Options for painting the deck? Who has done it, what would you do different?

NC-C320 · Jun 15, 2009

Deck Paint Color

Hermit...

Catalina uses a light grey on deck non skid areas, which I think looks good. Theirs is probably gel coat. Other than suggesting color, I can't help on paint.

Dave Workman · Jun 15, 2009

I have painted the deck on a 26' Grampian and used Interlux Perfection. It is a two part paint and can be applied with a roller and then tipped off with a fine brush. I is a vey hard and durable paint that lasts. Do not use Brightside on the deck as it wears off in high traffic areas.

Manny · Jun 15, 2009

Hermit,

If you are just concerned about the non-skid, believe it or not i've had amazing success with the west marine brand non skid (I think it is called sea gloss). As far as the other areas it seems like Perfection is the way to go. One of the sailors at my marina painted his boat with it and it really looks fantastic.

Manny

jibes138 · Jun 16, 2009

White or not

DOn't use a dark color, it will get so hot you will not be able to walk on it without shoes. Plus the heat will make the boat more uncomfortable. Since you are in texas you will be able to fry eggs on a black deck. Go with white or close to white. Topsides do not get direct sunlight so maybe you can get away with a color but for the deck it is getting direct sun and will get steaming hot. It might be ok if you rig up a fountain to keep the deck wet at all times.

sailingdog · Jun 16, 2009

For the non-skid there are quite a few alternatives to regular paint with a non-skid additive. KiwiGrip, Durabak, Treadmaster are all options. It really depends on what your budget is, how much prep work you want to do and what kind of finish you want.

William12213 · Jun 16, 2009

I painted the deck on my C&C27. It is a fairly easy job and done right it will look great. I used awlgrip but most any 2 part paint should be tough enough. I had a dark blue hull so I used a cream for the deck and a sand for the non skid. I would agree with the others don't go too dark on the deck paint as it will get hot.

Prep is actually the hardest part of painting the deck. You don't have to sand down to bare fiberglass, just rough up the finish a bit so the new paint will stick. Also this is the time to fix any issues you might have..ie. soft spots, old bolt holes or whatever.

This is a rough idea of what I did, Sanded entire deck and wiped down with surface prep or acetone. Taped off everything I didn't pull off. Rolled and tipped everything other than non skid. When that dried I taped off the non skid areas. Now this is where you need two people. Take a clean paint can and punch a bunch of holes in the lid. I screwed mine to a long wooden handle also. Fill the can with the non skid material. Now one person rolls on a coat of paint to the nonskid areas and the other follows with a very generous coat of the the nonskid. The trick here is to shake more on than you think you need. let this dry over night then with a shop vac vacuum up the left over nonskid. Then apply another coat of paint over it, Pull up the tape and Viola! This is not the cheapest way to paint your deck but it looks better than having the nonskid clumped up in the paint and the grip is great. For my 27' boat I think I shook on 9 cans of nonskid and reclaimed 5. I sold them to another guy that was painting his deck.

I have used the same method with the topsides paint on a dinghy and it work just as well. I actually did a dinghy using this method and silica sand. That worked great and was waaayyy cheaper.

Your boat, your choice but have fun with it.

tommays · Jun 16, 2009

While paint looks nice it has a limited life compared to the orginal gelcoat and IMHP is something to avoide unless you just have no choise

While spray is best its not that practile becasue of the need to protect everything on and around the boat from overspray

And its a massive amount of work that is very affected by the weather

BoatlessAfterKatrina · Jun 16, 2009

Deck painting

While I would agree that you don't want a dark color due to heat absorbtion, I wouldn't go with white for two reasons, primarily the glare. If you can go with an off white it'll make a difference in glare reflecting off the deck. Also a slightly darker color (sand/off white) will stand up a little better to UV (as well as hide smudges a bit better).

tommays · Jun 16, 2009

Awgrip and Perfection require primer to be put over fiberglass

The down side is the second time around in 5 to 7 years there NOT real happy about being repainted without a massive sanding effort

Rick D · Jun 16, 2009

In The Olden Days...

