Hunter 34 deck non skid needs painting

Dec 2, 2003
208
Hunter 34 Forked River, NJ
The gelcoat on the deck non skid is badly worn, and I plan to paint it in spring. I would like to use Kiwi Grip, but wonder it is possible.
Has anyone done this?
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
I applied Kiwi Grip, which a lot of sailors like, on 1987 Hunter 31 cockpit but did not like its finish and cleanabilty. Do a search on this forum site on "kiwigrip" Search results | Sailboat Owners Forums to see what other have said about it. Instead of Kiwigrip I am planning to apply Algrip's 4 part system....topcoat, converter, reducer and flattener (to reduce the gloss to semi-gloss) on my 1984 boat's patterned non skid this month.

Best Non Skid Boat Deck Paints - Better Sailing
12 Best Boat Deck Paints for Non-skid, Fiberglass & Wooden Deck (boatingbasicsonline.com)
 
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Apr 22, 2011
865
Hunter 27 Pecan Grove, Oriental, NC
I painted Kiwi-Grip on the non-skid areas of my 84 H27 over three years ago. It still looks great. In the cockpit area where there is a lot of traffic, it has worn well but does take a brush to clean up. By altering how it is applied, you can control the peaks of the paint and make it smoother or toothier. Because it goes on in a fairly thick layer, it has concealed several spots of gelcoat crazing. It took me a lot longer to tape off than to paint.
 

Artey1

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Jul 18, 2019
165
Hunter 34 Oklahoma
We did Total Boat Total Tread in light gray. I don't have experience with any other non-skids though. It went on well, 2 coats, and has been very durable except where my wife accidentally hit it with the orbital when working on another project - at least its easy to touch up. We only scuffed with 80 grit and did not do the recommended primer. I probably would if I were to do it again just to get the extra longevity. The grit doesn't hurt bare feet but it does actually get pretty hot. If I were to go again I would choose white the next time around.
 

PJL

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Apr 22, 2014
47
Hunter 42 Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico
I have a neighbor boat that has Kiwi-Grip and the owner applied it himself. Depending on the speed of the roller the finish can be vastly different: tall and aggressive or shorter and less aggressive... Am currently having non-skid applied to my boat using a "sand" system. One of my other neighbors did this recently and I am using the same company. I have added a second top-coat and things look great!

One of the previous owners had painted the factory dimpled non-skid (good when dry and useless when wet) a light gray. In this climate that was impossible to walk on barefooted even after only a very short time in the sun. The new surface is an off white non-gloss and is easy to walk on even after hours in the sun. If one is going to be in any type of warm/sunny climate.... AVOID THE GREY <G> Oh, the new color also keeps the inside several degrees cooler!!!
 

Artey1

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Jul 18, 2019
165
Hunter 34 Oklahoma
Whats the name of that specific synthetic teak product? I've seen many, and gotten samples of Lonseal before, but in hand it looks very "fake". The picture you shows looks way less like a roll of plastic.
 
Dec 22, 2013
14
Hunter 34 Oak Harbor
Whats the name of that specific synthetic teak product? I've seen many, and gotten samples of Lonseal before, but in hand it looks very "fake". The picture you shows looks way less like a roll of plastic.
The synthetic teak we used was manufactured by PlasDeck. They have a DIY section that has everything you need with installation videos and instructions. We were hesitant at first because the adhesive that you put down is this thick black goo, and we were afraid of ruining our deck. After we worked up the courage, it was really fairly easy. The material cuts nicely with a hook blade utility knife and the excessive adhesive goo cleans off of the fiberglass with denatured alcohol (really not lying!). Speaking of cleaning off the adhesive, the process of wiping up the excessive adhesive works some of the color into the "grain" making each plank look slightly different. So it looks better once it's been installed than when you first see the rolls. You can san it to smooth edges just make sure to sand with the direction of the grain.

Hope this helps! We are super pleased and it provides a lot more grip than the old non-skid!

Ryan
 
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Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
Just applied 2 coats of Awlgip color-matched polyester urethane topcoat paint with converter and reducer Awlgrip Polyester Urethane Topcoat |Awlgrip Topside Paint (bottompaintstore.com) to 600 sqft of patterned non-skid. Makes the 37-year od boat non-skid look close to new and is not slippery, leaves no scuff marks and cleans easily. For your sailboat, might consider adding some flattener to reduce it's gloss for improved traction, albeit reduces it durability according to Awlgrip's U.S. technical specialist.

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Jan 24, 2017
666
Hunter 34 Toms River Nj
jk Kudera,
Just repainted my with interlux bight side polyurethane this past July after it was done about eight years ago. It held up very well over the years and really didn’t need to do it again. Probably would have been good for another four more years with no problembut I had a few rust stains that got into the paint that I just couldn’t get out.
I had a quart of this paint left over from another project that never materialized so I repainted it again.

if I were to do it again I would probably use a thinner to reduce the shine. Can be a little slick when not wearing proper shoes.
I didn’t use any non skid compound except on the anchor well hatch because I always found it to be impossible to keep clean and if you have ever slipped on non skid with the compound mixed into it, it’s like sand paper on your skin. Ouch !
I’m in Toms River Light house point marina, if you would like to look it
 
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