By now you’ve almost certainly seen foam decking on a boat or two. Since this stuff started becoming popular a decade or so ago, particularly on ski and wakeboard boats, it’s become more and more common on boats of all sorts. We anglers, however, are a wary crew. I’ve now had foam decking on three different boats (two center consoles and a skiff) for extended periods of time, and I get the same skeptical questions over and over again.
Doesn’t it get stained or ripped up and look lousy?
Not really. In general the deck cleans up about as well as nonskid fiberglass and stains are easily removed (with WD-40 of all things, and a rag). After a few seasons you’ll have a divot where a cobia rolled over with its dorsal spines out, and/or a scuff or two where someone dragged something heavy and sharp on the deck. But it’ll still look better than raw fiberglass. Five seasons in there’s enough wear and tear that it doesn’t look like new anymore, but neither will a fiberglass deck.
Doesn’t this stuff come up and leave a mess behind?
Yes and no—deck prep and sizing of the foam pieces is critical, and if you put the foam down yourself, the results can be very different than when done professionally. In my experience DIY foam sticks for three-ish years, then you run around and re-glue sections that start coming up. In five years, it’s really problematic and needs to be redone or you’re fighting a constant battle. A professionally applied decking, however, goes for more like five years before any issues start popping up. In one case (the skiff, which does get less use overall than my center consoles) I have seven years and counting with no signs of it coming loose.
Isn’t it expensive?
Well yes, especially if you have it done professionally. Prices vary quite a bit depending on brand and boat, but for a average 26’ plan on spending 5K or so. IMHO the benefits are more than worth it. My back hurts less at the end of the day, it isn’t painful to kneel on the deck, and anglers create less fish-spooking noise walking around or dropping things.
Is foam decking right for you and your boat? Now, that’s one question I can’t answer… but don’t be too quick to be a skeptic.