...when I had a wooden boat, I painted the deck with a very light grey with an additive made by Interlux. It was a non-skid without being too abrasive. I found sand to be too rough on knees and clothes. I rolled it on and masked off the areas that were painted first but where I did not want the non-skid. The deck lasted an easy five years before refinishing. (Three times in 19 years) And, that was a single part enamel. One word of caution: sometime you will have to strip the deck to refinish it. You want to be able to do that without too much effort. Make sure the paint is strippable. Good luck. RIck D.

Cpt. Jon · Jun 16, 2009

Scott,

I have friends that had grey topsides and they said even though it looked pretty sharp, that it was always too hot in the sun, I wouldn't even use grey. I will be doing mine sometime, but probably not till fall or so. Even though I do notice a lot of glare on the white topsides I think I like it the best and it reflects the heat the best to keep the boat cooler.

Mike Holibar · Jun 18, 2009

The people that make awlgrip, altex coatings over here, also make an excellent commercial epoxy non-skid primer that I have used on a couple of boats. They have fine and coarse (fine is most suitable for pleasure boats, and it is incredibly hard wearing. On both boats I over coated with an alkyd enamel (isotal) light green on one boat and off white on the other although a two pot polyurethane could also be used. Another method for non skid is to sprinkle epsom salts on the wet paint. When the paint dries just hose off and the salts disolve. This method can avoid the slightly dirty appearance you get when sand is used.

TimCup · Jun 18, 2009

Hermit Scott- here's what I did-

On my little 22 Oday, the deck and cockpit were pretty worn and scuffed. I originally planned to regelcoat. I bought the special spray gun, already had the compressor. I removed 95% of everything on the deck, and filled in and sanded the imperfections. Then I went to work with the gelcoat. Having no experience, for me it was a nightmare. I mixed according to directions, but the gelcoat wouldn't kick (set). After 24 hours, I removed what I had sprayed (with chemicals, Mek I think...), and began again. Mixing in more hardener this time, I had now had 2 issues. The gelcoat kicked too quickly, and set in the gun before I could spray it all. Cleaning that out took a rediculous amount of time. Plus, the unused gelcoat I had mixed was in a plastic mixing cup, and I set it on top of my plastic cooler. The heat from the chemical reaction of the mixture melted the mixing cup to the top of the cooler. Still have the reminder of that day everytime we go out.

I decided I wasn't smart enough to use gelcoat. I bought a two-part commercial automotive paint, and rolled and tipped. Looks fantastic even after a few years. For me, painting is definetely the way to go. I used an offwhite- slightly lighter than the factory "tan", though you eally can't tell the difference.

Obviously, gelcoat is most durable, 1-part paints least durable. 2-part paint is pretty tough, though, and has the added benefit of being able to be touched up on gouges and things.

I just painted over the factory texture, and it works great, although we always wear boat shoes. Probably slippery with normal shoes. If I were to retexture, I would use treadmaster- it's a cushioned material that is cut to fit, and extremely durable- I know of some over 8 years old, and still looks perfect.

Good luck-

cup

Mike Holibar · Jun 18, 2009

Hermit, are you saying that my Freedom looks similar to a neglected Freedom? Oh dear, I will have to find a better picture lol. you are right about the rig, two main sail set ups.

on the subject of deck paint I am assuming you can buy Altex Devoe paints over there? If you want a long life 10plus years system, use their epoxy non-skid primer and overcoat with their two pot polyurethane. We have big issues with ultraviolet here due to a hole in the ozone layer which appears over us each year - pretty tough on paints. I applied an altex system to a steel boat I once owned and saw her 10 years later, still as good as new. I have been a fan of that brand ever since and it has never let me down.

Mike Holibar · Jun 20, 2009

Hermit, Petit coatiings are sold by Altex here so there may be a link. I had thought that Altex Devoe in NZ was actually descended from a US company, perhaps Devoe. A lot of their early reference material referred to US navy and coast guard if I remember correctly. Altex arrived in NZ sometime late 1970's and I used them for the first time about 1982. You know how companies change names over time, perhaps Petit is just the latest name? I will ask my friends at Altex next week and let you know. Regards,

Options for painting the deck? Who has done it, what would you do different?

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NC-C320

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