He Wanted to Make Boats Safer. First, He Had to Bet on Himself.

CASE IN POINT

Real people. Real decisions. Stories worth telling.

The first boat belonged to a friend named Jason. For David Odell, owner of Tampa-based Deck Armor Inc., that job would reveal something bigger than an opportunity to sell marine flooring.

When Jason entrusted David with his boat, it was an early test of a passion David had carried for years. He wanted to share his love for boats and being on the water with more people, and the floor gave him a way to do that: a surface that made the boating lifestyle safer and more enjoyable for families like his. Dogs, babies, and all.

After the first installation, Jason told David he could invite more people aboard because his boat was safer. David explained that Jason has a friend with MS and a child with autism, and that both could now join him on the water. That moment showed David he was offering more than a new floor: he was helping make boating safer and more accessible.

David grew up around the water, tubing on the lake and fishing offshore aboard a family boat that was worn but treasured. Those experiences sparked a love of boating—and showed him how quickly a wet deck could become dangerous.

He had watched familiar marine flooring options deteriorate: carpet could rot, foam could peel, and paint could flake. He wanted a more durable, slip-resistant surface that would remain bonded to a deck through sun, salt and constant use.

The material that eventually became central to Deck Armor had already existed for nearly four decades. David did not invent it. What he saw was an opportunity to bring an under-marketed product to boat owners who might benefit from it.

Today, his Tampa shop hand-trowels granulated rubber flooring onto boats, docks and waterfront platforms. Each installation can be customized with colors, designs, lettering and logos. But having the product knowledge was not the same as having the money to launch a business.

After years of thinking about the idea, the breakthrough arrived at a wedding. The boss of David’s wife, Caroline, was getting married. David recalls that the bride and her fiancé each had one invitation to extend outside the family. Caroline received one. The other went to Justin Jones, the man who would become David’s business partner.

David and Justin got talking about the flooring product and the business David hoped to launch. David was candid about what stood in his way: he knew the product and wanted to get started, but he lacked the capital to do it properly. They met again a week later and decided to move forward together, with David’s knowledge and Justin’s capital. Today Justin is co-owner of Deck Armor.

The idea finally became a company. Yet that decision brought an entirely different level of responsibility.

David says Caroline’s income helped carry their household for the better part of two years while he built Deck Armor. Her support, love and belief in the business helped him through difficult days. Beneath the excitement of entrepreneurship was the fear of disappointing the people who were counting on him.

Asked what frightened him most about starting, David put it plainly: “Letting people down. My family and my customers.” He says he worked through that fear by praying and doing his best each day.

In the early days, Deck Armor completed a number of jobs free or at cost to get the product on the water and earn references. That helped demonstrate the product, but David says it took longer than he expected for those references to turn into a business that could pay everyone on time.

Now, he says, recommendations are central to how new customers find the shop: “Most of our work comes from a captain telling another captain at the dock.” The trust behind those referrals is something Deck Armor earns through the work itself.

He also discovered that doing excellent technical work was only part of the job. Selling the service, managing operations and communicating with customers, the crew and his partner demanded just as much attention. “Most problems I have had were a conversation that happened too late,” he reflected.

Then came a lesson about the order in which a company should grow.

During Deck Armor's first full year, David stepped away from much of the selling to build a franchise program. He remains proud of that work, but his original Tampa location ran below its potential while he focused on expansion.

If he could start that chapter again, he says he'd strengthen the Tampa operation and get it running more independently before shifting so much attention to franchising.

Growth isn't always the same thing as progress. The next opportunity can become a costly distraction when the business already paying the bills isn't receiving what it needs.

The craft itself remains intensely hands-on. Every boat is different: each substrate, coating, weather condition and customer expectation calls for judgment. David says his team meets customers, shares progress photos and walks through the completed flooring with them before pickup.

Looking back on the decision to build a franchise program before his Tampa operation was fully established, David distilled the lesson into one sentence:

David’s next goal is to build a network of locally owned Deck Armor shops in boating communities around the country. According to David, the company has franchise locations in Florida, Georgia, Washington and Puerto Rico and is working to register in additional states. He wants Tampa to remain the headquarters and the place where every new owner learns the trade.

David describes Deck Armor as veteran-owned and says the small team runs the shop like a crew, taking the work personally. He wants the company to be known for two things: the flooring and the people who install it.

For anyone holding onto an idea because the first step feels intimidating, his advice is practical: “Go do one. Not the business, one job. Find one customer, do the work, get paid, and see how it feels.”

David's journey reveals a financial lesson that extends beyond boating: protect the operation that supports today before wagering everything on the opportunity of tomorrow.

Before chasing the next market or location, an owner should be able to answer a few basic questions: Is the current operation bringing in dependable revenue? Can it cover its expenses and maintain adequate cash reserves? Are the sales and operating processes strong enough to grow without starving the original business of time and attention?

Those are practical questions drawn from the lesson in David’s experience—not a formula for every business, but a reminder that expansion should rest on a healthy foundation.

There's also a part of this story no financial statement can fully capture: Caroline's contribution. Her income and encouragement made room for David to build something uncertain. Those sacrifices belong in the story of the business, too.

Building a legacy isn't only about how far a company can grow. It's also about the people who make the journey possible and whether what you're creating can endure.

Name: David Odell

Business/Organization: Deck Armor Inc.

What they do: Custom marine flooring for boats, docks and waterfront platforms, plus franchise opportunities for hands-on owner-operators.

Website: deckarmor.com

Connect: @deckarmorinc on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn

Visit: 217 S 78th Street, Tampa, FL 33619 · Call: (813) 434-0395

If this story brought someone to mind, send it to them. Sometimes seeing another builder's journey is the encouragement a person needs.

Build It. Protect It. Pass It On.