Non Skid refurbishing

[bill kirch]

I plan to refurbish my non -skid on a H 34. Is it better to use gelcoat or paint. If gelcoat what is the process to roll or brush it on.

 

[Jim WIllis]

Refurbishing Non-Skid

Redoing the non-skid with paint grit is definately easier and will have better grip. I may do my cockpit floor someday soon and that is what I had planned, but with two-part (catalyzed) epoxy paint. Why? Epoxy weathers better and sticks better than any other material. I have epoxy on a spare rudder that has no appreciable signs of weathering in almost 4 yours. Previous to that (done in a hurry) it was just coated in clear polyester resin that was already flaking and went "milky" in the water.Two part paint also means that if you get varnish on it or sealant or tar etc, you can remove it without destroying the painted surface. I use IG Pink for this purpose. YOu can use solvents (xylene etc) but NOT acetone or MEK.On the other hand gelcoat non-skid looks better and if you only have a small repair to make (I have a few stress cracks here and there) it is easy to color match and "touch up" (see Fiberglass TRilogy II).I have not done this myself but have talked to people who have. If the localized area is "cross hatched" you could make a reverse mould using silastic mould making materials (see www.TAPplastics.com). THey also can supply fibergalss and gelcoat repair materials.Stippled gelcoat non-skid is commonly used on new boats and is apparently very easy to apply. The expert on this is David Collingon of Fiberglass Hawaii in Santa Cruz CA. His phone number is 831 476 7464. The technique is to use Cab-O-Sil thickened gelcoat of the appropriate color and lay it onto a proerly prepared and "keyed" surface using a roller to make the stipples. Obviously some practice is requred and proper masking of the surrounding are. Use tape and/or our masking gel. The nice thing about gelcoat is that it is easy to clean up and manipulate.Hope this is of some help. I will be trying some of this someday soon myself.ThanksJim WillisI you have

 

[Ed Schenck]

Used one-part.

So far just my locker seats and cockpit sole. Used Brightside Off-white with Interlux non-skid. I mixed it a little heavier than the instructions suggested. My old gray non-skid was getting very slippery. This has excellent traction. It is only one season old so we will see how it holds up. It's cheap enough and easy to apply so it does not have to last twenty years. But I hope for five. I like the new color and plan to do the entire deck before Spring.

 

[David Undewood]

just redid mine

hey, I just redid my nonskid, used the method that is suggested in a book called "this old boat" by don casey.it describes a method that I adapted to my own use.. tape area to be painted off, prepare surface as needed.. sanded, cleaned with acetone or alcohol and then roll on a primer coat, while still wet, sprinkle a fine grade of clean commericial sand onto it. covering the surface completely and evenly. After several hours, swipe or vacume the excess sand off. Apply several coats of the desired color and remove tape... great non-skid. I used interlux enamel paint flatened with their paint flatener and with additional nonskid additive, comes out looking very, very factory.. but better. First sections are over a year old, just finished cockpit last week, the all match as if they were done the same time. I will post a couple of pictures on the photo forum for you to see. good luck, david underwood