First we cleaned the deck really well, a couple times. All the nooks and crannies. Then we did some sanding. The edges of the toe rail, any rough spots. There were maybe a couple dozen nicks in the gel coat that I filled and sanded. Removed all of the snaps and screws for the dodger and enclosure. We will only use the bimini, the rest had a couple bad zippers, the clear parts weren't clear and I really did not like all the little twist locks mounted around the edge of the cock pit. They looked like bare foot / flip flop toe catchers to me anyway.... so they all came off and holes filled and sanded. The old SR Mariner depth and knot gauges came off and left 4" holes to be patched and fared. Then more cleaning. Then some fine sanding and a final cleaning / degreasing with Simple Green cleaner. We actually did not add anything to the non - skid. Then we taped up the toe rail, hatches, ports, companion way and a few pieces of hardware. We had already taken most of the cleats, winches, etc. off. Then we dry clothed the whole thing to get any grit or crevices missed. Then we painted, trying to be careful and wipe up any outdoor type dander that blew in. We had to quit halfway through the first day because of a swarm of gnats.
But very pleased with how it turned out. The last boat I did this with, I did not prep as well, and it still held up very nicely. I will keep a bit of paint on board for any touch up that comes along.
Highly recommend this if you don't want to spend a lot of dough on a pro spray job. Take your time, clean it well and prep it and paint it.