Fatigue from Aluminum Floor

[poppi57]

Was wondering if aluminum boat owners/guests complain of leg and foot fatigue from standing on the aluminum floors. If I spend a day on my boat I can really feel it in my legs and feet. I few people who have been out with me have said the same thing. Just curious if other people experience this? solutions? thoughts?

[kmorin]

pop'57, nobody else seems to want to say much on this one, so; I'll take it on for the team. There are way too many variables to even begin to buy your inference that the aluminum deck is a problem so I'll ask some related questions from my personal experience on 40 years of my own builds of aluminum decks.

#1 I worked off-shore on steel deck oil production platforms for many years. I have seen some guys say the decks were a cause of foot and lower leg pain, BUTTTTTT (and that is big round one) I was wearing some good boots with a decent formed insole and never had their problems? So was the steel deck the problem or the quality of foot wear? If a guy isn't wearing the exact boots I'm wearing and his feet or his legs are painin' him- I'm left to ask if he'd like to buy the boots I'm wearing or stick with his current brand? Lots of the guys would say similar things when starting out on concrete shop floors too??

If you're wearing a decent quality boot and have your own insoles for your feet, and had problems- that's one case but if you're not wearing good gear- and you don't wear those boots on the beach- the surface material isn't really the question in my experience. But if you're wearing a pair of 400.00$ finest kind, Nike work out shoes and had problems, well maybe there's something too the question?

#2 Exercise. If you go to the gym, even after working hard for years in the trades, you can come home and need a shot of something amber from Scotland; or some aspirin for the aches. What's up? If you're busting iron 8-12 hours a day and just do some silly exercise with a wt. machine- why ache then? I'm not educated in the physical therapy area but I've done this same thing.

I welded steel for years and (then) joined an exercise/dance class (you should have seen those cuties in their leotards!! you'd have joined too I ended up marrying one of them- fool that I was. Butt; those little nylon paint jobs were enough to turn a man's head: and they did.) and went though their 'warm up' where you put your leg on this pipe on the wall, about waist high, then do all sorts of contortions while your heel was on that pipe. (give that a try sometime!) I could barely walk the next day; fact. And when I got to the shop, all crippled up- I heard more flak than I'd heard since I busted out of a pipe test years before!

Could the movement of the boat be out of your normal exercise? What is the motion of the boat, alone; never mind the deck- was using "balance muscles" your carcass hadn't had to use in a while? a potential cause of the question? Was it the deck material or the motion? Do you realize that a day on a boat in anything but flat inland lakes is more movement work than a few hours at the gym? (why do you think the kids sleep so well when they've had a day on the water?) Think about the amount of compensation movement to keep your inner ear 'level' if you're in any kind of swell? That movement all begins at the feet, ankles, lower legs and moves up.

#3 How far did you walk? Say you're a marathon runner type of person? That means you're used to getting lots of foot movement and run some, and walk a whole lot more? Maybe you put in a couple miles of walking a day? OK that's case one. But what about case two? Suppose you don't get the mileage? Have you considered how much movement you actually put in just in one day's fishing - I know the deck is only a little square area but you can still walk miles there. If you're moving around, not paying attention to the traveling inside the cockpit but focusing on the fishing- I think you might want to look at the "distance walked in kitchen" studies. I think that to cook dinner a the average cook moves more than a 1/4 mile? Not saying that you had to move that much- my point is that you may be feeling the result of changing how much actual distance - how many actual steps you took during the day on your boat?

#4 What's in any rigid surface? Asphalt, concrete, steel, you plywood kitchen floor, or an aluminum deck are all surfaces that we assume are rigid. What could be the difference in your foot, my foot, or anyone's foot in walking on a surface with no flexibility?

Well, my take is that any rigid surface is physically the same to our feet, but there are one large number of other considerations that seem to be potential contributors to the experience of aching feet from a day of boating?

Pop'57, I'm willing to discuss this more, but no one else seems to interested? So let us know what you conclude, we'd all enjoy hearing even most others aren't posting in reply- they're just shy- but would read your conclusions. Oh, and suggest you don't enroll in any dance classes to figure this out- those doggone snug outfits the girls wear will just get you in trouble regardless if you're married or single and I'm reporting that as gaarrr-en-teed fact.

Cheers,
Kevin Morin
Kenai, AK

[welder]

I don't think it's the deck, it's the movement of the boat, side to side, fore and aft and trying to stand while the boat is in forward motion [read Bow high at an angle]
All of the constant movements will and do give your feet, legs and lower back one hell of a work out.

[poppi57]

Always love your posts Kevin. You certainly add great character and great reads to the site. I really appreciate the time you took to comment on my question. I must admit I was surprised more people didn't comment and started thinking its just me getting old and spending more time out during small craft warnings than most people which leads to all of the aches and pains I experience when I'm out fishing in Long Island Sound.

After reading your post I have concluded I need to join the gym and observe these leotards for myself!!! Sounds too good to pass up.

I recently switched to a new pair of ankle boots which are extremely comfortable. Somewhat less pain but in looking back this year and trying to evaluate the many days I spent fishing many of those days we were being tossed around like a cork. Just very windy weekend days out here and I would have to conclude based on what you mentioned above it is most likely the side to side, fore and aft and trying to stand as Welder points out as well.

I would still like to look into a mat of some sort to put in the back of the boat where I stand and do most of my fishing. Some sort of anti fatigue mat could not hurt. It probably doesn't help that I have very high arches and just lousy feet!!!! If anyone has used any sort of mat and is willing to comment I would appreciate it.

Happy Thanksgiving - went out Saturday as my final day for the season and took home a nice limit of Atlantic Sea Bass.

[JonH]

If you live anywhere near a good ski shop, get a pair of custom insoles ($150 - 200 is avg. price) for what ever pair of shoes you
usually wear on your boat - you will be amazed how much they help.

Jon