Easy non-skid

[Marcq]

Chris, if you are not going to use gelcoat, I highly recommend you to use KiwiGrip, believe me you will love  that stuff, that's what I used on my boat and man that stuff rocks

Marc..

[Mad Dog]

Chris, if you are not going to use gelcoat, I highly recommend you to use KiwiGrip, believe me you will love  that stuff, that's what I used on my boat and man that stuff rocks

Marc..

Ditto!  Very easy to apply.  No mixing.  Cures quickly.  Very durable.  

MD  

[jaycal3]

I know I am showing up late for this party and seem to have revived an old thread (and being a member of a few other forums I know how much people LOVE when that happens! )... but it was linked to another recent thread I was reviewing so my apologies!

I am very interested in seeing more pics and close up pics of this process and finished product.  I am currently trying to decide if I should use Seadek, Kiwigrip or maybe this process if its nice enough and easy enough.  I was thinking of gel coating or interlux painting the boats floor and gunwale walls and then doing one of the above. Does anyone have a recent DIY or pics of this application?  And how does it age?
Thanks in advance,
Jay

[RickK]

Jay, I'll see if I can get a pic of the non-skid in my 170 this weekend - been on there for years but about to come out.  
It is very easy to do, per the directions I gave and as long as you don't make the last coat very heavy, it's extremely non-skid yet easy to clean up. You can also adjust the density of non- skid and even the size of the non-skid (glass bead) that is used.

[jaycal3]

Jay, I'll see if I can get a pic of the non-skid in my 170 this weekend - been on there for years but about to come out.  
It is very easy to do, per the directions I gave and as long as you don't make the last coat very heavy, it's extremely non-skid yet easy to clean up. You can also adjust the density of non- skid and even the size of the non-skid (glass bead) that is used.

Thanks Rick, I would appreciate it.  May I ask why its about to come out?  Something else going down in its place?  And how do the glass beads feel on the feet?

[icemanbryan]

Wow, that looks awesome.
Came out really nice!
I think I will do it for my boat this winter

Thanks much for the idea.

[RickK]

Jay, I'll see if I can get a pic of the non-skid in my 170 this weekend - been on there for years but about to come out.  
It is very easy to do, per the directions I gave and as long as you don't make the last coat very heavy, it's extremely non-skid yet easy to clean up. You can also adjust the density of non- skid and even the size of the non-skid (glass bead) that is used.

Thanks Rick, I would appreciate it.  May I ask why its about to come out?  Something else going down in its place?  And how do the glass beads feel on the feet?

I replaced the sole and foam in my boat back about 14 years ago and all was well. I had a pre-existing and unknown crack/gouge in the keel of my boat that opened up and allowed water to get into the hull about 4 years ago.  Once it was found and repaired all seemed well except later on the sole up front, where the gouge was, started to feel soft and I think the water intrusion had decayed the wood sole from the bottom up.  The small area is pretty soft now.
Anyway, I'm going to rebuild the boat entirely now.  I want to take the bottom back to gelcoat too, so any other hidden damage will be found and repaired.
The feel of the non-skid depends on the last coat of gelcoat that you apply.  Real thin and you can feel the sandy texture more, a little more and the sandy texture starts to get less non-skid.  I put too much on once and couldn't feel the texture at all so I had to grind it back down and start again.  You do little areas at a time so that regrind was not a big deal.  The substrate is key about the longevity of the coating, remember it's gelcoat - if you have a real bouncy deck you might see cracking.  If the deck is solid, so will be the coating.
I'll definitely do the same non-skid after the rebuild.

[rob910]

How should i prep my deck before doing this? i have the orininal deck on my 78 170

[RickK]

I would use some acetone to wipe everything down to remove wax and stuff and then scruff up the areas that you'll be doing this on with 80 grit on a grinder - don't have to sand too much, just rough it up. This is a very simple way to get non-skid.

[MrWesson]

What about skipping the painters tape and going all nonskid?

I have paint on my deck so I assume I have to remove all of it?

Does the painters taped smooth areas help with cleanup?

[Capt. Bob]

Does the painters taped smooth areas help with cleanup?

It aids in the flow of water across the deck. That might make cleanup easier from the point of moving material from the non skid to the back of the boat with a hose.

[RickK]

What about skipping the painters tape and going all nonskid?

You could - your call.

I have paint on my deck so I assume I have to remove all of it?

I think you need to remove as much as you can by using a grinder with 8 grit on it. Then wipe it with Acetone.

Does the painters taped smooth areas help with cleanup?

The builders that use this technique start with a smooth surface and then they spray gelcoat where the water run lines will be, so it's nice and smooth.  Then they buff that up to get the smooth shine.  Then they tape it off where the runs will be and then roll or spray gelcoat in between the tape, sprinkle glass beads and then the rest is like my instructions.
Water runs are what they sound like - aid in water running off the decks.

[MrWesson]

What about this gelcoat?

Pure White Gelcoat
Our standard pure white gelcoat is designed for exterior use in virtually all types of marine, automotive and general part construction and repair.
No wax added. Pigment can be added to change the color of the gelcoat but any color added will be offset by the pure white color.

http://www.uscomposites.com/polyesters.html

Cant post exact link but its a bit more than halfway down the page.

Under $50 a gallon before shipping.

[RickK]

Should work.  Don't make this too hard, it's a very simple process.

[slvrlng]

Hazmat shipping is going to kill the price. Dang VOCs.