I know I know ... don't paint the boat but someone already beat me to it. Our 1978 Hunter 30's non-skid sections look awful. At some point someone painted them (and I bet that season they looked great), now my job is to somehow restore them. The plan? Clean, sand, clean and sand and then paint with a quality topside paint ... add the non-skid additive and paint again. I am sure this is the best way to get the best results ... I just need validation! Has anyone out there done this successfully? What are the best products? I would love to think in this day and age they have something fool proof that lasts forever ... but alas. Once I finish these sections and redo the teak (C-TOL), I'll have the finest looking Hunter 30 on the water! Eric
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john
Eric, I did this to my Cherubini 27 last spring...
After reading an article in Practical Sailor, I did the following. 1. sanded all of the old anti skid surface with 80-100 grit sandpaper using a palm sander. 2.Washed the deck with soap and water 3. let deck dry in sun for a couple of days 4.wiped all the non skid area with acetone. 5. with a fine celled roller...rolled on two coats of West Marine anti skid paint. Looks great and so far so good.
After reading an article in Practical Sailor, I did the following. 1. sanded all of the old anti skid surface with 80-100 grit sandpaper using a palm sander. 2.Washed the deck with soap and water 3. let deck dry in sun for a couple of days 4.wiped all the non skid area with acetone. 5. with a fine celled roller...rolled on two coats of West Marine anti skid paint. Looks great and so far so good.
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Eric C Lindstrom
John .. you're my hero
This is EXACTLY what I was thinking. I bet it DOES look great. Now I just need to wait for the sun to come out! Eric
This is EXACTLY what I was thinking. I bet it DOES look great. Now I just need to wait for the sun to come out! Eric
Look into gelcoat too.
Eric: If you are going to go thru all of the work to take off all of the old paint and gelcoat, you may as well do it like the original. You can purchase rollable gelcoat. You just add color, thickner and catalyst to it stuff and roll it on. One coat will do it. It has the wax in the gelcoat. Less than $50/gal. If you use this stuff you can still use regular cleaning products on the decks.
Eric: If you are going to go thru all of the work to take off all of the old paint and gelcoat, you may as well do it like the original. You can purchase rollable gelcoat. You just add color, thickner and catalyst to it stuff and roll it on. One coat will do it. It has the wax in the gelcoat. Less than $50/gal. If you use this stuff you can still use regular cleaning products on the decks.
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Jack
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Tammy
This is one of our projects
We are in the process of redoing the non-skid on our 79 Hunter 30. I am not sure what color the nonskid paint on the deck was supposed to be but it looked like someone painted the deck & cabin roof with lavender paint. As for the non-skiddability of the paint...... So, last summer we removed all the deck hardware and sanded it all that lovely lavender paint off with our random orbital. We have some dents & dings to fill and then we will start priming & faring and all that stuff. As we are also installing all new portlights the plan is to paint everything. At first we thought we would use Treadmaster but that changes because of the expense. So now the plan is to use paint & add the nonskid compound. We just can't decide if we are going to add the compound to the paint and apply or sift the nonskid over the freshly applied paint-wait for paint to kick & then remove excess nonskid. Don Casey's book is a valuable resource, you might want to consider purchasing if you don't already own. Good luck !
We are in the process of redoing the non-skid on our 79 Hunter 30. I am not sure what color the nonskid paint on the deck was supposed to be but it looked like someone painted the deck & cabin roof with lavender paint. As for the non-skiddability of the paint...... So, last summer we removed all the deck hardware and sanded it all that lovely lavender paint off with our random orbital. We have some dents & dings to fill and then we will start priming & faring and all that stuff. As we are also installing all new portlights the plan is to paint everything. At first we thought we would use Treadmaster but that changes because of the expense. So now the plan is to use paint & add the nonskid compound. We just can't decide if we are going to add the compound to the paint and apply or sift the nonskid over the freshly applied paint-wait for paint to kick & then remove excess nonskid. Don Casey's book is a valuable resource, you might want to consider purchasing if you don't already own. Good luck !
