Choosing the Right Marine Carpet for your Pontoon Boat

One of the great things about pontoon boats is that they are designed to hold lots of people comfortably for long days on the water. Pontoons are used for all sorts of enjoyment from water sports to just hanging out. Boat builders have worked over the years to not only improve the performance of pontoons but to enhance their interiors to include all of the comforts of home. The floor is no exception.  Just like your home, you would want the floor of your pontoon to have that luxurious feel under bare feet that carpet provides. However, unlike your home, the carpet on the floor of your boat gets much more concentrated wear and tear and will need to be replaced more frequently.

There are a few questions you will need to answer before selecting the right marine replacement carpet for your pontoon boat:

  • Is there carpet currently on the floor?
  • Did you like it when it was new?
  • Was the color and / or style exactly what you want?
  • Or, do you want a new look?
  • Is the carpet adhered to the floor or is it removable?
  • What is the width and length of the area you will cover?

Once you have answers to the above, the process of selecting the right pontoon boat carpet is pretty easy.  Keep in mind there is no right or wrong answer in choosing the best marine carpet for your boat, but there are some general guidelines.  Because pontoon boats have such a large surface area, typically the carpet will have a subtle pattern. This helps to disguise traffic areas and staining.  If your carpet is glued or stapled to the floor as opposed to a removable piece, you will need to stick with cut piles or cut and loops. Berbers don’t work well in that application because the ends are easy to pull both during the installation of the carpet and the furniture.  However, if your floor is covered with a removable mat, the options are limitless.

One thing is certain, regardless of the color or style you select, you want to choose a UV stabilized marine grade carpet not just any house carpet.  Marine carpet is designed to withstand the sunlight and marine environment whereas residential carpet will degrade and fail.  An excellent source to start the process of choosing new boat carpet is on our website.

On our site you can sort by color and or style so that you can narrow down the options to make the selection process easier.   We recommend you try samples in your boat before you purchase to be sure that you are getting the exact color and style you want.  Not only do computer monitors vary, the different elements in your pontoon could affect how the color looks.

Good luck and happy boat carpet shopping!