Leebo

As we added more ballast to my Moomba LSV, the stock swim platform was digging into the wave. Following the path of others, I sourced a sheet of HDPE that was roughly 40"x60"x1" to make a new swim/surf platform. I wanted to replicate the look/design of the newer Moomba swim/surf platforms, but I couldn't find a template or sketch online. So, I went to my local Moomba dealer when they were closed. Somewhere in their archives of surveillance video is a video my daughter sitting on a large piece of cardboard, as I trace the outline from underneath a Craz platform. I actually needed to reduce the width of the cardboard template by 2" so I took 1" off the edge of each end to keep it proportionate and then cut the cardboard to size. I drove myself nuts trying to get each edge to be a mirror of the other side and finally called it "close-enuf". After sketching out the template on the HDPE, I used a circular-saw to make the longer/straight cuts and then used a jig-saw to round out the edges and make the cut along the edge that meets the stern. After everything was cut to proportion, i used a quarter-round router bit to smooth the edges over. When I was done cutting/routing, that white HDPE made it snow in August. To mount it to the existing platform brackets, I countersunk a hole and pushed stainless steel carriage bolts from the top down. I also wanted to raise the level of the platform so I used scrap pieces roughly in the size of the bracket as a spacer. I then bolted the platform to the brackets using nylock nuts before i put the padding on. For the padding, i sourced a sheet of HydroTurf with the 3M adhesive on the back (their 40"x60" sheet was the constraining factor on the size, my HDPE sheet was bigger.) Rather than cutting a template for this, I just stuck it on the HDPE and then used a sheetrock knife to trim the edges. Yes, you will cut into the HDPE a little bit but you will never notice it since its at the edge of the HydroTurf. If anything, I wish I had taken more care in hand-cutting the edges since there are slight variations (tho I may be the only one that notices). Here's the finished product. Some people have used 3/4" HDPE and reported a barely noticeable flex. If you're ordering HDPE online, this will save a bit, however the best prices can be found if you source it locally. The shipping is expensive so its worth making several phone calls to "plastics" companies. I found a place that had a piece of 1" in stock and it was a leftover from a job so it was a lot less expensive. This project was done three years ago and everything has held up well. The edge of the platform takes a lot of abuse (far better than fiberglass) and the HydroTurf with the 3M adhesive has stuck to the HDPE without any edges pulling up. I believe the total cost of materials (HDPE, HydroTurf, and stainless nuts/bolts) was ~$500.

Well, I didn't use either DECKadence or Miner's Moss but instead used Jim's Ultra Marine Carpet. My criteria were that I wanted the thickness of DECKadence, no visible seams, and I wanted to pay Miner's Moss prices. I got pretty close... Jim's Ultra Marine comes in a 4' x 10' size with the anti-slip backing already glued on. The piece he sent me was a little over 10' long which meant I would only need two seams - one under the rear bench (which you'll never see) and the other under the helm. To make a template, I followed Jim's process of using 6mil poly. There are other methods that work well but for me this was the most intuitive. Once the template is laid out, the actual cutting is really easy. I followed his (and other's) suggestion of cutting at a 45* angle with the top wider than the bottom. Here's the template laid out over the Ultra Marine Carpet (note that "TOP" is written backwards - Jim's instructions said to label it and thank God I did b/c I laid it out the wrong way and almost cut it in reverse...) Here's what it looks like installed. I've done multiple projects with my boat (dual battery VSR, 3 reversible pumps/ballast upgrade, HDPE surf platform) but this is the only one people notice. It looks great, feels great under feet and the maintenance is right in my wheelhouse. One more pic from the bow. You may notice that the carpet does not include a seam for the ski locker - I chose not to do this (though Jim's instructions show you how) b/c it is very easy to roll it back to access the locker. We pretty much only surf so the only thing that holds is a ballast bag. I did not install any snaps as others have done. Given the weight of this, it does not move around and since we rarely trailer the boat, I didn't see the need. Heres what the floor looked like after I pulled the carpet: