Your thoughts on this gator step for our boat

[Dirtbag]

We arent doing carpet but are really interested in this gatorstep product. It feels great and would definitely be soft on the feet. We also like how it would break up the white on the floor of the boat. What do you guys think? The crappy part is we just dont know how long it will last and if it starts breaking down how hard is it to replace.

 

[Ziggy]

I went with SeaDek. From my understanding nearly the same material and services......rumor has it, as I said, nearly the same. I can't confirm that though.
FWIW, We really dig our seadek.[emoji106]

 

[Dirtbag]

great to hear Ziggy. It really feels good and looks clean.

How is it holding up so far? Do you make everyone take off their shoes or sandals before getting in boat?

Seems like shoes might screw it up?

 

[Ziggy]

great to hear Ziggy. It really feels good and looks clean.

How is it holding up so far? Do you make everyone take off their shoes or sandals before getting in boat?

Seems like shoes might screw it up?

I have a no shoe policy regardless but I doubt a shoe would hurt it. Dragging something across it would be the biggest threat. I've had our dog on it without issue. She pee'd on it, and all we did was rinse it.
Getting it dirty really hasn't been an issus at all, no stains, super easy to simply wash down if there is anything on it.
Comfy on the feet. It will get hot'ish like carpet but the grey color may be a factor in that, however, if my feet were wet I didn't notice.
IMO, this stuff is as awesome as sliced bread. I doubt I'd ever have carpet on a boat floor again.

 

[Ziggy]

 

[Heylam]

Wow, that looks great!

 

[Dirtbag]

Zigg super thanks for the pics and the opinions......i think we better put our order in....

 

[purrfecttremor]

I'm definitely a fan Ziggy. Even looks awesome!

 

[Ziggy]

Zigg super thanks for the pics and the opinions......i think we better put our order in....

If you're going to havasu anytime soon and want to see/touch it let me know.
See if dates line up.

 

[HAVASUSUN]

About what does it cost to do a deck boat? I would live to switch to this vs carpet in my 26' shadow deck.

 

[Ziggy]

About what does it cost to do a deck boat? I would live to switch to this vs carpet in my 26' shadow deck.

Depends on how many sheets of the material you use and how much customization you do. In my case I used 4 sheets of 2 layer 6mil, a brushed finish and all the teak line millwork...~$1600

 

[Dirtbag]

If you're going to havasu anytime soon and want to see/touch it let me know.
See if dates line up.

Mom and Pops and my little man are heading up in a few hrs. Im stuck at home this weekend daughter has club vball tryouts all weekend.

hoping to head out in the next week or two

 

[Ziggy]

Mom and Pops and my little man are heading up in a few hrs. Im stuck at home this weekend daughter has club vball tryouts all weekend.

hoping to head out in the next week or two

I'll be out there next weekend.
.
Did the daughter Vball stuff too. High school and competitive club

 

[Kailuaboy89]

I have a feeling I will be converting my boat to this in the next year or so, the carpet has just about had it.

 

[jesco]

Nice!!! Did they already have the template? I been wanting to talk to Bob about getting my 22 done with that. After seeing Zigs boat I was sold.

 

[TLAW719]

Nice!!! Did they already have the template? I been wanting to talk to Bob about getting my 22 done with that. After seeing Zigs boat I was sold.

X2. I've been meaning to call Bob and ask if they have templates. I did the full fiberglass inner liner on my 26 and have been thinking about adding this.

Hopefully I'll run into you Ziggy when you're here next and can check yours out.

 

[Ziggy]

In my case they had no template.
For $25 or so they sent me what I needed and templated the entire boat myself. It was a bit tedious but partly because I was trying to be very precise and get as much coverage around hinges, latches and the floor itself. They recommend to just trace the existing non-slip put into the gel itself but I wanted more coverage so much of mine was freehand.

 

[DMF]

How much is Bob charging for this? My feet are hurting after a day of boating let alone several days in a row. I would do it on the inside of the boat, but not on the front or rear swim step. I want to add this to my boat.

 

[Dirtbag]

How much is Bob charging for this? My feet are hurting after a day of boating let alone several days in a row. I would do it on the inside of the boat, but not on the front or rear swim step. I want to add this to my boat.

I do not know what Bob is Charging. I have a quote for the 28 deck straight from gatorstep. Bob is gone for the weekend so going to talk to him about it on monday

I am pretty sure TJ from gatorstep came to Shockwave and has all the templates for shockwave boats. I dont think the quote i received is with install....i sure as heck dont want to install it rather have the pros do it.

 

[Dirtbag]

just to be clear...


my quote is from
www.gatorstep.com

Ziggys is from www.seadeck.com

pretty sure they are exact same materials tho...

 

[Boat Bling]

EVA foam is great stuff and the customization options are endless. The brushed/milled surface is nicer IMO however it tends to get dirty a little faster. Cleaning is easy but I'd still opt for no shoes on boat. Each brand has its advantages and price point.

As with anything in 100* direct sun it gets hot but does not retain heat so if you step on a spot it will be warm but after your foot is there for a second it doesn't keep burning if that makes sense.

There are cheaper options made from PVC I believe which appear similar but are much more rigid and get very HOT. Not worth the savings.

-Zack

 

[DMF]

I want to do have this material installed in my deck boat. Dirtbag, I would do it if it is in the budget on a new build. You can always do it later if you want to try it without first.

