I bought a 27' boat a few months back and am trying to get ready for my first summer. I have commissioned to have the boat put on the hill and bottom painted, at the same time I am changing the name and port and this will be done at same time. My boat is in good shape below but topside could use a freshen up. I was thinking of painting the non skid walk areas my self, should be simple, tape and paint right?? Please if you have done this share some insight. Peace
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Non-skid
I painted decks on my old H25 last year. Grinding off the old painted on non-skid was the biggest pain. I don't know if your current non-skid is molded in or painted on. If you non-skid is molded in, I'd think twice before painting. The paint may tend to fill in the non-skid texture. I used the Interlux non-skid paint additive mixed according to manufacturer's suggestions. It functions well a nd cleans easily. You might also want to use a flattening agent to reduce the gloss of the paint, particularly if non-skid is white. Taping corners is also a problem. I put tape down and then cut corners out using various round objects for different radious.
I painted decks on my old H25 last year. Grinding off the old painted on non-skid was the biggest pain. I don't know if your current non-skid is molded in or painted on. If you non-skid is molded in, I'd think twice before painting. The paint may tend to fill in the non-skid texture. I used the Interlux non-skid paint additive mixed according to manufacturer's suggestions. It functions well a nd cleans easily. You might also want to use a flattening agent to reduce the gloss of the paint, particularly if non-skid is white. Taping corners is also a problem. I put tape down and then cut corners out using various round objects for different radious.
additional info
Ricks advice is good. I would add this to it. Use any quality floor paint and mix micro ballons with it. This is a dry product that consists of small equal size spheres. This will give your non skid a good grip,and you can still walk on it barefoot. Use a roller and paint in the shade. worked for me Good luck red
Ricks advice is good. I would add this to it. Use any quality floor paint and mix micro ballons with it. This is a dry product that consists of small equal size spheres. This will give your non skid a good grip,and you can still walk on it barefoot. Use a roller and paint in the shade. worked for me Good luck red
Non Skid
I also prefer "micro-balloons", the pattern is not as tight as the "sand-like" density provided by manufacturer additives and easier to clean. I did use a flattening agent to cut reflection. Taping is not that difficult, but is the secret to suvvess. Buy the right tape, and take your time! The thinner green tape goes around gentle radiuses quite well. For a tighthter round radius, use small strips, and go piece by piece around the radius. I used the smaller dense foam rollers (6" and 3") which leave a perfectly smooth finish, and a 1" brush for detail work. I painted along the inside of the toerail and around the foredeck gear by hand first before using the roller on the rest. Shade is nice to have, but I've done it in sunlight as well. Start in the morning, and fill your paint tray mixing well with enough paint for a section at a time. For my H27, I cleaned, prepped, and taped on Saturday. Had beer or two, admired my work, and went home. Next morning I had everything painted, including the cockpit, in about four hours. Had a beer or two (again), and admired my work (again). Tape came off the next day, and a single-edge razor blade was used to remove excess paint as needed to straighten any lines, etc. Don't let the tape sit there for a week!
I also prefer "micro-balloons", the pattern is not as tight as the "sand-like" density provided by manufacturer additives and easier to clean. I did use a flattening agent to cut reflection. Taping is not that difficult, but is the secret to suvvess. Buy the right tape, and take your time! The thinner green tape goes around gentle radiuses quite well. For a tighthter round radius, use small strips, and go piece by piece around the radius. I used the smaller dense foam rollers (6" and 3") which leave a perfectly smooth finish, and a 1" brush for detail work. I painted along the inside of the toerail and around the foredeck gear by hand first before using the roller on the rest. Shade is nice to have, but I've done it in sunlight as well. Start in the morning, and fill your paint tray mixing well with enough paint for a section at a time. For my H27, I cleaned, prepped, and taped on Saturday. Had beer or two, admired my work, and went home. Next morning I had everything painted, including the cockpit, in about four hours. Had a beer or two (again), and admired my work (again). Tape came off the next day, and a single-edge razor blade was used to remove excess paint as needed to straighten any lines, etc. Don't let the tape sit there for a week!
Painting Non-Skid
I've painted my non-skid surfaces twice in nine years. As with any painting, preparation is extremely important. I lightly sanded the areas, and after wiping with a solvent rag, washed thoroughly with boat soap and brush, then allowed complete drying. Interlux single-part polyurethane with non-skid compound has worked well. There has been no peeling or flaking of paint, but the grit does wear off. The only disapointment has been with an uneven gloss. So, next time I'll use a flattening agent as suggested by others here. The neat thing about painting non-skid is that you don't need to worry about bugs landing in the wet paint. They just add to the non-skid qualities. Sorry!
