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Hello all,
I plan to ‘re-do’ my deck anti-skid this Winter/Spring, as part of a larger project to fix my deck delamination problems. Two options on the anti-skid project: Painted on or ‘stick-on’ product. I lean towards the painted on for several reasons: 1) More transparently repairable if I change deck configuration or have future deck repairs, 2) Probably cheaper, 3) May be longer lasting, 4) May be easier to renew than peeling up an old stick-on product.
Having said all that, I’m interested in knowing what kind of experience others may have had with either approach. Any thoughts? Many thanks!!
David Tye
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David,
We did a total deck rebuild/paint/non-skid on our C&C last year and used kiwi grip with awesome results. If I had to do it again, I’d put it on a little thicker but that’s a cosmetic issue not functional. Two seasons of exposure / use and it still looks brand new, btw.As I slid down Revery’s damp coach roof and almost busted my @#$ a few weeks ago, I started mentally preparing myself for kiwi gripping her deck as well.
It’s not cheap, but you don’t have to waste a lot of time or money on prep; it sticks to pretty much any clean, non-flaking surface. You can easily vary the texture depending on the area of the deck…for example, lower peaks anywhere you sit or kneel a lot.
It can be tinted at your local paint store, too.On the other hand, we looked at a 422 that had stick on. It was maybe 5 years old and looked horrible. That may have been a cheapo job, though. No direct experience with the high-end stuff.
Evan Morgan
Revery #219
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David
I’d be interested to hear details about your deck delaminating. I’ve had no such problems.My deck gelcoat is tired. I’m sure that most 424’s have the same problem. Once the gloss is gone, the deck traps dirt in the surface, making a deck that is difficult to clean and perpetually dirty. I’ve used several products and coatings over the years.
Treadmaster – This is a rubber sheet product that you glue to your decks. Older versions of the product had problems with shrinkage and adhesion but the latest product I used works well. This is suitable for small areas such as the bridge-deck. I used gray, but its a bit darker than I wanted. It therefore gets hot when the sun hits it. It’s expensive and difficult to properly apply. The latest product they sell holds up well. If I ever need to replace it I’ll play hell removing the stuff.
Teak – There is no way that I’d ever drill holes in my deck to fasten teak planks but I’ve experimented with using epoxy to glue down thin teak strips. It looks nice and is surprisingly not more expensive than Treadmaster. Gluing the strips down is difficult however. I covered the doghouse for the main cabin hatch. The doghouse had delaminated. I drilled several holes in it and injected epoxy but it was still spongy. The teak strips stiffened the doghouse and look nice. I purchased enough teak to cover the cockpit sole but this is a job that will have to wait. Maybe when I retire in a couple of years I’ll lay a sole down in the cockpit.
2-part polyurethane paint. This is the same stuff I sued on my topsides. It wears well, sheds dirt, and holds its gloss but it’s very slippery unless you add nonskid. Even when dry, the deck is slick. I tried adding a walnut shell nonskid powder but it didn’t apply evenly. I gave up on this but may revisit the process. Next time I’ll try applying a non-skid dust coating between two coats. You apply one coat of paint, then use a shaker to dust the surface with fine nonskid powder. When it dries, you blow off the excess with a leaf blower and apply a second coat. The second coat seals the surface and in theory keeps the dirt out.
1-part polyurethane with non-skid. Similar products are sold by both Interlux and Pettit. The nonskid clumps and makes a mess of your deck. I tried mixing it 50/50 with regular 1-part to reduce the nonskid and had a bit of success but the nonskid goes on unevenly and the paint loses its gloss quickly, allowing dirt to get trapped. I painted over the nonskid a couple of times with just 1-part paint but again the application looks good for a year or so, then starts chipping and loses its gloss.
An option I haven’t tried is to paint on a layer of gelcoat over the nonskid using a rough roller. I’ve seen this done and it works. Once you’ve applied paint however, you’d have to remove it. The remaining deck areas that are not nonskid could be painted with 2-part poly.
So far I’ve only coated the side-decks and the cockpit. I’ve done nothing with the top deck and won’t touch it until I find a good process. What I have now provides great traction even when wet but looks dirty all the time. I’m pretty busy right now with a full time job and I’m an officer in my yacht club. This gives me what is effectively a part-time job. Once I retire, I should have time to experiment.
BTW: If your topsides need care, 2-part brushable poly is pretty easy to apply. Once you get them painted, dirt won’t stick to your topsides for years.
Rich
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Rich and Evan, thanks for the replies! A good starting point for me. I’ve done some review on some of the products/methods both of you brought up, and I think the Kiwigrip is probably the way I will go. It gets great reviews from just about everybody who has written one, appears easy to apply, covers up deck inconsistencies, and is really pretty reasonably priced compared to some of the alternatives. Also, I can tint it to whatever color my wife desires (light grey I think). Another benefit is the ability to vary the aggressiveness of the non-skid to the area. The only real question is the longevity, and from what little I was able to garner on that subject, 5-10 years appears reasonable to expect. It doesn’t appear it is too difficult to reapply after it is worn…sand, tape, and overcoat.
To answer the question on the deck delam issue, my decks crackle and pop more than I’d like. They also flex more than I’m accustomed to. I plan to take on the project in sections so I don’t expose more core at a time than I have to…remove the top layer, remove damaged balsa core, install divinicel, replace the top layer, grind, glass, grind, fair, sand, paint. But before I do that, I plan to repair the deck areas around all my stanchion mounting points, and re-install the stanchions with more robust backing plates. This isn’t a project for tomorrow, but should be complete by late Spring. Tomorrow (literally) I hope to install a tang near the top of the mast for a solent stay. Should be interesting…
David
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