Protecting the Boat From Those Sharp Claws

     Sailboats are beautiful things.  Part of that beauty comes from the use of teak throughout the boat's interior and, in some cases, on exterior accents.  A dog's sharp claws aren't necessarily "teak-friendly."   We've dog-proofed the teak on Charbonneau by using carpeting to protect its beautiful finish.  The carpet also provides better footing for our dogs.

     The first step was to install carpet in the interior of the boat.  We purchased a pre-measured carpet kit from Island Packet. We originally purchased the carpet for the protection it offered to  the teak & holly sole of the boat.  We've found, however, that our bare feet love the feel of carpet so much that we'd install it again even if the dogs weren't aboard with us.  It is a very welcome floor covering in the cooler winter months.  Additionally, the carpet provides secure footing for the dogs when we're underway and also a soft, comfortable place for them to lay.  Cleaning dog hair from the floor is a snap by using small hand-held vacuum.  Our carpet is also lined with a rubber backing that resists mold and moisture. 

     In those places where wall-to-wall carpet isn't feasible, we use several bathroom mats.  We have one 24" x 36" rug that we use in the cockpit floor when sailing.  This gives the dogs better footing when moving around the cockpit and seems to make a difference in their feeling of safety aboard.  We also have a few smaller rugs that we drape over Charbonneau's teak cockpit coamings when the dogs are getting on and off the boat.  The cockpit coamings have greatly benefited from the rug's protection.

     The last precaution was to carpet the companionway stairs.  We had carpet cut and bound for just this purpose.  The carpet pieces wrap around each stair and secure with Velcro on the underside.  This provides good footing for the dogs and has provided over two years of service thus far.  We were warned by some sailing traditionalists that carpeting the stairs would threaten our safety by increasing our chance of slipping.  We've found those assumptions to be incorrect.  We sail in our bare feet and the carpet has helped improve our footing.

     Carpeting your boat may seem like a lot of work to those of you without pets -- we agree.  But the efforts were a fair trade-off in order to take our dogs cruising.  We added plenty of gear aboard Charbonneau for our own safety and comfort.  We don't mind doing a little extra for such good four-legged friends.