Fatigue reducing floor

[vince]

Has anybody got any ideas of how to put in a fatigue reducing floor? We like the idea for our boat after GL had a lift on Gellis` CZ7, and he said the bouncy floor was fab!
What kind of flooring would fit the bill? I suppose it doesnt have to cover the whole floor, just the small strip down the sides of the jockey? Think its worthwhile cos it could save my over-ski`d knees a bit!
Any ideas?

[GuyP]

Take a look at the Boston Whaler website. They provide the option of an 'air deck' on their larger Outrage models and have some good diagrams of how this works. It's basically a void below the deck, with a sprung / dampened deck above.

[vince]

Thanks Guy, I have seen that on some of their boats before. My idea was something more simple, perhaps a covering to put on the exsisting deck?

[Stoo]

I found some cushioning rubber tiles... 12" square... that do a great job. Initially, I wanted to use them to protect the deck from dive tanks etc., but found that they really make standing in rough seas a lot easier. They also have a lot more grip in the wet.

The only complaint I have is that they have a tendancy to slide aft, so get a good heavy weight of mat or tile. Also, I ended up tieing them together with zip-ties because the mechanism they use to lock together wasn't adequete for the pounding they get in a RIB.

This: http://www.usmatandrubber.com/sport.htm is the sort of idea, but mine is an open grid style which allows the water to drain through, and also allows me to use the zip-ties... I suspect if you check with your local chandler, they should have access to something suitable.

[vince]

Nice one Stoo, they look about right. Might have a look at some gym room tiles or similar, as they would only need to fit down each side of the jockeys.

[codprawn]

I have just had a great idea - why not have something made of the same material that you can carry around with you so you have your own personal protection? Just thought of a great name for them - "trainers"!!!

[jwalker]

[vince]

Or maybe if I bought a nice dry boat like the one you`ve got Codders, I could wear my sheepskin slippers!
Unfortunately, my ankles need a bit of support from boots these days, hence the floor idea!

[Stoo]

Originally Posted by vince

Might have a look at some gym room tiles or similar, as they would only need to fit down each side of the jockeys.

Vince, the only thing you might find is that the tiles would not stay in place. If you don't want to cover the entire deck, you might also look at industrial fatigue mats. We have a number of them in our plant that are about 5/8" thick rubber. You might have better luck fastening these down somehow. My deck has a number of threaded inserts in various places for stirrups etc., and you might be able to have something like that installed in the deck and then bolt the mat to the deck.. countersinking the bolt head...

[Ezgoing]

why not just buy a sheet of Skydex??

http://www.zodiaccz7.com/

see Shock mitigation

rgds