FRP for Boat Flooring

[fish4thriLLs]

Well, after almost a year of looking for cheap, suitable aluminum sheeting for flooring with no luck, I finally decided to use the material I was thinking about using since the beginning: FRP panel. That's "fiberglass reinforced plastic" panel. It's availabe at Lowes and Home Depot as well for around $30 for a 4'X8' sheet and it's .090" thick. https://www.homedepot.com/buy/lumber-composites/paneling/stabilit/090-in-frp-wall-panel-4-ft-x-8-ft-white-53655.html

And, best of all, my brother-in-law had a few sheets of it he didn't need so he gave it to me. Plus, he also had some 1.5" thick Foamular insulation to throw in as well. I would use the Foamular to fit in between the ribs on the bottom of my boat. I will mention here that I keep my boat in an enclosed environment, out of the weather.

So far, I've had the boat out once since adding the floor and it worked wonderful. Much more comfortable than trying to walk in the boat and tripping over the ribs in the bottom. Caught fish on the outing and got the floor quite wet from the fishing but I didn't notice any problem from slipping while walking in the boat. If I do experience slipping and sliding, I intend to use some abrasive 3M tape placed randomly on the floor. Or, if the flooring holds up well, I might place some marine carpeting on top that a friend gave me too!

If the flooring doesn't hold up, I intend to keep trying to find some aluminum sheeting and that will be that. But for now, I'm holding out hope that the FRP will do fine. For now, it seems to me that it will work for quite some time.

 

[sixgun86]

I've picked up this sheeting several times when at HD/Lowes and always wondered about how it would hold up though I was always concerned about how it might become slippery when wet. Be sure you keep an eye on your foam to make sure it won't become water logged.

 

[jigngrub]

Does it make cracking and crunching sounds when you walk on it?

How did you fasten it down?

 

[fish4thriLLs]

Does it make cracking and crunching sounds when you walk on it?

How did you fasten it down?

No cracking nor crunching sounds at all.

I didn't fasten it down. I've got it fitting pretty tight where I cut out the notches for the ribs. Plus, I've always got something on top of it while underway and trailering. If I need to, I will use a rivet or two to secure it to the ribs underneath.

 

[fish4thriLLs]

Just wanted to let everyone know that my FRP flooring material is still holding up very well. I have since installed brackets to hold it down. I'm liking it!

 

[You Know]

I was actually looking at this stuff at lowes, according to there website a 4x8 sheet only weighs 19 lbs. very glad to see its holding up. Now I'm def gonna use it in my boat. Gonna paint mine with a product called Deck Restore that is like truck bed liner for wooden decks that can be tinted in diff colors. It's pretty thick stuff so it should hold up on the paneling and maybe even make it stiffer.

 

[user 7806]

Interesting, I would be curious as to how it holds up, looks really nice. What about UV is it made to be outside?

 

[russ010]

I'm interested in how it would hold up outside as well... specs say it's for interior use only.... good idea though

 

[bluegillfisher]

Good to know it is holding up. I've same boat and was thinking about using the panels for side panels. For UV protection, I would paint it with rattle can paint made for plastic. I was thinking about riveting it on but lowes has fasteners for it that look like they would work better.

 

[fish4thriLLs]

Interesting, I would be curious as to how it holds up, looks really nice. What about UV is it made to be outside?

No, it isn't made for outside use. But I keep my boat inside, totally enclosed so it doesn't see much weather except for my short trips to the lake.

 

[fish4thriLLs]

Just an update for those interested: My FRP flooring is still holding up great after a year of use. I'm really glad I used this instead of wood.