# Best cataraft floor



## Osseous

1 1/2" polyester seat belt webbing

Sent from my SM-N900V using Mountain Buzz mobile app


----------



## cataraftgirl

My experience with the NRS webbing floor was not good. Way too much flex. I used a solid floor made of skid guard. Small floor, just enough size to stand on. Worked great with an NRS cat frame.


----------



## Osseous

Seat belt webbing is drum tight and doesn't stretch

Sent from my SM-N900V using Mountain Buzz mobile app


----------



## restrac2000

Stay away from NRS...



Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


----------



## shappattack

I can recommend Jan at Stiches n Stuff. She makes excellent floors at good prices to what ever spec you want. Some times you might not want a floor and some times you might want one. Being able to take the floor off is key in my mind, on a multi day with lots of gear or on a day trip with kids you might want the floor, then you might want to run some gnarly water, or low water where you might want to fred flinstone, and want the floor off.
CATARAFT FLOORS AND RIGGING


----------



## [email protected]

Sotar's web floor,10 years tight as a drum, drains quickly after being submerged by a big hole. Can cast a fly rod standing up with no other support it is so taunt.


----------



## cataraftgirl

restrac2000 said:


> Stay away from NRS...
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


Yep. The NRS webbing floor + their flexy lower rails = major suck. The solid floors attached to the lower rails yielded structural support and a nice floor to stand on. I've never had the chance to stand on the seatbelt webbing floor. Always thought it sounded like a good option.


----------



## Gremlin

I really like my Polymax floor and should learn how to post a picture.


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


----------



## duct tape

Gremlin said:


> I really like my Polymax floor and should learn how to post a picture.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


I've got some Polymax after seeing Alex's post and have used it inside drop bags but never thought of it for flooring, at least unsupported floor. Will it hold you you - seems like it would eventually crack and break apart?


----------



## riverdoghenry

I've been extremely happy with my NRS aluminum floors. I and a buddy both have the 72" aluminum floors on our cat frames. Another buddy has the 66" on his cat frame. Full length of our frames. All three frames and floors were purchased in 2001 and are going strong 14-years later.

I love stacking gear on the hard floor and I'm always reminded of this when I rig my round boat with everything hanging from the frame off the floor. The hard floor is like loading a truck bed.


----------



## Buddha09

My 16 ft. Cat has marine plywood painted a nice river blue. It's withstood the test of time and if fully customizable to your needs.


----------



## Gremlin

duct tape said:


> I've got some Polymax after seeing Alex's post and have used it inside drop bags but never thought of it for flooring, at least unsupported floor. Will it hold you you - seems like it would eventually crack and break apart?


I initially put Polymax in the floor of my Captains bay in 2011. I strapped it tight to the droprails and then ran straps off the top crossbars down and laced it through the floor so I had a strap under the floor where I would typically stand. It had some bounce but I came to completely trust it and it worked for years. Last year I reconfigured my frame and moved my rowing position forward. This allowed me another bay for passengers behind me and I added a second Polymax floor. I was able to move the crossbars on the droprails of my Down River frame to place them in the center of these two floors making it really solid. I reused the first floor and it is still as good as new. I also made a front " wall" with cutouts for my feet in lieu of a footbar.

I got a lot of ideas from "Chip" on here who builds small cats for research and uses the Polymax extensively.

I really need to figure out how to post a picture...


----------



## catwoman

Our 16' lion only has a floor in the captains bay. Everything else is boxes, cooler, and drop/Barney bag. But I have also run a little wildcat floorless and an NRS setup with fabric floor. I think what floor setup is best depends on your frame type and usage. I agree that NRS style drop rails with a fabric floor (of any make) is problematic unless frame cross members are added.


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


----------



## Gremlin

The Polymax floor


----------



## snowjunkie

My 16 foot cat came with grid wall (retail hanger stuff) for the floor. I love that I can see through to the river. Only real issue would be its not the best to walk on with bare feet. That polymax looks good


----------



## mttodd

Call AIRE, their floors are the best floor you can buy, period. I've seen a lot of floors and none come close. They will make custom sizes. Not the cheapest. All Pvc welded with encased rods running full length so the tension is even.


