Carpet and paint

[Nstd]

I'm converting my dingy into a one man bass boat . I cut out a 1/2 in. plywood and im curious if i should put carpet or  paint it?

[TheRodFather]

It's up to you, in my opinion the most important concern with wood is whether on not it is sealed well.  Darker colors of paint will be hot under foot if that is a concern.  Carpet, marine carpet anyway is going to have a rubber backing, so as long as you fasten the panel to the boat in a way that your not putting holes in the top surface of the carpet, should keep the water from getting to the wood from the top.  

 

I plan to use carriage bolts, countersunk into the wood (so the top surface is smooth and flat without visible fasteners), then varnish or paint all sides of the wood, then cover the top with carpet and wrap around a few inches of the bottom surface.  And fasten the panels with nuts from below.  

 

It depends on how long you want it to last.  Me, I want it to last a lifetime, but also be removable if I need to get under the decks.

[Way2slow]

Personally, I like having a padding like carpet to help reduce the noise.  Drop a lead weight on plywood or aluminum and it's like a gun shot, and sounds carries a long way in the water.  While it won't eliminate it, carpet does help reduce it greatly.