So I laid down the non skid strips on my 170. I bought the non skid sold on this site. They are pre-cut to a little longer then originals. Turns out the new stuff is slightly wider then 6" and the factory stuff was just under 6".
I measured the old ones and used a cutter board with one of those rotary cutters to make the ends square.
Looking at the ends of the originals it appears they put the corner radius on and they were hand cut with scissors. One corner was cut slightly different then the other on all 4 ends. Mine had the same problem as it is how a right hander person would cut with scissors. I made a template of the nicest looking corner and traced it on the backside with a pencil. FWIW my originals were 9' 10 3/4" long.
I used a pencil to outline the area where the strips were on the floor of the hull. The best impressions were on the stern end.
I used 3 people to lay them down. One standing off the stern. One at the bow just holding the non-skid straight and one peeling the cover off and rubbing the non-skid flat. Was quick and painless and I was doing my best to wipe away any small bits as I go.
After putting them down I noticed that they were not positioned exactly the same. The port side was pretty parallel to the center bump. Starboard was angled slightly outward. Both were laid down between the lines made from the original pieces so it is not an error my part.
When I was down I felt they looked good. Have a few minor 'bumps' from something small underneath.
With the application of the non-skid I am done with all the major work.
Next is to learn how to put it together and take it apart. With some weather luck I might be able to get out on the water before Memorial Day.
I measured the old ones and used a cutter board with one of those rotary cutters to make the ends square.
Looking at the ends of the originals it appears they put the corner radius on and they were hand cut with scissors. One corner was cut slightly different then the other on all 4 ends. Mine had the same problem as it is how a right hander person would cut with scissors. I made a template of the nicest looking corner and traced it on the backside with a pencil. FWIW my originals were 9' 10 3/4" long.
I used a pencil to outline the area where the strips were on the floor of the hull. The best impressions were on the stern end.
I used 3 people to lay them down. One standing off the stern. One at the bow just holding the non-skid straight and one peeling the cover off and rubbing the non-skid flat. Was quick and painless and I was doing my best to wipe away any small bits as I go.
After putting them down I noticed that they were not positioned exactly the same. The port side was pretty parallel to the center bump. Starboard was angled slightly outward. Both were laid down between the lines made from the original pieces so it is not an error my part.
When I was down I felt they looked good. Have a few minor 'bumps' from something small underneath.
With the application of the non-skid I am done with all the major work.
Next is to learn how to put it together and take it apart. With some weather luck I might be able to get out on the water before Memorial Day.
