Painting the non skid...

[reserche]

Hey Guys...

Well- now I'm deciding there are areas of the non skid on my Hunter 31 that really would look a lot fresher were they to be repainted. I've read many posts around the internet about this - I have the type of non skid pattern that is molded in. I've ready everything from - "take it down to the base", to "scrub it with a wire brush and repaint." Have any of you guys actually re-done your non skid with good results? Let me know if you have any tips or words to the wise.. I'm thinking of setting about doing some of this stuff next week when I have a break....

Thanks!

 

[Steve Dion]

Julie:

Just remember that if you paint it you will be limited to the types of cleaner that you can use to clean it. The later 31's used a paintable/rollable gelcoat finish. This may be an option for you too. There are also some other products on the market that are very easy to use. One of the fellows at our marina used Kiwi non-skid. It looks like the original stuff.

It really gets down to what you want the finished product to look like.

I would also talk with a fiberglass specialist. Maybe you can have the bad areas touched up.

 

[Jeff D]

Kiwi link

http://www.pachena.com/

 

[reserche]

MM..thanks guys.. well- I want it to look nice- not too gritty... I've seen some that look like a real mess! My neighbor's boat has been re-done, but I don't believe his had the molded non-skid, which makes it a bit more tricky......

 

[Maine Sail]

J

If you are intending on painting over the molded non-skid I would strongly advise against it. Without proper prep, as in sanding & de-waxing, the new paint will not adhere well and will eventually begin to peel. This is likely why you have heard folks advise sanding the non-skid flat then repainting it.

Sanding in the nooks and crannies of molded non skid is next to impossible and paint will require proper prep to adhere well. If it were me I would seriously spend some time cleaning it with a product like Soft Scrub and some Magic Erasers. Unless your original gelcoat is worn through you'd be amazed at what a little cleaning will do. When considering a proper re-paint, and the time it will take to do so, you'd be wise to consider a two part paint with Interlux Perfection being the lowest cost & durability of the two part finishes. Two part paints have significantly higher adhesion to substrates than do single part paints and thus will last longer before peeling, lifting or fading occurs. The finish will also be far more durable than a single part paint. One other point is that no matter what paint you use it will be a good idea to add a flattening agent to cut the gloss.

To do this job right takes a considerable amount of time. To not do it right may actually hurt the appearance & future value of the vessel.

 

[reserche]

Well, I've already sanded and refinished the cabin sole... as well as de-oxydized the aluminum on the hatch covers... among a zillion other things. I'm not planning to do a quick and dirty job. Its just with the molded in non skid, it seems a tougher proposition to think about how to refinish it. I've spent hour upon hour - with gelcoat refinishers... Meguire's Plastix... soap and water.. many many things, trying to get these areas clean (plus I wash the boat at least once a week, sometimes several times if I am at the Marina). These areas have spots where the finish has dark spots and just areas that I can see need refinishing, rather than cleaning. I've also had it propfessional cleaned, buffed and waxed when I bought it..so.. I just think we're beyond a cleaning issue now... and onto some sort of refinishing. Plus the surveyor told me the non skid needed re-doing when I bought the boat 6 months ago as well.

Molded in nonskid = "seemed like a good idea at the time." Tough to deal with later, methinks!

 

[Maine Sail]

Molded in nonskid = "seemed like a good idea at the time." Tough to deal with later, methinks!

Yes very tough to deal with later. The only real fix is to sand it flat, re-fair and roll on a new non-skid product or use one of the glue down non skid products. If you don't sand it flat you will have adhesion issues in the areas the sand paper just can't get to.

 

[windward54]

It can be done, but there are pros and cons to painting the non-skid areas.

My previous boat was an ’87 H34, which had the waffle pattern non-skid areas on the decks. When I bought the boat, the non-skid areas had already been painted. To be honest, it looked very nice, and I didn’t have an issue with it. According to the seller, there were some cosmetic issues with the areas, and painting was the most economical way to make the boat look sharp. The survey was good, so I figured, no problem.

