Non-skid oxidation

May 23, 2007
1,306
Catalina Capri 22 Albany, Oregon
Hi all,

Haven’t posted in ages but I’ve got a dilemma that I need some help with. My non-skid started oxidizing badly last year. It’s bad enough to coat your shoe soles which then get slippery! The hull and normal gelcoat areas are in good to great shape. Wondering if I should have been polishing and waxing the non-skid sections too? That seems counterintuitive so looking for suggestions on how to get it under control before we launch this year.

Thanks,

Chris S
2001 Catalina Capri 22 #893
“Verboten”
 
May 17, 2004
5,032
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
We use Woody Wax for our non-skid. It does a pretty good job of preventing staining without making the surface slick.
 
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Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
I read somewhere (MaineSail I think) about compounding the non-skid to get rid of the chaukyness. You use a medium cut compound and a stiff bristle hook-&-loop brush like on floor buffers. I then follow up with woody's.
 
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Jun 25, 2004
1,108
Corsair F24 Mk1 003 San Francisco Bay, CA
Yup. I like Woody wax too. It also helps keep the non skid clean. Be careful when applying it; it’s slippery as heck until it dries.
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,401
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Or is it also the shoe? Sperry is famous for this.

Oxidized in Albany, Oregon? You're far north and the sun is not out all the time. Scrub the deck hard and sail more often (use will keep the oxidation off). It won't come back anytime soon. I'm not a believer in waxing decks.
 
Feb 11, 2015
212
Catalina 22 Lake Jacomo
I use the PoliGlow system on my boat. I know PG isn't for everyone, and I'm certainly not advocating that you put it on your decks, but I will say that the PoliPrep cleaning solution does a phenomenal job of dissolving chalky oxidation. It works great on non-skid with a stiff nail brush and you can then use something like Woody Wax to protect it.
 
May 7, 2012
1,338
Hunter e33 Maple Bay, BC
Yup. I like Woody wax too. It also helps keep the non skid clean. Be careful when applying it; it’s slippery as heck until it dries.
+1 for Woody Wax.
The idea is to be as non-aggressive as possible but still get the results that you want. Wash with boat soap to clean off heavy soil, use mild abrasive cleaner (grit depends on the level of dirt and oxidation), wash with boat soap again to remove any residue and then Woody Wax. Lots of on your knees time and lots of elbow grease. A bottle of Woody Wax will last multiple years (as in maybe 10 for a 22' boat). A little goes a long ways.
Note: I use surgical scrub brushes with the cleaner to get into the valleys of the non-skid.
 
Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
...I don’t wax my deck at all...

Greg
Woody's is not really wax. It is from Woody's Surf Shop and was developed to give surf boards great foot grip and a bit of shine and protection. If it will keep you on your feet on a surf board it will give you good grip on your non-skid.
 
Feb 16, 2017
164
259
Use the boat more! the oils in skins I think is the best thing.
Here is the problem with Woody's it attracts/traps dirt and then when walking on the deck it grinds the dirt it into the deck and acts like sandpaper.
Try using Dawn dish soap, use a soft scrub brush. Short of applying any chemicals ie.. waxes, cleaners, these only make the deck slippery when wet.
Barkeeper friend is good for some things like Stainless Steel non-polished surfaces, and it leaves film to brighten the gel coat but it is no different than using Ajax on your deck, it's sanding your decks while you clean them.