It all started with surfers: foam boards gave them a better footing on their boards. But the wave quickly spread to boat building. Thanks tobest anti-slip surface structure and onepleasantly soft tread feel the material is also ideal as a deck covering.
It is a closed-cell, UV-resistant foam made of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, also known as EVA, which can consist of one or two layers of different textures and colours laminated on top of each other. The underside is coated with an acrylic adhesive from 3M with very high adhesive strength.
There are three variantsA five-millimetre-thick single-colour version, a six-millimetre-thick two-colour version - both with a textured surface - and a six-millimetre-thick two-colour version ("faux teak") with a brushed surface to match theThe grain of wood flooring resembles. The latter is the most common form; it is available in three different shades of brown and in grey. Otherwise, 17 colours are available, including four camo versions.
The standardised 1 x 2 m panels are manufactured at Seadek in Rockledge, Florida. The raw material can be customised with any contour.Patterns, graphic elements or labelling as well as laser engraving are possible in any form. This is particularly effective with two-coloured goods, but is also possible with single-coloured panels.
Until now, the end products were manufactured exclusively in the USA. In the meantime, Aktivboot GmbH ( www.seadek.de ) in Wiesbaden not only theSales for Germany and Europe but also theProduction of the moulded parts is now taking place here. The basis is the disc material from the USA.
In principle, the coverings can be manufactured and installed for any boat.laid by the customer himselfcan be used. Anything is possible as long as the disc size is not exceeded.
The contours are already available for many boats. If not, the customer must create the moulds themselves, as everyone can determine them individually for their boat.
The owner - or, if desired, the saddler of choice or a dealer - receives aTransparent stencil film sent to him. The customer can thendesired shapes record, also adopt existing structuring in the deck and, if necessary, make notes on theDesired course directionthe brushed surface and the connections.
A small oversize must be specified for existing structures, as the adhesive holds better on smooth surfaces than on structured ones. You will also need a deck plan on which the parts are numbered. A few suppliedPhotos are also helpful.
These recordings are sent back to Aktivboot. The contours are scanned, smoothed and then plotted again on a template film. This is then sent to the customer again so that it can be placed back on his deck and eachFinal check of the contour.Errors are thus excluded. Corrections can still be made in the event of inaccuracies.
Once approval has been given, it goes straight to production, where the moulded parts are manufactured. The finished set is then sent to the customer so that they can assemble everything themselves.
Some retailers or manufacturers, for exampleSea Ray, Aqualine, Hellwig and Viper also work directly with Aktivboot on new boats. The Seadek kits for these boats can be ordered ready-made from the shipyards or dealers and installed there. The prices depend on the amount of work and material required.
This always requires a customised offernecessary. For example, the cockpit of a Regal 2250 costs 1300 euros. A bathing platform for this boat costs 650 euros and a walkthrough 325 euros.
This article is from BOOTE 10/2017.
