Paint wearing through on the deck

[David Guthridge]

The old green origional deck, cabin, and cockpit paint is wearing through in two places where one would usually step on my 1972 Pearson 26. It appears that the blue undercoating is now showing through. What kind of paint should I use and what prep work should be done? Do I have to paint the entire boat or can I touch up and match the color? I have waxed it for years and the rest of the boat looks very good. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[Bob Howie]

Paint wears out

No paint lasts forever and sounds kinda like what's happening here. No, you don't have to repaint the whole deck, but be aware you are not going to get anything better than maybe a close match and then it'll still be noticeable, but if you aren't worried about aesthetics too much, that'll be okay. As to paint, I am a fan of Interlux and I would recommend Brightside or Toplac. Both good single-part polyureathanes that have good wearing capabilities. Get the Interlux guide to paint application and follow it for pretty good results.Happy Trails!

 

[cee-bee]

ditto...

Bob's comments are right on. All ican add is, in my case the barn made a hard job easier. weather conditions can be a big factor in all aspects. Here is Interlux web site www.yachtpaint.com Good stuff$

 

[Ed Schenck]

Barn?

Boy would I love to have mine in a barn right now. Tomorrow morning I have to put the first coat on the cabin, Toplac one-part. I would prefer to use two-part Interlux but it is not possible when you work alone.Why do you not have non-skid where people step? Non-skid paint is much easier to match. And you can section it with narrow strips of paint. Then repairs only need to be made on small areas.If it is not non-skid and you do not like the match that you get then paint the entire area. That is what I am doing. I did not like the noticeable difference after I did the cockpit so I am doing the entire cabin and deck. But there really isn't that much white on a 37 foot boat. Just the cabin sides and the cockpit.

 

[Bob Howie]

Another Thought

Y'know, you might want to go ahead and paint it and Ed certainly has a good deal of experience in things related to rehab'ing boats, but it also occurs to me that you could place one of those ready-made teak pads on your deck, too, so as to absorb the wear-and-tear of boat-shoe tread! Or, there are some pressure-sensitive items available at most boat stores that work pretty well.Oh, and if you come across a product called Treadmaster and some threads about folks who have covered their entire decks with the stuff by sticking it down with epoxy, DON'T!!! I have had a number of calls over the years from boat owners wanting to know what they can do about Treadmaster that is breaking down to use, exposure and UV damage that has been glued to the decks. Nothing, actually. It's a serious mess and expense to remove epoxy-affixed Treadmaster. However, you can buy some Treadmaster that is pre-cut with an adhesive backing that holds pretty well. I used it on my companionway stairs which had no tread of any kind and it works well in the anti-skid department for me.Just a couple of thoughts.