Vinyl Foor 101

This 21 ounce material is definitely thinner than the original stuff. The original has some type of woven fabric backing which made it thicker. The new material is completely vinyl and should be waterproof. I pulled hard on the corners of my samples and it stretches a bit, but does not tear. That's why I think that gluing it down will make it even stronger and more durable. I'm going to glue it on the top surface of the flooring and wrap it around the edges to the backside of the plywood and use SS staples there.   

I replaced the wood and vinyl in our '71 SN in 1978. The material was also heavier with a fabric backing like the original, but doesn't have the same texture / pattern. I glued that down then and it's still there. I am concerned that gluing that vinyl may have worked better because of its fabric backing. This new 21 ounce vinyl does have some woven-type texture on its backside, though. Also, the 27" width is not a problem. I just wish the double roll this stuff comes in had a few more running feet!

We are removing some waterlogged foam now. There was water there, mostly in the exhaust hose wells, but so far it hasn't been as bad as I expected. There are some extra screw holes in the tops of the stringers behind the engine and I probed them and the wood is solid there. So far, this boat doesn't seem to have anything close to the saturation I found in the '71 SN back in 1991.

I appreciate everyone's comments, questions and suggestions as I consider this material for our '67.

Thanks! - Larry

          

Web address? Or what's the name of the joint where you're getting this?

Larry that looks pretty good to me. I do not have a sample of mine nearly that big to go from but I would say it was similar to that.

Based on what I have read on this site you might use 3M 5200 to seal those edges instead of paint. We would all love to see pictures of a new vinyl floor!

Yes, you could be the hero of many if you could find something that looks original and is readily available... Good Luck with the task. Keep us informed !!

Moj'

It is a heavy weight vinyl, Mr. Pete Brainerd says.Hang on to what ever pieces you have! Take the boat inside, let it get good and warm, then maybe use a heat gun,blow dryer, and your wife's plastic spatula and see if you can get some good useable samples to take to a wall covering store.If you need help,give me a call
Marty Mabe
1-336-847-8676

Which would be period correct for the ole 66? I remember the white flooring and the aluminum strips and upon talking to my dad he says about a year after we had it, this is when he went on a vacation for 4 days with the boat,and came back with some kind of astro turf in it, that he had taken it to a guy that owned a wooden Chris Craft,that he had just redone.He tells me that they took the flooring up,and refoamed it,refloored it,and that's that.I remember that mahogoney CC was rad! He was a fireman(my dad) and worked the 3 days on,4 days off, and every 3rd month got 2 weeks off!I'd just been talking to him about this vinyl floor post and he tells me about that. I told him that I thought it had the vinyl floor at one time. He said that even though I was 8 or 9 ,he thought I would have remembered all that.

Bruce,
I've got the original blue Nautolex on the floor of the X55. The stuff is quite heavy and I say it would be difficult to bend around corners like the kick on your Cuda. I'd say what you're looking at on the kick is the heavy weight vinyl wall covering.

Dave,
I've seen the weight of the vinyl wall covering that CC used when working at Watercraft Sales in the late 60's and early 70's. I also remember it in the 70 Cuda I had as well as Charlie's (brady) 70 Cuda. I'd say the 21oz. material is heavier than the original.

Also, I know Charlie sent away for sample vinyl wall coverings. I'll ask him if he remembers the weights and can compare them to the original in his boat.

Mojo wrote: Dave, That salt and pepper pattern is available through Cabellas. Thanks for the pics !!!! I think that would go in the cuda quite nicely.. Any way to "Mic" this thickness of the covering?

I was wondering the same thing... Dave (Godfather), is that the original floor covering? It looks more like Nautolex, which is a marine vinyl floor covering, rather than the "wall covering" that was supposed to have been original in the Mustangs in the late 60's and early 70's. I requested Nautolex samples sometime back and think the "shark" looks really good. Not sure how close to original it is though.

The black looks good in the Classic. Steve, your interior came out really nice.
Here's white in Reid's Classic. It looks good too, but no doubt requires more cleaning.

Bruce,
I compromised. I used black ribbed rubber from McMaster. Since my interior deviated sufficiently from original, I didn't go to great extremes to match the flooring. If I do find white chevron vinyl flooring, to refit the boat would only take an afternoon.

Dave,

Here are a couple of shots of my floor.

Hope this will help.






Dave

Ditto. My kickboard covering and exhaust straps and fuel line support all used the same white rubber/vinyl chevron pattern

Many of the supply houses will send samples for a nominal fee, you really should do this as the image on the screen can be quite misleading.

My 62 floor coovering was not the basket weave. It is more like raised lines set at 45 degrees from each other. They did the samething on mine as Bruce's 63. They used small strips of the same material and nails to hold the electrical wires, fuel line, exhaust hoses and cables. I can't find anything even close to the original. I have most of the original flooring but it is hard and brittle so I will pick one that is close.

Good morning pete! no i dont, boat was pretty rough when baught it. had a tree growing out of floor. any help on original pattern would be a great help. thank you jeff