Ever since we’ve been using SeaDek, a closed cell PE/EVA blended foam material, on the decks of our raft frames, we’ve had customers asking if it would be possible to retrofit diamond plate decks with it.

It was decided this small two-part raft frame we made a few years ago would be the perfect candidate for just such an experiment.

The self-adhesive backing on SeaDek foam sticks to almost anything, but we still thought it would be a good idea to knock down a little of the diamond layout on the decks before trying to apply it. After using both a 6” belt sander and an angle grinder with a 60-grit flap disc, we decided the angle grinder was the best tool for this job. On the perimeter, we ground the diamond plate down to almost smooth. For the rest of the deck, we took the treads down to about ½ their original profile.

Then Levi, our resident foam master, started to do his magic. First he cut and chamfered SeaDek to the width of the decks. Next, these deck wide strips got stuck on. After that, a small router was used to do all the cutout detailing. Funky cuts were easy to clean up with a razor blade and sanding sponge.

Voilà, there it is!

This project took us about 4 hours, and we used approximately $90 worth of SeaDek.

Now we need to go boating and test it out! Stay tuned for a report on how it holds up.