Floating Water Mats: The Must Have Boating Accessory
If you have spent any time on the water lately, you have without a doubt seen these “floating water mats.” Floating water mats have taken the water toy world by storm, and they have quickly become the must have boating accessory. Kids, adults, and dogs all love them, so why don’t you have one yet?
What are floating water mats?
Floating water mats are showing up everywhere lately, and for good reason. Floating water mats are made of a tough, foam material. They typically comes in an overall size of 18′ x 6′, but it rolls up for storage and transport. Floating water mats are meant to be used in a stationary position. This makes them ideal to use when tied up to a boat, on the beach, or floating on the river.
The great part about a floating water mat is that it does not have to be inflated. Inflating a big water toy is not always an easy task, especially if you don’t have an air pump handy. It can be a hassle to inflate a big raft or tube, and they also need to be deflated for storage. The fact that it is not inflatable also means that it cannot be punctured like other inflatable water toys.
Our Top Choice: The Rubber Dockie Floating Water Pad
There are several floating water mats available on the market today. Although there are several good options, we chose our favorite based on several characteristics including quality, safety, value and availability.
Quality
Let’s start with quality. Floating water mats are known for being tough, and the Rubber Dockies are built with top-of-the-line materials. Overall, the Rubber Dockie Floating Water Mats are constructed with a premium closed cell foam. This is a 1 3/8″ high grade foam. The name Rubber Dockie might make you think that this mat is made of rubber, but it is actually just a catchy name. These floating water mats are completely made of foam.
Starting with the outer shell, Rubber Dockies are constructed with a Tuff-Hide Outer Membrane. This outer membrane is extra tough and protects the mat from the rigors of daily use. Below the Tuff-Hide Outer Membrane you will find the Tear-Stop nylon inner rebar matrix. This is designed to prevent any tears or punctures.
Safety
In order of importance, safety ranks right up there with quality when choosing between floating water mats. We like that Rubber Dockie took that into consideration as well.
Rubber Dockie Floating water mats are purposely made in bright colors. The outer layer is bright orange on one side, and bright green on the other.
Odds are that you might find yourself using your floating water mat in a high traffic boating area. By making the outer layers in bright orange and green, you can be sure that nobody will miss your floating water mats or it’s occupants.
Value
Floating water mats do tend to come at a higher price than a standard pool toy, but it’s easy to see the reasons why. These floating water mats are built of high strength materials. Pool toys are made of vulnerable plastic that can easily punctured, and after a few years of replacing inflatable toys, you could have easily paid for one of these high quality floating water mats. They are meant to provide you with many years of fun on the water for your friends and family.
Although all floating mats carry a higher price point than inflatable pool toys, it’s important to find a good value as well. Some of the brands on the market today charge a much higher price. They can demand this price because of their name. We feel the Rubber Dockies Floating Water Mats provide one of the highest quality products on the market today at a much more competitive price than similar products.
Availability
Availability of floating water mats might not seem like a big deal to some buyers, but it’s always good when you can purchase products from a trusted vendor. In addition, these mats are quite large even when rolled up, so shipping charges are something that needs to be considered.
The Rubber Dockie Floating Water Mats are available on Amazon, and they have free shipping for prime members as well. The Rubber Dockie is currently Amazon’s Top Choice in Floating Water Pads. This designation alone should prove that the Rubber Dockie floating water mats are a great choice based on quality, value & buyer reviews. The link below will take you directly to the Amazon listing for the Rubber Dockie Floating Water Pad:
Rubber Dockies for Boating
Rubber Dockies are perfect boating accessories. If you have a boat, you know that it’s much easier to take your water toys on the boat that are ready to be used. This means that if you have inflatables, you probably want to blow them up before you head out on the water. This naturally presents a problem.
Inflatable water toys take up LOTS of room. When on a boat, storage space comes at a premium. Inflating water toys eats up valuable room and might mean leaving a passenger or two back at the the dock.
The great thing about a floating water mat is that it rolls up and can be stored on the rear swim platform of most boats. Throw a couple straps on it to hold it down, and you are ready to roll. Once you find your favorite spot to anchor, just unroll the mat and throw it in the water. No need for inflating and having to pull out the air pump. Floating water mats are ready for use immediately..
Rubber Dockies Floating Water mats come with a couple straps to keep them in the rolled up position for transport as well.
Floating Water Mats Usage
The other reason that floating water mats are so ideal for boating is that they can be tethered to your boat when in use. Rubber Dockies Floating Water Mats come with a 12′ bungee strap. This will attach to your boat and keep everyone nearby without worrying about the mat floating off.
If you plan to use your floating water mats on the beach or river, you can use this bungee strap to attach it to an anchor point. This way you don’t have to worry about the current pulling it away or washing out to sea.
Summary
If you haven’t yet taken the plunge on a floating water mat, what are you waiting for? These are great water toys for kids and adults both. You can lounge out on them. Kids can run, play and jump off of them. They are a great toy for family activities and they will be around for many, many years of fun.