 

[Dirtbag]

yeah its outside our budget. we agreed to a price with bob we were comfortable with. now we are talking about upgrading the motor and the gator step and dskafjafja;sdfjn;asdfvasdfasdfjk. The cool thing about the gatorstep is its easy to add in later if we think we should which is probably where we are right now. But then again i gotta see Bob on monday haha

 

[Singleton]

About what does it cost to do a deck boat? I would live to switch to this vs carpet in my 26' shadow deck.

Does you deck have the interliner? My 26 was the last built without it and I think your was sprayed before mine. So once you pull the carpet you would need to do something before this.

 

[Ziggy]

I do not know what Bob is Charging. I have a quote for the 28 deck straight from gatorstep. Bob is gone for the weekend so going to talk to him about it on monday

I am pretty sure TJ from gatorstep came to Shockwave and has all the templates for shockwave boats. I dont think the quote i received is with install....i sure as heck dont want to install it rather have the pros do it.

The install was easier than I expected. Was totally nervous about it but once I put down the first piece it was nothin' to do the rest..., even the complicated ones.

 

[Ziggy]

FYI...I did start a thread when I did the install.

 

[alexJ]

Can't speak on GatorStep because I also have SeaDeck. I pretty much agree with Ziggy (nice install BTW)
Full disclosure: I am a roll bar boat guy (sorry); but it comes standard on all Nautiques now and has since about ~2011... back then they were just using in on the swimstep and high traffic areas for boarding, now it is completely throughout. I've had some issues with it (more on that later)... but am kind of married to it now, and actually plan on adding more, which I think is a good indication.
Overall I like it- it is closed cell foam- so it doesn't stink (literally).. no more swampy carpet smell. I don't think it gets THAT hot... it isn't cool, but I went with the gray, usually with a little water on your feet it is fine, even on hot days (gray carpet in direct sun gets hot too). I think it looks cool. Hosing it off is really easy compared to carpet... although snap in carpet (vs glue) is pretty easy too. it is fairly low maintenance (until you have to replace it)

One reason my opinion might carry some weight is because I've not only applied it but I've also gotten to REMOVE it.

BAD NEWS, it doesn't last forever. Someone asked about shoes and cutting it- I have a no shoes policy too, stuff is durable, I think shoes would be fine (so long as there isnt say a rock stuck in it) but the stuff also isn't that tough. If you wanted to you could prolly pick pieces out of it with some effort and a fingernail. Sharp edges (in my case it has been wakeboard edges- or especially the fins) will ding, dent, or cut into it... might not apply to all you guys but just as an example.
So the REAL bad news, I had to replace my 2012 SeaDek in 2015. I'm not abusive, but I put a lot of hours on my boat and I do (sorry) use it in salt water, boat also spends time in docks overnight uncovered. While those things are significant- I was highly disappointed that SeaDek did not stand behind their product after just 3 seasons. I sent photos of it peeling up in places, and other places on the transom area that had been practically worn through. The built in america company offered no help other than offer to sell me the replacement at full cost. Thankfully Nautiques stood behind their boat and offered to replace the material but not the labor... (apparently they know what a pain it is).

So getting to that, REPLACEMENT... having done it I will say don't wait... If it is going bad (hopefully it will last more than 3 years this time) pull it before it gets really bad. Pieces that were in okay shape were very easy, pulled off in one, little residue, little dirt/sand- easy (kind of). I'm talking here about pieces that were fine but were slightly worn/faded that would have looked bad sitting next to the new (now non-matching replacement pieces). The bad ones are the tough ones. They tear and come off in lots of little pieces, and if they are peeling sand/dirt gets under them into the glue/adhesive. As per the manufacturer if you pull a piece and it is clean you can immediately apply the new piece. Unfortunately if there is any dirt you have to completely remove all the sticky residue in all the tiny little cracks and hard to get to corners- this was the really fun part for me because the manufacturer of my boat designed with SeaDeck in mind made each of the areas recessed- super fun. None of it is hard, its just boring bent over labor. PS SeaDeck has step by step youtube videos... just keep in mind their examples were filmed on on 6 month old boats... not 2012's in 2016.

If they don't already have your company's template, like Ziggy said, they will send you a kit and go through it step by step with you until the design is right. Helped a buddy do one, the kit materials are pretty good, fairly stiff and clear so it stays and you can trace your stuff, not too flimsy. Took a while but my buddy got exactly what he wanted.

Also probably the most important FYI of this post, in years past they offered a discount on black friday/cyber monday (I think it was 20%) if you can hold off for a winter project another month. Thinking i might actually order a template now, and have it ready in case they offer it again this year for one little spot people always seem to step when docking.

Hope this helps anyone considering going for it, if you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Here are some photos of what mine turned into at their worst, plus half way through the replacement for comparison.

 

[Dirtbag]

thanks for the reply. thats really what i wanted to hear! 3 seasons? Hmmmm...not good imo. But i wonder about the salt water and elements you left it in how much of an effect that has or was it just tons of use? Im sure seadeck is being used on many ocean boats........ intersting

 

[Ziggy]

Good info Alex.

 

[alexJ]

Seadeck, gatorstep, and now I'm hearing about aqua marine deck... Already knew about the first 2, wondering if anyone has any experience with Aqua.
https://www.aquamarinedeck.com

Saw online they are running a Christmas sale, but price doesn't matter if their product is junk. Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[altoun40]

I know this is an old post but anyone have the contact number for TJ who used to work for Gatorstep? Wondering ih he still sells and installs?

 

[RiverDave]

I know this is an old post but anyone have the contact number for TJ who used to work for Gatorstep? Wondering ih he still sells and installs?

I answered in the other thread