----------



## slamkal

There are only two options on my cat for a floor. Everything else has a box or cooler or drop bag. My passenger area has a wood floor I made from 2x2 lumber strips. I use a strap to help support yhe load of a passenger because I didnt feel comfortable with the 3'5" span from drop to drop.

My rowing section has a drop in welded aluminum platform where I made scout bars. The center is completely free. I can swim up through the opening, my wife can squat and pee, and if the river is shallow I can offload my weight and help lift the boat over gravel bottoms


----------



## lambardi

I wrote up a blog post on how I setup mine. The floor itself is from Tuff River Stuff. And it's affixed with straps and rope. 

Floored. | Ben A Golden


----------



## Schutzie

Never actually seen it in operation, but I always thought trampoline bed material would be perfect; it's UV resistant, tougher than my banker, and not really expensive; plus it's relatively easy to work with.
It will let water drain through, but provide some solid support.

Trampoline Fabric: Trampoline Fabric Manufacturers, Suppliers, Exporters

This stuff comes in colors and is either 13' or 14' wide; you have to order 3 yards minimum, but for less than $60 you could fashion a floor that I think would be the thing! In case you are concerned the stuff might tear easily or not be up to the task, you could probably double it up and be almost bullet proof.

If I had a cat I'd be looking to try it.


----------



## Osseous

You are still relying on stitching as the weakest link-

Sent from my SM-N900V using Mountain Buzz mobile app


----------



## Riverlaxer

I have trampoline floor in my cat it is a little too permeable for my taste and Does not dry quickly


----------



## ptex1

*Aire*

I own the aire floor and it is awesome!


----------



## duct tape

Digging up an old post for a new question. 

I'm luke warm on the Polymax having tried it for something else on my raft. Now I'm outfitting a cat frame and need floors for two bays. Where can I get real marin grade plywood? The stuff at Home Depot is not true marine grade and looks cheap. Everything online is near an ocean (I'm not) for boat building. 

Or maybe there's some other synthetic option which is as stiff for carrying loads and walking on as wood?

Lastly, best paint for wood? Or spar varnish?


----------



## cataraftgirl

duct tape said:


> Digging up an old post for a new question.
> 
> I'm luke warm on the Polymax having tried it for something else on my raft. Now I'm outfitting a cat frame and need floors for two bays. Where can I get real marin grade plywood? The stuff at Home Depot is not true marine grade and looks cheap. Everything online is near an ocean (I'm not) for boat building.
> 
> Or maybe there's some other synthetic option which is as stiff for carrying loads and walking on as wood?
> 
> Lastly, best paint for wood? Or spar varnish?


I used skid guard floors on my cat. I sent the dimensions to NRS and they made them to my specs, with slots for camp straps. I ended up using heavy duty cable ties to secure them instead of the camp straps, as they were way tighter than the straps. Worked great. Super strong for standing on and supporting gear.

What size floors do you need?


----------



## Dr.AndyDVM

There's a guy in Boise that works with skid guard. He makes decks for cascade outfitters. In fact, his daughter works for cascade outfitters. He might be able to make something for you. I have four of his decks on my raft and I plus one what cataraftgirl says about heavy duty zip ties. They work really well


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


----------



## mattman

Spar varnish is a complete pain in the ass
but it looks way better then paint, i have it on both my cat floor and raft floor, plus side boards and dry box, has to be sanded and recoted every 2 years, but is awesome and worth it if you enjoy the natural beauty of wood, don't think i could bring myself to paint plywood that is a part of my raft.

Wood is much more solid to stand on than many floor options, and doesn't blind you like diamond plate, and has a certain warmth, and satisfaction to building it yourself. 
Got to love the splinters and num hands from sanding it, makes river beers taste that much better.

Would probly splinter and pop my tubes if i had a bad wrap though.


----------



## Brotorboat

Hdpe starboard is a good option...easy to work with.