Check the Plastic and Gel Coat Forum
Anyone interested in Gel Coat for their non-skid should look in the Plastic & Gel Coat Forum. Jim Willis has a reference in there for an outfit in Santa Cruz Ca. that carries it and the tools for it's application. I am sure that there are other companies that carry the materials. The real deal here for the non-skid is that the wax is in the Gel Coat. The wax is what causes the material to cure (absence of air).
Anyone interested in Gel Coat for their non-skid should look in the Plastic & Gel Coat Forum. Jim Willis has a reference in there for an outfit in Santa Cruz Ca. that carries it and the tools for it's application. I am sure that there are other companies that carry the materials. The real deal here for the non-skid is that the wax is in the Gel Coat. The wax is what causes the material to cure (absence of air).
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Ed Schenck
Same as John.
I did the same as John. And also what Tammy is planning. You do not need to sand down to the original gelcoat, you just want a smooth, clean surface to paint. If you choose gelcoat then you will need to get rid of all the old paint. I did not like the grey color so used Interlux Brightside in Off-White for the non-skid. Mixed with the Interlux polymeric of course. A closed-cell foam roller will work only if you thin the paint. Otherwise a brush. Since I was also going to paint the cabin trunk(portlights were out) I took one more step. I used Interlux Toplac and painted in separations to the non-skid. In other words, fore to aft, I split the non-skid so there were no large areas. It is difficult to keep a wet edge and the paint flowing if you have to work across the entire top of the cabin. Be sure to leave a couple of days of warm drying time before walking on it, voice of experience here. I used Toplac for the gelcoat areas of the cabin trunk. It flows much better than Brightside. With the roll and tip method you cannot see brush strokes. I mixed 2/3 white with 1/3 off-white. I did the same with the cockpit sole and locker covers. If it ever gets warm around here then the side decks are next on my 1979 H37C.
I did the same as John. And also what Tammy is planning. You do not need to sand down to the original gelcoat, you just want a smooth, clean surface to paint. If you choose gelcoat then you will need to get rid of all the old paint. I did not like the grey color so used Interlux Brightside in Off-White for the non-skid. Mixed with the Interlux polymeric of course. A closed-cell foam roller will work only if you thin the paint. Otherwise a brush. Since I was also going to paint the cabin trunk(portlights were out) I took one more step. I used Interlux Toplac and painted in separations to the non-skid. In other words, fore to aft, I split the non-skid so there were no large areas. It is difficult to keep a wet edge and the paint flowing if you have to work across the entire top of the cabin. Be sure to leave a couple of days of warm drying time before walking on it, voice of experience here. I used Toplac for the gelcoat areas of the cabin trunk. It flows much better than Brightside. With the roll and tip method you cannot see brush strokes. I mixed 2/3 white with 1/3 off-white. I did the same with the cockpit sole and locker covers. If it ever gets warm around here then the side decks are next on my 1979 H37C.
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TXSailor
What about texture stippling?
I've never been real happy with the sandy-textured non-skid on either our H25 or H27. I painted both of our boats using Interlux paint mixed with non-skid powder, and it looks passable, but not great. I read an article in the Gel-Coat expert forum about how to apply a patterned texture using a roller and epoxy. We have a Pearson in the slip next to our H27 with patterned texture non-skid, and it looks really nice. Has anyone tried this technique?
I've never been real happy with the sandy-textured non-skid on either our H25 or H27. I painted both of our boats using Interlux paint mixed with non-skid powder, and it looks passable, but not great. I read an article in the Gel-Coat expert forum about how to apply a patterned texture using a roller and epoxy. We have a Pearson in the slip next to our H27 with patterned texture non-skid, and it looks really nice. Has anyone tried this technique?
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steven f.
another thought...
Two years ago I re-painted the non-skid areas of our H33 with the West Marine brand Non-Skid Paint. I know what many of you are saying but it has turned out to be GREAT! Two years of sailing and so far the only areas that have worn off are those that sustained some sort of trauma. The non-skid ability is also great, of you fall on the deck you will loose some skin. I took the time to prep the deck properly and took over a day and a half to tape off the areas I didn't want painted. It is brushed on, cleans up nicely and I gotta tell ya I'd do it again. I'll work on putting some pics up here but don't hold your breath.
