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Family of squirrel's in the ballast tank?

Ixneigh wrote: ↑Tue Sep 09, 2025 2:55 pm My dogs tear the carpet up. They scratch it, push it around, etc. I even thought outdoor tile. Extra ballast too.

They are just dogs. They do dog things. They don’t chew ropes or lines, or eat the boat, so I consider myself lucky in that regard. They do shed a lot which is another strike against carpet.
Someone suggested Tread Master brand deck nonskid material. This was popular in the 80’s and 90’s but it’s still sold. I saw some at West Marine. It’s very rugged looking, and would probably hold up to dogs. They only had smaller sections though but I’m going to search online to see if I can find a better source.
Anyone used that before?

Ix

Definition of our puppy: Furry floor fluffier; as in “The characteristic of having to attempt to ‘vigorously fluff’ any surface before lying down”

kurz wrote: ↑Tue Sep 09, 2025 1:49 am


Here's my carpet situation: Since I never use the cushions on the bench—they're always in the way—I covered the benches with this sturdy carpet, just like the floor. I like it better this way because the covers are no longer an ugly white.

Hi Kurz

That's a good idea for those little used side benches - who wants to sit and look at the head ?1? The cushions are very much in the way of easy storage compartment access. Did you glue the carpet all down? Presumably the hatches still accessible? I am assuming so but I can't see any seams in the carpet in the pics you posted.

Duncan

Yes the hatches are still accessable.
Maybe the photo was taken before I cut for the hatches.

I used Tape that you ise for normal carpet work. There is nö glue at all.
Of one Day I want the carpet away the tape could be removed with some effort.

So fare perfect for me.

Aah, thought as much. Carpet tape is a good idea - I've had success with products like Goo Gone to dissolve and remove adhesive residues from all sorts of tape - including Gorilla tape - with that stuff.

i ordered the foam for my cabin floor, just generic dark grey textured foam, self adhesive supposedly. Its boring. I liked the teak-y looking color, but was concerned that the grooves in its simulated plank finish would trap dirt. I built up the sole itself with 4 passes of biaxial glass. Its nice and solid now. A tedious detail of this project is the dirt gutter on all sides, finished in blue. This feature should collect the dust, doghair etc and make it easy to vacuum up. Creating this was much more difficult than just bringing the edges to the full dimensions of the floor area. I'm going to treat the forward floor the same but it does not need the glass overlay. The edges will just be done in blue so they match. That floor doesnt collect as much dirt, as it seems to get kicked back into the lower floor. A person might wonder why I'd bother to engineer an experimental passive dirt collecting system. The answer is, (I think) i spend long periods of time at anchor and the wind eddies bring the dirt from the cockpit into the cabin constantly. On my 23 ft keelboat i had a wood sole with a grate in the middle of it. All the sand accumulated in the space underneath, and could be cleaned out once a week.
this has been a project on my list since i tossed out the OEM carpet a few months after i got the boat. Its not perfect snd its not the ideal which would have been to remove the sole with a cutting wheel and glass over the ballast tank until
solid enough to walk on. that would have gained a few extra inches if headroom which is high on my priorities list.