----------



## ob1coby

restrac2000 said:


> Stay away from NRS...
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


This calls for some clarification. I'm not a huge fan of their black fabric floor, (but it works great for the cargo area) but their aluminum floor is the most comfortable I've ever walked on. My fishing buddies say the same thing. I'm going to a webbed floor on my next cat but that is because it is more of a WW rig instead of fishing.


----------



## ob1coby

Brotorboat said:


> Hdpe starboard is a good option...easy to work with.


I really want to try an HDPE floor but that stuff is SPENSIVE! Did you have to reinforce the structure underneath to make the floor rigid enough?


----------



## JagDaddy

I'm a builder/remodeler so I always seem to have some CDX plywood scraps around.

I radius all the edges, corners and inside the holes for the straps and sand them. Then I stained them with some stain a customer rejected.

They show no sign of water damage after 4 San Jaun trips and a Grand Canyon trip. Trips that are constant mud and wet from 12 days to 21.

I'm happy with them, if for no other reason I change my boat rigging a lot and the plywood is easly modified. 

Sent from my SM-S765C using Mountain Buzz mobile app


----------



## Osseous

I have a webbed floor on my fishing cat- love it. People are too willing to heap a ton of wright on their rig IMHO. Light is right when you're the motor.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Mountain Buzz mobile app


----------



## elkhaven

duct tape said:


> Digging up an old post for a new question.
> 
> I'm luke warm on the Polymax having tried it for something else on my raft. Now I'm outfitting a cat frame and need floors for two bays. Where can I get real marin grade plywood? The stuff at Home Depot is not true marine grade and looks cheap. Everything online is near an ocean (I'm not) for boat building.
> 
> Or maybe there's some other synthetic option which is as stiff for carrying loads and walking on as wood?
> 
> Lastly, best paint for wood? Or spar varnish?


You usually have to order marine ply and really for a raft floor it's entirely unnecessary. I researched marine ply extensively for a jet boat project that I eventually mothballed, but in the end marine ply is really important in high stress, marine environments - or if appearance is paramount. The most common non sailing or non motorized used is in driftboats, where the wood is shaped, prestressed and is the structure of the craft (failure would be catastrophic). For decks, dryboxes and floors in rafts it is a complete waste of money unless you want the bright varnished finish look of high quality hardwood ply. 

A vary popular option for guys building painted boats is MDO (or other acronyms) for medium density overlay - its a fir based high laminate count, low void plywood typically used for street signs. It's covered in brown paper so a clear coat is nothing special but it's really good stuff and half the cost of marine and readily available at most real lumber yards (not home depot). The other option is simply ACX - "A" sanded and plugged finished side - "C" non plugged sanded side (with knots) - X - exterior glue - equivalent, in most cases to that used in marine. The issue with ACX is since it's fir, it checks and is not low void (or void free like marine) - so structurally it can be hit or miss (again in high stress environments).

Oh and virtually all marine ply is imported. There area a very few high dollar custom manufacturing joints out there but I doubt we could even locate a sheet from them. There is also a huge sustainability issue with hardwood plys - many come from tropical hardwoods some managed harvests, some not so much.

I bring this up, again, because there are many folks that talk about marine plywood here that it just makes me wonder, if everyone is made of money? Do some research elsewhere and see what you find on the subject, but in my opinion, it's complete overkill or a waste of money. 

In the end, if it were me I'd drive right passed home cheapot and find a real lumbar yard and get some MDO. Paint it, add some very, very fine grit to the last coat and be happy. Recoat occasionally with paint with grip in it.


----------



## duct tape

Thx Elkhaven. Good stuff there.


----------



## Willc

I have 3/8 inch ply wood painted with Restore textured paint. It's secured to the frame with conduet clamps/ bolts. It's relatively inexpensive and has lasted yrs and still looks good. Not too heavy either. 


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


----------



## Buddha09

*Marine Ply*

I thought I had marine ply--purchased the cat used--turns out it's just 3/4 inch ply that has been painted. The previous owner says just replace the floor every 5 years or sooner and paint. That's it.


----------



## Poorboyota26

I made my own out of some rope from pulling fiber optic cable through conduit. called Mule tape. strong as hell and doesn't stretch much. also Free to me.


----------

