Helmsman 38 Rugs

[Doug_Snider]

Our 38E won’t be delivered for several months but we’re getting everything ready. One item on our list is area rugs or runners. Most of the interior photos we’ve seen show a rug in the salon. Some show rugs in the guest head. A rug at the seating alcove aft of the galley might be a good idea to protect the deck. We’re looking for recommendations on sizes and sources for suitable rugs. Any thoughts or recommendations?

 

[HeadedToTexas]

We went with Stroud Braid Rugs (https://www.stroudbraidedrugs.com). One at each pilothouse door, one in the forward stateroom, one at the galley, and a larger one in the salon. We have something more waterproof in the heads. Strangely, we have no pictures!

 

[Helmsman]

My wife wants a lighter interior than the teak provides. She is tentatively planning a lighter carpet bound on the sides for the salon that completely covers the floor. Of course, we will need to solve the hatch opening. No way will we put snaps at the hatch. And we have a concern about the bottom facing side of the carpet scratching the teak. If folks have any ideas to solve that problem, we would love to hear it.

Outdoors, on our old boat, we had covers made for the cockpit, the flybridge, and the swim platform. We are not planning anything at this point. Helmsman’s approach with the non slip would seem to eliminate the need for that. I think we will have a small rug at the three entrances to catch the water and dirt as we enter.

 

[FWT]

And we have a concern about the bottom facing side of the carpet scratching the teak. If folks have any ideas to solve that problem, we would love to hear it.

If you have not tried this sort of thing before, give it a look. Lots of different brands out there. Lots of sizes. Its NON-SKID. Rubber. I'll be using that under smaller area rugs / runners.

https://gonewmommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Non-Toxic-Rug-Pad-Rug-Pad-USA-Super-Lock-Natural-Rug-Pad.jpg

 

[Nancy and Rick]

My wife wants a lighter interior than the teak provides. She is tentatively planning a lighter carpet bound on the sides for the salon that completely covers the floor...

Have you seen this boat:
https://seattle.boatshed.com/helmsman_trawlers_38e_pilothouse-boat-256252.html#boatmedia-46

John talks about the carpeting somewhere in this thread:
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s64/contract-signed-new-build-underway-23188.html

I'll bet you could PM him and he would be glad to tell you more.

Rick

 

[Doug_Snider]

I overlayed the deck plan from the Helmsman website into an AutoCad file and determined that a salon rug approximately 3’-6” x 6’ would work. There are many styles on this site but the dimensions are all over the place.

https://www.rugs-direct.com/Store/nav/Category-Area-Rugs-Style-Beach-Nautical/48

 

[HeadedToTexas]

If you have not tried this sort of thing before, give it a look. Lots of different brands out there. Lots of sizes. Its NON-SKID. Rubber. I'll be using that under smaller area rugs / runners.

https://gonewmommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Non-Toxic-Rug-Pad-Rug-Pad-USA-Super-Lock-Natural-Rug-Pad.jpg

That’s what we have under each of our rugs. Great stuff.

 

[Helmsman]

I overlayed the deck plan from the Helmsman website into an AutoCad file and determined that a salon rug approximately 3’-6” x 6’ would work. There are many styles on this site but the dimensions are all over the place.

https://www.rugs-direct.com/Store/nav/Category-Area-Rugs-Style-Beach-Nautical/48

That would be a good thing to have a print out of.

 

[Helmsman]

Have you seen this boat:
https://seattle.boatshed.com/helmsman_trawlers_38e_pilothouse-boat-256252.html#boatmedia-46

John talks about the carpeting somewhere in this thread:
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s64/contract-signed-new-build-underway-23188.html

I'll bet you could PM him and he would be glad to tell you more.

Rick

Thanks! That is the boat we got the idea from. I called John before I was in discussions with Scott. I had read his thread prior to that. My wife knows her stuff with carpet, so I will sit on the passenger side on this one!

 

[Helmsman]

That’s what we have under each of our rugs. Great stuff.

Good recommendation. We used that material on our Carver under a couple of storage pieces that set up where the helm is on the 38E. Kept it from moving.

 

[Doug_Snider]

Here's what I'm thinking about for the salon.

 

[Helmsman]

Here's what I'm thinking about for the salon.

Why not just use one rug to cover both? I would be concerned about catching one with my foot and tripping.

 

[Doug_Snider]

Why not just use one rug to cover both? I would be concerned about catching one with my foot and tripping.

My thought is that the door mat would need more frequent cleaning.

 

[Helmsman]

My thought is that the door mat would need more frequent cleaning.

Yep, See why I leave this stuff to my wife?

 

[N4061]

Carpet & Safety

All, the subject of carpet (like many other boating related topics) can take on a world of its own with all available options but the single most important thing to remember is safety. As beautiful as those teak & holey soles are, they are very slippery and dangerous. While it is unfortunate that we even need to cover them, there is an approach that worked well for us on all our trawlers - 2" reveal. The 2" reveal is basically wall to wall carpeting less 2" along all edges using a rubber back carpeting. This approach allows the safety (no slipping) while still enjoying the teak & holey soles. Just find a good interior designer who works on boats, and you should be safe. We used Jeddy's Interiors in Dana Point, CA who does many Nordhavn's and is well respected.

The other nice thing about wall-to-wall carpet is depending on the color, it can soften / brighten up the interior due to all the wood. Matching the carpet and window coverings also provide a custom touch to the boat.

For all interior steps you will definitely want rubber backed carpet and use two-sided tape. The only true method of matching all these pieces is with a custom approach. All pieces of carpet should be bounded to prevent any unraveling in the future.

For the day head in the H38E we had carpet installed and knew it could be lifted up if anyone used the shower. We also had extra pieces cut to size and used them as floor mats at the salon and PH doors to protect the carpet below. We even had a few custom pieces made for the engine room door which allowed for items to be placed on without scratching the ER floor plates.

If you really are into carpet you can also consider a large custom fit piece of indoor / outdoor carpet for the aft deck area. While this sounds appealing, we found it to be a waste of money on our first Nordhavn and did not repeat it on other boats.

One item we did add to H38E was a nice dropdown sunshade that you could see through. This was a great help during sunsets and to keep the saloon cooler during hot summer afternoons.

Hope this was helpful.

John