A couple of years after I purchased the boat, the areas started to look a little worn out. It was an easy job to do; I taped off the non-skid pattern and painted with Petit one part type paint. I kept the paint coat very thin when I brushed it on, and was careful not to fill in the waffle pattern much. Looked sharp when finished, and I didn’t lose that much traction when walking.

The down side, every few years I had to do the work. I usually waited until the paint wore down so I didn’t build up a lot of coats of paint. I could do the deck on a normal weekend by myself. Also, when it came time to sell, I ran into a lot of people that did not like the deck painted, so it made it a little tougher to sell.

The up side to it as the boat really did look better as the paint hid a lot of blemishes. It really was the most economical way for that deck to look its best. It may not be the best, but here is a picture of my old boat.

 

[reserche]

It can be done, but there are pros and cons to painting the non-skid areas.

My previous boat was an ’87 H34, which had the waffle pattern non-skid areas on the decks. When I bought the boat, the non-skid areas had already been painted. To be honest, it looked very nice, and I didn’t have an issue with it. According to the seller, there were some cosmetic issues with the areas, and painting was the most economical way to make the boat look sharp. The survey was good, so I figured, no problem.

A couple of years after I purchased the boat, the areas started to look a little worn out. It was an easy job to do; I taped off the non-skid pattern and painted with Petit one part type paint. I kept the paint coat very thin when I brushed it on, and was careful not to fill in the waffle pattern much. Looked sharp when finished, and I didn’t lose that much traction when walking.

The down side, every few years I had to do the work. I usually waited until the paint wore down so I didn’t build up a lot of coats of paint. I could do the deck on a normal weekend by myself. Also, when it came time to sell, I ran into a lot of people that did not like the deck painted, so it made it a little tougher to sell.

The up side to it as the boat really did look better as the paint hid a lot of blemishes. It really was the most economical way for that deck to look its best. It may not be the best, but here is a picture of my old boat.

Wow..that looks great... Did you put any type of non skid additive into the paint? As far as selling later- so far all the cosmetic work has upgraded the boat..the yacht brokers who sold it to me have already said they could sell it for 10 grand more than I paid for it.... so.. that's a good thing That's why I'm trying to ask around and be very careful in choosing my materials and upgrades... Thanks for the tip and pic!

 

[reserche]

Thinking about it now - I should have titled this thread "refinishing the non skid.." I'm not wedded to paint. I just want to clean it up- whatever method works best....

 

[windward54]

I did not put any sand on the paint. I found that if I was careful with the paint, I had enough of the waffle pattern that I did not have a problem walking around the decks, even when wet. The light blue that I used had a low gloss finish. Because I was doing paint over paint, I just cleaned the area, used a very very fine sandpaper just to rough up the paint surface and then painted. I also went with a very light color. Darker colors get hot on your feet.

As for resell, like I said, some liked it and some did not. Of course you never know if they just didn't like the boat in general or were using it as an excuse. The guy who bought it thought it made the boat look sharp, so there you go. Never know what is going to catch a buyer's eye.

 

[reserche]

Okay! Well- I decided to go with the two part LP - Interlux Perfection. I am started with the cockpit lazerettes... as they were spider cracked and I didn't like it. I epoxied the spider cracks (example in the first pic), reinforced a few on the back with fiberglass cloth... Then sanded / faired that smooth. Next a coat of two part epoxy primer, then LP paint. You can see the results in the second pic! Sweet! I decided not to put the grit in the paint... and just to use a flattener instead. So- here you go. MUCH better!!

 

[windward54]

Looks good. I can't tell from the photos what color you decided to use. Did you go with white, or did you pull up a contrasting color?

 

[reserche]

Yeah..just went with the white. I thought of doing cream... but- white's good. nice and clean I also did the anchor locker cover. Got all new dark navy blue canvas coming within the next two weeks! So - I'm psyched.. Its a lot of work, but way worth it!

 

[windward54]

Sounds good! You'll have to post some photos in an album when you get done.