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deck coverings and temperatures

Dan S

Dan S

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Minnesota but boat in NW Wisc.
Does anyone out there have any definitive info regarding just how hot vinyl vs Seagrass vs Aquateak vs carpet is. This has nothing to do with how they look, just how uncomfortable they may be on bare feet. I have a deadline of Monday/Feb 16 to decide between Seagrass and Aquateak in nutmeg or my order will get pushed back. I like the looks of both but perhaps Aquateak a bit more. Anyway, thanks for the help.

Dan
 
I had the plain tan vinyl in the aft section of my first Bennington. It was definitely hotter than the seagrass. I love seagrass so much that somedays I am seriously tempted to tear my boat apart just so I can replace all of the carpet with it. 
 
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Never had an issue with my aquateak. But, I'm also not in a state with blistering hot sun like AZ or TX.
 
Another vote for sea grass. Some say it gets 'warm' in the sun. Everything gets warm in the sun; that is the nature of the sun. So... Sea grass. My son spilled his bloody mary one Sunday morning. It hosed off and wiped up like it was never there. Perfect. Highly recommend.
 
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I can only comment on seagrass and carpet. I have seagrass and it is great. It can get warm, but not uncomfortable. I never put carpet on my previous boat because it gets so hot that it was very uncomfortable. Friends had carpet on their boats and it was so hot that we would throw water on it. Sure was glad I experienced how hot it got before I ordered a carpet kit for the conquest. Then again, it gets just a bit warm here.

Cheers, Steve
 
thanks for the quick responses. I'm really interested in the relative difference between Aquateak and Seagrass. Supposedly because the Aquateak is a pure vinyl product with a coating on it, it's supposed to get quite warm to hot compared to the other products specifically the Seagrass. I get different opinions from different dealers I've spoken with.

thanks,

Dan
 
I have the Sand carpet .No problem with it getting hot .

I also coat it with 303 Fabric Guard .
 
You could always add snap in carpet if you're concerned about heat. As for me we have been staying cold during the summers so I welcome a product that helps the wife feel warmer. The seagrass is a cheaper option but I really like the look of the nutmeg. It all comes down to personal choice. I don't think you can go wrong wither way.
 
Probably depends where you live. We liked the look and low maintenance of the seagrass but we are in the Midwest (by St. Louis) and it can get hot in the summer so were concerned about the heat too. But I've heard of hot carpet, hot vinyl, hot teak, etc... Of course, those in AZ would laugh when we say 'hot' in STL but it's all relative, right :rolleyes:

Another option to possibly consider... We just got our build date on our new RCWCP which we ordered with the new Designer Vinyl, full floor (it's kind of a cross between the seagrass and the standard Tuff-ply vinyl - lighter color than seagrass so should hopefully be cooler to the feet). Very little price difference from full standard tan vinyl and much cheaper than full seagrass or teak. It's a brand new option so not sure how it will work out but hopefully all will be good. This is only shown on S and G series on the boat builder and in the brochure but we pushed for this as part of the deal and in the end, they seemed happy to do this for us as the Bennington dealers and reps seem to really like this new option too. Your dealer should have samples and we road-tripped up to the Chicago boat show to see an entire boat with it in person. We did snap-out herringbone platinum carpet too to give us options.

Just mentioning for consideration, not specifically a recommendation.
 
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When we ordered Seagrass Linen the dealer recommended that over the other Seagrass colors, because some of their customers did say the other colors did get hot. I agree with others here though, in the sense that anything baking in the sun will get hot, so I believe color is the most important factor. I can't hardly walk on my treated deck at home when the sun is on it because it is stained a deep brown color.

Just think of vacationing on black sand vs. white...

Just my thoughts,,,

Kevin
 
While at the Bennington open house a couple years ago, one of the reps quoted their detailed testing of each of the materials. Unfortunately I didn't commit it to memory but it convinced me to go with Seagrass and I don't regret it one bit. I'm sure someone at Bennington could find the data for you, though I'm not sure where you'd start.
 
Thanks everyone.  We went with the Aquateak in nutmeg.
 
We spent last weekend down at Table Rock Lake near Branson, MO and it was the first time we had our boat out for an extended period (3 days straight) in warm temps - at least warm enough to determine if and how hot our Designer Vinyl floor would get. The temp was mid 90s and I must say that in the full sun it did get somewhat hot to the feet. Definitely hotter than our snap-out Herringbone Platinum carpet was but nothing that a splash of water on the vinyl wouldn't instantly resolve. That finding seems to line up with those that indicated that even the standard tan Heavy Duty vinyl would also get hot so this didn't come as too much of a surprise to us.

Based on my previous finding on a demo boat that the Platinum Seagrass was pretty warm even at the lower to mid 80s and that since the Designer Vinyl is a little lighter in color, I'm thinking that the Designer Vinyl may be slightly cooler up to a certain temperature, at which point, all flooring will be hot to the feet. Also noting that our snap-out carpet, while warm, was definitely cooler than our vinyl. Unfortunately, I can't compare the Platinum Seagrass to the Designer Vinyl side by side so take that comparison as just an assumption from what I had noted from the past. If someone has the ability to compare side-by-side to determine if one is actually cooler than the other in hotter temps, please respond. Otherwise, keep in mind that there doesn't appear to be any flooring that they offer that will still be totally cool in the higher temps and therefore, don't use that completely as your basis for selection. Use what you think looks the best with your color scheme and such.

I will say that we still love the looks of our Designer Vinyl with our color scheme - Platinum Herringbone Snap-Out Carpet, Sandstone Pillow-top Vinyl with Graphite inserts (no diamond stitch) and it doesn't show dirt nearly as much as the standard Heavy Duty Vinyl would have so we're very happy with our choice. Pretty sure the Platinum Seagrass would have looked good as well as I have seen a lot of boats and pictures that looked awesome too.

Just a follow-up for those who were still wondering and needing additional feedback and observations to make some choices on flooring...
 
 

We debated deck material quite a while when we ordered our boat... We went with the linen seagrass and love it... The light color was a concern to us, but it cleans up so easily, just get the wash hose out and it cleans up instantly. The temps on the deck are really comfortable, just slightly warm in the sun and soft on the feet... We went with the faux teak on the aft deck and love that too... The amazing thing about that is that it actually looks like wet wood when it gets wet!





 
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