Nonskid painting

[Makani]

My nonskid on my 1988 Catalina 34 is showing some wear. I am seeing grey/silver spots wearing through. It has been suggested locally that I paint, but to be careful and not apply too much as to ruin the effectiveness of the nonskid.

Any suggestions? Am I on the right track? What paint to use? How to prep surface?

Thanks.

[Stephen Butler]

We are getting some cracking in our non-skid, so asked our local yard for some "cost effective" solutions and advise.  They recommended the following diy procedure:  First scrub well with MEK, then switch to Comet (bathroom cleaner) to rough up the surface, and rinse very well.  Tape off the prep'd non-skid areas and use a small roller to apply new non-skid over the old.  The finish will be a "random" pattern rather than the "checkered" pattern we currently have.  Will do somemore research, but looked at a 2005 C387 with this type of non-skid finish and it looked acceptable.  The yard also strongly suggested that when we do the job, we should change from our current light gray to a light beige....much cooler on the feet and below.

[SeaFever]

Steve,

What is this 'new non-skid' that they are suggesting? Do post the info and your learning from the project. Thanks.

If you can, some before and after pictures would be great...

[Steve Michel]

I used (Grey) Interlux nonskid and have been impressed with how it is wearing.....Hard use over several months last year, and it still looks good this year....never covered it over winter, and it still washes up pretty good.

Prep was the hardest part. ...Sanded the entire deck lightly with 120 grit, and a wire brush to get in between the ridges....Applied 2 coats with 2-3 inch brush (stiff), and don't walk on it for several days....I painted ALL of the nonskid.....it's a little rough on your knees, but rolling it on didn't seem like a good option, as it seemed to create bubbles in the surface.

The nonskid surface really is effective, wet decks are no longer an issue....I think it's a pretty good product.

I've had a lot of positive comments about how good it looks!

[Ted Pounds]

Steve,
Thanks for the info.  I was just thinking about re-doing the non-skid on my little 19 foot daysailer. This is why I still hang out here even though I sold my C34 over 4 years ago.  Lots of great info and ideas. 

[SeaFever]

Steve,

Thanks. You mean Interlux Interdeck, correct? How many qts did you need for the deck? Do you still see the pattern of the original non-skid? Or is that gone completely? This thing contains a fine substrate. How fine is it? Next time you are on the boat could you take a close up picture in daylight and post it?

I have a similar situation as yours and have been toying with the idea of non-skid repair. Either paint or repair with a pattern. The later is by using the non-skid from Masepoxies and is very labor intensive.

[Ed Shankle]

Last year I was going to use the Interdeck, until I realized it had grit in it. Didn't think applying that over a patterned deck would look so good and definitely wouldn't feel good on bare knees, feet, etc. So after talking with a couple of more experienced people who voiced reluctance to painting over a gell coated deck, I took their advice and used gell coat that I tinted the same color. Did the foredeck as a test, plus, that was where I had all the wear (black substrate showing through). Rolled it on after cleaning, solvent wash and taping. It's holding up well. When I eventually do the entire deck, I'll do two coats.

Ed

[SeaFever]

Good post Ed. This is exactly the reason for my question(s) on the substrate to Steve. Could you post details of the gelcoat product used? How difficult was it to match colors? How much product did you need for the specific area you covered? Thanks.

[Ed Shankle]

Mahendra,
I just used the 2 part Interlux white, I don't recall the particular part number. Tinted it with gray concentrated tint. Again, I don't recall the particular brand, but it's the stuff West Marine carries. Yes, matching can be a little tedious, but I just added a bit at a time until I thought I had it. Just don't add the hardner until you're done matching the color! There was still a slight difference in color, in part I think because of the "old vs new" look. This year it looks more the same with a year's aging (grime). But it pass the "10 ft" test. Because some of the non-skid pattern had chipped or worn off, I was concerned about water absorption into the deck, so my fix was more functional than cosmetic in intent.
As I mentioned, I did only the fordeck. Specifically, the anchor locker hatch and the foredeck aft to just past the front of the coach roof, where there is a break in the pattern.
I mixed up a quart, but consumed less. I rolled it on, which goes on smoothly and most importantly, quickly. Got to work fast once the hardner is mixed in.

Ed

[Clay Greene]

I have used Interlux Interdeck to paint the cockpit floor.  If you are careful not to apply too much paint, the nonskid pattern will look the same.  Much improved and the nonskid performance is the same, maybe better.  We did have one little chip over the course of the summer but that is far better than what it was previously. 

[Jeff Tancock]

What colour is your deck and did the paint colout match well?

[Clay Greene]

Our deck is grey.  I painted the entire cockpit floor so it did not need to match the rest of the boat.  The painted surface is definitely a little darker so I personally would have to paint the entire deck rather than just one section.  The difference would be noticeable. 

It really does look a lot better, though.  The challenge would be getting the right weather conditions and avoiding getting debris on the boat while it cures.  I did the cockpit floor under our winter cover this spring and that was perfect but that would not work for the rest of the boat. 

[MarkT]

I painted my C27 a few years ago before moving up to the 34.
The best time to paint is in early spring before everything starts flowering and before the gnats and bugs are an issue. Mask just a fraction of an inch outside the existing nonskid. Cover all the rest of the area with paper so you can't make a mess.
Do the job in sections. I found I could only paint so much before the wind got up in the morning. Then I would mask the area for the next morning and remove the tape from the area I did the day before.

Most important. Don't leave that blue tape on any longer than you absolutely must. If it decides to stick then it is a bear to get off.
In the words of a car painter --- "better to paint a little chrome than to miss a spot" Be sure when you mask the fittings that you don't mask the deck you want to paint.

If you are putting down multiple coats then mix the first coat with some of the primer. This makes it a different color so you can see where you are going with the second coat. This is especially important for the glossy areas if you do more painting than just nonskid. I found also that the interlux thinner and cleaner were great products and you will want to clean all the area with the cleaner solvent before putting down the first coat.

Mark Tamblyn