Two years ago I re-painted the non-skid areas of our H33 with the West Marine brand Non-Skid Paint. I know what many of you are saying but it has turned out to be GREAT! Two years of sailing and so far the only areas that have worn off are those that sustained some sort of trauma. The non-skid ability is also great, of you fall on the deck you will loose some skin. I took the time to prep the deck properly and took over a day and a half to tape off the areas I didn't want painted. It is brushed on, cleans up nicely and I gotta tell ya I'd do it again. I'll work on putting some pics up here but don't hold your breath.
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Fred G
My experience
I repainted my H30's non skid last summer. The old non skid was heavily worn, and I could see fiberglass in a couple of small areas. All I did was scrub the deck down and mask it off with the 3M fine line tape. I used a 4" roller and Petit "Pearl Gray" with the non skid "Micro shperes" mixed into it. I used a roller because in my experience a roller lays down a thicker layer of paint than a brush does (in my hands at least). I found that using about twice the amount of microshperes recommended got me the texture I was looking for. As Steven said, the masking operation takes much, much longer than the painting operation. I would spend 3 hours masking (with a friend helping), and then about 12 minutes painting what I had masked. The cabin top is the hardest part as it has the most curves and obstructions. I think we did a decent job, but everyone who has come aboard since (including the harware consultant I brought in for my mainsheet/traveller upgrade) remarked about the quality of the paint, so I am happy with it. We will see how long it lasts!
I repainted my H30's non skid last summer. The old non skid was heavily worn, and I could see fiberglass in a couple of small areas. All I did was scrub the deck down and mask it off with the 3M fine line tape. I used a 4" roller and Petit "Pearl Gray" with the non skid "Micro shperes" mixed into it. I used a roller because in my experience a roller lays down a thicker layer of paint than a brush does (in my hands at least). I found that using about twice the amount of microshperes recommended got me the texture I was looking for. As Steven said, the masking operation takes much, much longer than the painting operation. I would spend 3 hours masking (with a friend helping), and then about 12 minutes painting what I had masked. The cabin top is the hardest part as it has the most curves and obstructions. I think we did a decent job, but everyone who has come aboard since (including the harware consultant I brought in for my mainsheet/traveller upgrade) remarked about the quality of the paint, so I am happy with it. We will see how long it lasts!
The thickner and the roller do the trick.
When you mix up the gel coat you need to add a thicking agent to it. This along with the special roller make you non-skid texture (similar to frosting a cake).
When you mix up the gel coat you need to add a thicking agent to it. This along with the special roller make you non-skid texture (similar to frosting a cake).
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john
As all have pointed out here, the prep and taping
is where all the work lies. Many articles that I read suggested the West anti skid paint with the texure already mixed in. It appears to give you a more even finish as long as you stir frequently. Many suggested staying away from the added balls in that consitency was a bit more difficult.
is where all the work lies. Many articles that I read suggested the West anti skid paint with the texure already mixed in. It appears to give you a more even finish as long as you stir frequently. Many suggested staying away from the added balls in that consitency was a bit more difficult.
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Eric C Lindstrom
Thanks so much!
What a great forum and resource this is. I now have the confidence and the inspiration to tackle this project ... anyone want to help? Although I am in NY, I have an advantage this Spring. We had the boat shrink wrapped (with a zipper in the cockpit). There is "standing" headroom under the wrap and I plan on plugging in some space heaters and an exhaust fan (hoping the hot air does't turn my boat into a zeppelin).
What a great forum and resource this is. I now have the confidence and the inspiration to tackle this project ... anyone want to help? Although I am in NY, I have an advantage this Spring. We had the boat shrink wrapped (with a zipper in the cockpit). There is "standing" headroom under the wrap and I plan on plugging in some space heaters and an exhaust fan (hoping the hot air does't turn my boat into a zeppelin).
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