulette and marker: for marking and taking measurements.
It is also important to choose the right place to work, which should be dry, warm (optimally +20...+25°C) and well ventilated, and drafts or dust on the adhesive layer should not be allowed.
☑️ Ready for gluing
Technology of gluing the mat: step-by-step instructions
The installation process depends on the material chosen, but the general technology for PVC adhesives with PVC or PVC with rubber remains similar, most commonly using two-component polyurethane adhesives, which, once dried, form an elastic and durable compound.
You need to make a precise pattern first. Take a thick paper or old wallpaper, put it on the bottom of the boat and circle the outline. Remember to cut holes under the drain valves and transom plates if they interfere. This pattern cuts out the main material of the mat. It is recommended to make a 1-2 cm inlet, which can then be carefully trimmed after fitting.
Applying the glue requires care, and the glue is applied in a thin, uniform layer to both the bottom of the boat and the back of the mat, and you have to wait a certain amount of time after applying it (usually 15 to 30 minutes, see the instructions on the glue jar) for the solvent to evaporate and the glue to go into a sticky state. The surface has to stop sticking to the fingers, but it has to remain sticky.
The most critical thing is to connect the surfaces, and you can put the mat on the mounting site, and you can't move it after you've applied it, and you can immediately roll the junction with a hard roller from the center to the edges to get the air bubbles out and make the most contact. Pay attention to the edges.
| Work phase | Implementation time | Temperature conditions | Important nuances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degreasing | 10-15 minutes | +15...+30°C | Change the rags often, do not smear the dirt |
| Applying glue | 5-10 minutes | +18...+25°C | The layer should be thin and uniform. |
| Drying (open exposure) | 15-40 minutes | Depends on glue. | Avoid dust from entering the layer |
| Sticking and rolling | 5-10 minutes | Not less than 15°C | Use roller, pressure 1-2 kg / cm2 |
| Polymerization | 24-72 hours | Room room | Do not load or wet until completely dry. |
The complete polymerization of the adhesive takes 24 to 72 hours, and during this period, it is better not to inflate the boat to maximum pressure and certainly not to launch it into the water, and if the drying technology is broken, the adhesive will not gain its maximum strength.
⚠️ Attention: Polyurethane adhesives are often sensitive to humidity. If you're gluing a rug in your garage in spring or fall when it's damp outside, turn on the heater or dehumidifier. Humidity should not exceed 70%.
Alternative options: removable solutions and modules
Not everyone is willing to stick the coating on their boat forever, and there are fishermen who prefer removable options, which allows you to remove the mat, wash it, dry the boat or change the coating at any time.
A popular solution is puzzle-mat They just lay down and they're held by their own weight and friction, and so they don't drive, you can use double-sided PVC tape that sticks only around the perimeter or at a few points, and it doesn't make a monolithic connection, but it locks the mat quite reliably.
Another option is to use plywood sheets glued with carpet or linoleum, which are inserted into the boat as a hard floor (above or instead of the inflatable floor, if the design allows), which adds to the rigidity of the entire structure, the boat becomes more "ringing" and faster, but adds weight.
If you use removable mats, be sure to fix them at least in 4 points in the corners. otherwise during active fishing or storm winds, the mat can crumple at your feet, creating a dangerous situation.
Removable options are good for their versatility, but inferior to glued in aesthetics and reliability of fixation. glue does not let the mat go anywhere, even if you hook it with a shoe toe.
Coverage care and winter storage
The proper maintenance of the mat will prolong its life and preserve the neat appearance of the boat. The main enemy of any floor covering is dirt and moisture preserved in rolled form. After each fishing, you must thoroughly wash the mat with fresh water, removing sand, silt and fish slime.
Drying is a mandatory procedure. Even if the material is declared waterproof (like EVA), condensate can remain under the rug at the bottom of the boat. Before packing the boat into a bag, make sure everything is completely dry. The humid environment is the perfect place for mold to develop, which destroys PVC fabric and glue seams.
Winter storage requires a special approach. A boat with a glued mat is best kept in a straightened, half-flattened state in a warm room. If this is not possible, and the boat is kept rolled up, try not to overflex it in places where the edges of the mat pass. Sharp clamps in the cold can lead to microcracks in the coating material or detachment of the edges.
- 🧼 Cleanup: Use soft brushes and neutral detergents. Aggressive chemistry can erode the structure of EVA or linoleum.
- ☀️ UV protection: For prolonged storage in the sun, cover the boat with an awning to prevent fading and aging of the mat material.
- ❄️ Frost: Don't turn the frozen boat around abruptly. Let it warm up at room temperature for a few hours before the layout.
Regular inspection of the condition of the edges of the sticker will help to notice the incipient detachment and glue the site in time, without waiting for the problem to become large-scale.
⚠️ Attention: Never use open flames or powerful building hair dryers to dry the mat inside the boat. High temperatures can warp PVC tubes or damage the adhesive seams of the boat itself.
The main secret of the durability of the mat is the quality of surface preparation before gluing and the complete drying of the boat before packaging for storage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I put a rug on an already inflated boat?
Theoretically, it's possible, but it's not recommended that you glue the surfaces to the right level, and you have to be fixed and pressed tightly together, and on an inflated boat, it's hard to keep the pressure even across the area, especially in the corners, and you'd better glue it on a slightly deflated but straightened boat, and then pump it out after the glue has dryed out.
What is better to cut EVA foam so that the edges are even?
For EVA foams, it's best to use a well-sharpened construction knife with interchangeable blades or special scissors for dense materials. A dull knife will not cut, but tear the material, leaving shaggy edges. You can also use a heated nichrome cutter that melts the foam, sealing the edges.
How to remove the smell of glue after installation?
The smell of polyurethane glue usually wears out in 2-3 days in the fresh air. You can speed up the process by leaving the boat in a well-ventilated room (but not in the direct sun). Using folk remedies like vinegar or coffee can mask the smell, but it will not remove its source, so it is better to just give the chemistry time to weather out naturally.
Will the adhesive fabric damage the PVC boat when removing the mat in the future?
The high-quality polyurethane adhesive for PVC is designed to avoid breaking the material structure. With careful heating (dryer) and slow peeling, the mat can be removed without damaging the fabric. However, traces of the adhesive will still remain and will have to be removed with special solvents or mechanically, which can slightly change the color of the fabric at the sticker site.
What thickness should a perfect mat be?
The optimal thickness is from 3 to 5 mm. thinner mat (1-2 mm) will not give the desired thermal insulation effect and can quickly wipe. Too thick (more than 8-10 mm) will take up useful space in the cockpit, will make it difficult to install cans (seats) and add extra weight. Golden mean - 4 mm.