One of the projects I’d planned for this year was a deep clean, polish, and wax of the hull and deck. But it’s August and as much as I like the idea of a clean shiny boat it just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Not in time for this boating season anyway.

So in the interim, one thing I did to brighten and protect the deck was to add a set of deck mats. The ones i bought are called Dri-Dek and they’re manufactured in Florida by a company of the same name.  They come as 12″ x 12″ interlocking panels that you assemble to fit the space you want to cover. West Marine will happily charge you six plus dollars apiece for them but you can get them direct from the manufacturer for a little over four. I found other places to buy them online as well, e few with pricing even cheaper than the manufacturer although with fewer available colors.

They’re well worth it…rugged, well made, and easy to assemble. In addition to sprucing up and protecting the deck, they also provide a no-slip surface and, as their name implies, will help keep your feet dry from water on the deck. The only caveat is that in bare feet they’re not the most comfortable surface in the world to stand on. So if you spend a lot  of time in your boat in stocking feet you may want to consider other options. Aside from that, I’m very pleased.

They come in about a dozen colors including white, grey, blue, black, green, red, etc. I opted for white because part of what I wanted was to brighten up the cockpit. I was a little concerned that the white might stain easily but that hasn’t been the case.

 

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