Non skid paint questions

Aug 17, 2013
1,096
Pearson P30 202 Ottawa/Gatineau
Hello all, happy new year to all
New year means more boat projects

we are looking for a nice wearing non skid paint for our 1972 Pearson P30
We would like blue in colour, our local chandlery seems to carry kiwigrip but no blue
We are in Canada so trying to buy somewhat local to minimize shipping cost.

so our deck is already light blue, we love it, but after over 53 years it needs love.
any info and input would be greatly appreciated
Thank you in advance
 

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
23,823
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I have become partial to Alexseal products. My boat paint job is high on the project list for 2026.

A distributor of Alexseal paints, Home may be able to help. You could find a local retailer through them. Alexseal has been a product used by Andy of Boatworks Today. He is located in the UP of Michigan. He has produced several How-To videos that can help a DIY boater tackle such issues. I liked his review of soft-sand. It leads me to recognize that a nonskid is not always stippled paint or molded fiberglass. Many colors are available.
 
Sep 24, 2018
4,040
Catalina 30 MKIII Chicago
I had Interlux Inter-skid on a boat once. It was as abrasive as your bare feet could handle without being uncomfortable. We occasionally got road rash when softer skin rubbed up against it. That said, grip was never an issue. PM me if you want what I have for free. There should be enough to get a good idea of how it performs.
 

PaulK

.
Dec 1, 2009
1,458
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
We tried Interdeck. It looked good for a while, but didn't hold up well. (About a season before it started to look shabby.) Can Kiwigrip be tinted? Ask them! A local paint shop might be able to match the color you want at a reasonable cost.

For our decks we ended up going with AwlGrip and their nonskid granules, rolled on with a short nap roller. Short nap is not destroyed by the solvents the way foam rollers are. (No tipping afterwards, so pretty easy.) Since it is for the deck you add a dose of their de-glossing fluid. You tape off the nonskid areas, paint them with the nonskid, one coat. Then you remove the masking tape and paint over the whole deck without mixing the granules into the paint, one or two coats depending upon how much it needs. Our decks held up for about a dozen years.
 
Last edited:
Sep 24, 2018
4,040
Catalina 30 MKIII Chicago
We tried Interdeck. It looked good for a while, but didn't hold up well. (About a season before it started to look shabby.) Can Kiwigrip be tinted? Ask them! A local paint shop might be able to match the color you want at a reasonable cost.

For our decks we ended up going with AwlGrip and their nonskid granules, rolled on with a short nap roller. Short nap is not destroyed by the solvents the way foam rollers are. (No tipping afterwards, so pretty easy.) Since it is for the deck you add a dose of their de-glossing fluid. You tape off the nonskid areas, paint them with the nonskid, one coat. Then you remove the masking tape and paint over the whole deck without mixing the granules into the paint, one or two coats depending upon how much it needs. Our decks held up for about a dozen years.
If not, can you paint over non-skid with the desired color?
 

PaulK

.
Dec 1, 2009
1,458
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
If not, can you paint over non-skid with the desired color?
You can paint over the nonskid pattern in a fiberglass deck if you like, but painting once means painting it again when it wears off. (About 12 years later in our case.) Avoid it if possible because of this. Fiberglass gelcoat is much thicker and tougher than any paint. In our case I had filled divots in the deck with expoxygoop, which turned a horrible brown from UV degradation, so it had to be painted over to hide them. Painting over Kiwigrip or other softer or rubbery surfaces is not a good idea. They aren't stable enough and paint won't adhere well to them. If the OP doesn't like the original Kiwigrip color it may be possible to tint it to make it more attractive. Tints might make Kiwigrip decompose, however. Hence the call to ask the manufacturer about doing this.