"What is your fleet sailing on?." Topic

I'm sure this is a very basic question, but as a naval gaming newbie how do you guys represent the sea?. My game board is 8' x 4'.

I use 4' x 6' Geohex sea mats.

Various mats from Cigar Box and Tiny Wargames depending on the scenario.

9' x 5' blue vinyl.
I got it when I worked as an automotive supplier. I believe the color is GM 8841, Dark Sapphire. If you drive a dark blue Pontiac Grand Am, that's what your armrest is made from.

I made a set of 2'x2' mats almost exactly like these by War Artisan (except I used a sponge roller instead of a sponge blotter, and I didn't put any dots on mine). They're really generic, so I've used them for all scales and periods of naval battles. You can see what they look like in action in his FlickR albums like this one.

They're really light and durable – they're meant to be walked on, so only the paint I applied is in any danger of damage. They neatly solve the "edge of the world" problem; when the ships get over to one end, I just peel off the unused end, move the entire mat down the table, and stick the unused panels in the new space. They were cheap, so I made enough to cover any size table imaginable (I think I made 32 panels). It didn't take long to do the project, and I could do it again in a single weekend if I had to.

I recently discovered this purpose-built bag to carry them, so now I can even carry them across country by plane if I want.

One caveat: if you make a set of these, buy all the mats you need in one batch. You will never be able to find an exact match for the puzzle-piece edges again, so replacements/supplements acquired later won't fit.

- Ix

I saw some vinyl in Dunhelm Mill that would make good sea. It's described as pvc leatherette link

FWIW, War Artisan himself improved on his own sea mats a couple years ago, by adding subtle waves:

Since you're basically creating a painting on a foam surface, the potential of these is only as limited as your imagination and art skills.

Blue 'leather'

I worked on a Regus office space many years ago,they had installed a large sheet of plastic board as a divider that I thought looked like it would be the perfect sea game board. It was a bit expensive I discovered.
But have seen VCT tiles for floors that I think might be good to use.

Napoleonics I use thin blue denim

For WW2 Coastal forces, I use some grey lining cloth…

I've used a navy blue, polyester, fleece blanket for deep water seas.

Also,use cigar box mat.

8'x5' blue vinyl which came with a mottled effect very similar to that in the photo in Yellow Admiral's first post.

I used a dark blue tablecloth for years. Then I went to blue denim. Now, I have two 4x6 mats from Deep Cut Studios.

There are some great ideas there. I like the DIY interlocking tile idea. As I'm in the UK I'll be hunting for those after the holiday. Many thanks guys and have a great Xmas.

A humble blue sheet. Actually it started life as an even more humble white sheet before it became the frothy main.

9 x 6 blue pleather I purchased from a fabric store that was going out of business.