I've painted my non-skid surfaces twice in nine years. As with any painting, preparation is extremely important. I lightly sanded the areas, and after wiping with a solvent rag, washed thoroughly with boat soap and brush, then allowed complete drying. Interlux single-part polyurethane with non-skid compound has worked well. There has been no peeling or flaking of paint, but the grit does wear off. The only disapointment has been with an uneven gloss. So, next time I'll use a flattening agent as suggested by others here. The neat thing about painting non-skid is that you don't need to worry about bugs landing in the wet paint. They just add to the non-skid qualities. Sorry!
Painting non-skid
I have painted the non-skid portion of the decks on my 79 Hunter 30. The color was worn off, but the orginal non-skid compound was still in good shape. I used Interlux Brightside enamel and added a 1/2 pint can of flattner to the quart. I did not add any additional non-skid compound and the deck still has plenty of grip. I have scurbbed it many times in the last 4 years since I painted it and it has held up great. I did not do any taping, other then around the teak rails. If you have a steady hand you may not need to tape off the deck. If you do, make sure you take the tape off the next day. The biggest part of any paint job is the prep. Take your time and make sure the decks are absolutly clean and use the solvent mentioned on the paint can to wipe down the surface just prior to painting. As for color, my orginal deck was painted a very light grey or maybe it just faded over the years. I choose a grey that was a few shades darker which really cut down on the glare of the decks on a sunny day. Good Luck.
I have painted the non-skid portion of the decks on my 79 Hunter 30. The color was worn off, but the orginal non-skid compound was still in good shape. I used Interlux Brightside enamel and added a 1/2 pint can of flattner to the quart. I did not add any additional non-skid compound and the deck still has plenty of grip. I have scurbbed it many times in the last 4 years since I painted it and it has held up great. I did not do any taping, other then around the teak rails. If you have a steady hand you may not need to tape off the deck. If you do, make sure you take the tape off the next day. The biggest part of any paint job is the prep. Take your time and make sure the decks are absolutly clean and use the solvent mentioned on the paint can to wipe down the surface just prior to painting. As for color, my orginal deck was painted a very light grey or maybe it just faded over the years. I choose a grey that was a few shades darker which really cut down on the glare of the decks on a sunny day. Good Luck.
The method I used , worked well on 6 other boats .
The method is simple, I first masked a 2" wide strip down the centerline from anchorwell to cabin, I then devided my side decks into three sections, from the cabin area, I went port and strbrd, with a 2" strip, I radiused all the corners 2"R, I painted one section at a time anchorwell lid, port & strbrd forepeaks, and 3 side deck sections per side I laid down a heavy coat of paint, then with a plactic jar with it's cover drilled like a salt shaker, I sprinkled down 30to 65 grit clean sand until I could not see any wet sand remainding, after 2 hours, I brushed off the excess sand and vacumed it, then went over with a second coat of paint ontop of the attached sand, and it looked and felt great, then I moved to the next section and so on until decks, cabintop and cockpit were done, my total cost was $31.00, 5 qts paint, masking tape, paint brushes, and a pint of white gloss enamal where the 2" wide strips were, these became my rain and sea water runoff chanels, The paint I used was bought at home depot, American best outdoor porch paint, blended to my desired color, I've tried the best marine paints, and the gloss doesn't last 6 months, this cheap stuf, has lasted longer and still looks great, and the 6 other boats that followed this plan, are all doing great under florida hot weather, P.S. Yes you do have to prepair the surfaces, prior to paint, but with this method, repair patches, if any are not visable, and if the texture is a little too rough for your feet add a 2nd top coat.
The method is simple, I first masked a 2" wide strip down the centerline from anchorwell to cabin, I then devided my side decks into three sections, from the cabin area, I went port and strbrd, with a 2" strip, I radiused all the corners 2"R, I painted one section at a time anchorwell lid, port & strbrd forepeaks, and 3 side deck sections per side I laid down a heavy coat of paint, then with a plactic jar with it's cover drilled like a salt shaker, I sprinkled down 30to 65 grit clean sand until I could not see any wet sand remainding, after 2 hours, I brushed off the excess sand and vacumed it, then went over with a second coat of paint ontop of the attached sand, and it looked and felt great, then I moved to the next section and so on until decks, cabintop and cockpit were done, my total cost was $31.00, 5 qts paint, masking tape, paint brushes, and a pint of white gloss enamal where the 2" wide strips were, these became my rain and sea water runoff chanels, The paint I used was bought at home depot, American best outdoor porch paint, blended to my desired color, I've tried the best marine paints, and the gloss doesn't last 6 months, this cheap stuf, has lasted longer and still looks great, and the 6 other boats that followed this plan, are all doing great under florida hot weather, P.S. Yes you do have to prepair the surfaces, prior to paint, but with this method, repair patches, if any are not visable, and if the texture is a little too rough for your feet add a 2nd top coat.
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