Written for a different group, but thought it might be interesting to some.
Hi all,
A while back, perhaps a long while back, there was a discussion on cockpit floor choices. Clearly the most elegant and “proper” are the varnished teak checkerboard-style types. I mentioned that I have used a rubber type mat with slits, but when asked for info about it, I could not help as I had gotten it in the Med.
These “kitchen mats” popped up on my computer and come pretty close: https://www.americanfloormats.com/sanitop-kitchen-mats/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl6qc5I7K_wIVkghxCh01UAbcEAEYASADEgIlC_D_BwE.
The benefit of having a floor covering at all is that there frequently seems to be water on the floor and even a few drops gets dirt spread around when feet step on it. Also, schmutz gets caught in the pad and is then less likely to migrate to the scupper strainers and interfere with rapid drainage. They also might give just the added height necessary to see over the dodger for those crew who are a little altitude challenged.
The advantages over teak, from my perspective, is that raw teak (varnishing- and keeping varnished- checkerboard teak with its many joints is very challenging) soaks up moisture, takes a while to dry, and is a “dirt magnet” so wet/damp shoes track dirt around the boat. The rubber matting drains and dries quickly and matting is easy to fit (scissors) and easy to remove for cleaning both the matt and the floor.
Ensure that the mat has “channels” in the bottom that allows little amounts of water to get to the scuppers (large amounts will just flow over the whole mat easily). Also, for those crews which often sail barefoot, the surface of the mat should be tested for comfort.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy