In our second year of business at River Custom Canvas LLC, we were looking for an add-on product to offer customers and recognized a demand for marine flooring. We met with vendors at the Miami International Boat Show and Marine Fabricators Association (MFA) events and quickly realized we were not large enough to take on a SeaDek or similar EVA foam-flooring franchise. 

We found Corinthian Marine (corinthianmarine.com) and Infinity Luxury Woven Vinyl (infinitylwv.com)
and registered as dealers, with no franchise fees or capital equipment necessary. After many installations, we’ve determined that Infinity is great for glue-down applications like on the deck of a pontoon boat, but Corinthian is the leader in high-quality snap-in mats.

As a Corinthian dealer, we offer both traditional carpeting and a woven boat flooring product called AquaWeave^™, which is found on many newer boats and is a popular option with our customers.

Establish materials choice

The first step is to have the customer choose a selection from our in-stock samples. Carpeting comes off a 12-foot-wide roll, and AquaWeave comes off a roll that is 8 feet, 5 inches wide. So when doing an estimate, you need to determine how many square feet you need to purchase off the roll to make the carpet mats. This is typically done by either laying out the old carpets on the floor in bow-to-stern orientation or measuring the floor of the boat directly.

Lay out the mats so you don’t exceed the width of the product used while ensuring all pieces are oriented the same way. If the customer chooses a solid color with no pattern, you can puzzle-piece to save on material—but this is a rare occurrence.

Create the patterns

Once the selection is made, write up the order and include the flat-rate shipping and sales tax. Because it’s a special order, we always collect the full payment. 

Now it’s time to make the patterns. If the customer brought in the old carpet mats, we use them only to rough-cut our template material. We never trace old carpets as a final template; the pieces will have shifted and shrunk over time, so the final product won’t have the perfect fit.

Patterning process at the boat

Wipe down the deck of the boat so it’s clean and dry. Install pattern tape around the perimeter of the boat to hold the plastic in place. Next, stick down the pattern material so it’s flat from side to side, trimming with relief cuts around the curves. Most pieces are not square, so having a precut pattern plastic made from oversized cuts of the old rugs will speed things up. Most projects consist of three to five individual carpet mats, so you can do one section at a time.

Once the pattern plastic is in place, draw the outside edges with a marker. I usually do straight lines meeting at the corners and draw the curve in final prep. I also use very tight tolerances of 3/8 inch between pieces and around the edges. It’s important to mark everything—including existing studs, table and chair base mounts, hatch latches, etc. Always mark “Top” and “Bow” with an arrow pointing toward the bow on each piece. I also number the pieces: 1/5, 2/5, etc. If you are patterning multiple jobs in one day, add the customer’s name to the pattern pieces before removing them from the boat or at the shop during final prep.

If the customer chooses one of the “teak” patterns, you need to add connecting lines so the lines on the finished product match. Main pieces can be marked “Main Teak Line” and other pieces, such as a kick pad at the helm, can be labeled with a secondary match line. I add match marks to adjoining pieces so there’s no confusion.

Final pattern prep

Working with one pattern at a time, carefully round 90-degree corners using a 1-inch eye end and completely cut out the patterns. For table bases, there are three options: 

1. An inside bind if the hole is at least 4 inches, 
2. A 4-inch carpet ring or
3. A magnifying glass style cutout.

I try to avoid using rubber carpet rings, especially on AquaWeave, as they are currently only available in black. If you choose to use one, mark the 3- and 1/2-inch center carefully, as this will be marked on the back of the finished product, and you need to cut it out with a razor knife prior to installation. 

If you’re doing the magnifying style cutout, mark the slit with dashes, but don’t cut the line to keep it flat. Once all patterns are trimmed, label each with your business name, phone number, customer name and the carpet name and style number.

Fabrication options

There are two options for fabrication: Purchase bulk flooring and cut and bind in-house, or send in the patterns and let Corinthian cut and bind and return them for installation. We have done both and found that binding in our shop was not for us. This allows us to stay busy with canvas work while waiting for the mats to be returned, which is usually three to four weeks from the date we send them out.

Final installation

The flooring pieces come on a tight roll, so it’s best to open the package and let them rest overnight or lay out in the sun for a short while before installation. Position the pieces on the boat and starting on one corner, place a quick-fit on a stud and press through the mat. Carefully lift off the quick-fit with the removal tool. 

As you remove the pin from the mat, mark the hole with a permanent marker. Carefully install the DOT snap fastener on the mark and press it in place. Repeat for each stud, adding additional studs if necessary.

David and Barbara Huntington own River Custom Canvas LLC in Clayton, N.Y. They have been in business since 2014. River Custom Canvas was recognized by Corinthian for the best install in the company’s annual photo contest in 2023.

---

SIDEBAR: Checklist

Patterning tools list

The tools needed to make the patterns include:

• Patterning plastic
• Sharp scissors
• Black permanent markers
• 3/4-inch double-sided tape
• 12-inch, 18-inch and 48-inch rulers
• Clear packing tape to join pattern material
• A few clean rags to clean the floor if it’s wet or dirty

Installation tools list

Basic tools for installation include:

• Quick-fits and removal tool
• Black permanent markers
• Press-N-Snap tool with standard caps and sockets
• Drill with a 1/8-inch bit and a countersink bit if adding studs in the deck