Changing color of original non-skid deck on E35

I want to change the color of my original 1974 E35 non-skid deck and I have little boat painting and NO gelcoat work experience.

Concerns:

How can I prevent the loss of traction when I paint over the original "waffle" pattern? Do I need to add an aggregate or sand?

Should I paint with 2 coat system?

I have received some quotes from local handymen and the most reasonable price was for applying a new gel coat with a coarse aggregate over the "waffle". The price is low as it does not require 2 coats which translates to less labor. I have never heard of "gel coating" instead of "painting". I am concerned about the longevity of new gel coat over old and how a coarse aggregate would look over the "waffle" pattern.

Any input and/or photos would be so welcome!

Long Beach, CA

Several Approaches....

This is a common (and accelerating) problem with all production FRP boats as they age. What with the majority of these boats being built in the 70's and early 80's, the problem is getting more noticeable by the year.
We have a number of boats in our moorage built in the 60's that have the deck worn down by UV degredation and weathering -- to the point where the underlying layer of mat is becoming visible.

The original non-skid was part of the mold tooling. So, in the strictest sense, you cannot easily "start over"...
The "gold standard" according to one reputable boatbuilder in my area is to grind the deck flat, mask off the non skid areas, and lay down LPU paint with appropriate grit, and paint again with LPU. This is normally part of re-finishing the topsides, where you remove all fittings, stanchions, winches, blocks, etc, etc. You end up with a new surface that is good for up to 20 years of use, if done right with enough prep work.
There are other solutions. You could carefully grind down the non skid and put down a Tredmaster (c) surface, and live with the weight gain. Great traction, though. (and stylish!)


If your boat has low monetary value or you really want a "quick and dirty" solution, paint over the existing non skid with sanded paint. The surface will then again be protected from UV and the footing will be better. With good masking off, it will look at least so-so.
Note that all painted solutions involve mostly labor... If you invest (Your !) time to do it right you CAN do a professional job. I have seen it done.
The reason that boatbuilders get such a high fee for this particular work is that it DOES take so da__ed much time... and at $65/hour for their labor, it is too hard to justify for most of us.

I know personally of two couples that refinished their sailboats by this method. In each case it took them over six months of nearly full time work. Like all painting projects, the prep work and the details ate up the time. The results, OTOH, were "better than new". One couple later sold their boat -- and got almost twice the normal market asking price for that particular model year. Mind you, they did not "make money", just kept their loss to a minimum.

This is the kind of labor-of-love that I see you doing if you plan to keep the boat another decade... Kind of like the debate over putting a new diesel and having to amortize out the cost...


Sorry to use up so many 0's and 1's to pontificate.... but you have raised a question that bothers all of us as our boats pass the 15 year point and the non skid gets smoother and less safe...

Others wil chime in with solutions I have forgotten until I get my first cup of coffee.


Best,
Loren in Portland, OR
Olson 34
(1988, and the side decks are getting smoother...)

Loren,
I also have a similar problem with my '75 E27, However my non skid is in pretty good condition, Just the original gel coat is faded, and I want to freshen it up. Could I paint over it with a paint without the sand or grit, and still have a good grip?

Enough Grip?

I have seen some that were over-coated with LPU and still retained the pattern. The look was good from a distance, but it seemed "slick" to me, up close. The paint fills in the valleys in the pattern, to some degree.
I guess that if your feet stick to it adequately, then it works for you.


Very Subjective....

Maybe you could try a small less-obtrusive area like the cockpit sole, and see how you like it after a season.


My comments, FWIW.
YMMV.

Loren

Many thanks !

I have gotten excellent results renewing non-skid areas
with LP mixed with polymeric nonskid particles. The particles
are embedded in the paint film and if you are careful, it
will not clog up the waffle pattern. This seems to provide
just the right amount of traction without becoming
too abrasive. For further information on this process,
you can contact Detco (they are the west coast Sterling
rep) @949-631-8480. The particles I like are manufactured
by Interlux. If you do decide to use this system, read all
the literature and follow it to the letter.

Martin

almost 40 years

My boat is 1967 vintage and has been painted so many times by previous owners, I didn't know there was non-skid there. It gets pretty slick when its wet. I just go barefoot and hang on with my toes!
I have been wanting to try different styles of deck shoes to see which type of soles would be best on the wet deck, but so far bare feet seem to stick the best. Of course I sail in San Diego where it is hardly ever too cold for bare feet.

Nonskid

Wow, this thread has come full circle and then some! From changing color to barefoot in the (water) park! I'll throw in another change-up... Has anyone ever tried a product like Poli Glow (gelcoat shine restorer) on the nonskid? I was thinking of asking the manufacturer, but thought that someone out there may have already done that, or tried it!?

John B.

Re-applying non-skid

I have rebuilt a good portion of my E 32-2 deck, see old posted information, deck rebuilding.
Now that the boating season is closing, I'll refinish and flatten my primed deck.It has been coated with Primekote(off goes the hardware). I'll sand- flat the irregularities, then use some more System 3 quikfair to flatten /even the deck surface.( I've used this already).
I expect to apply a new non-skid layout, and then plan applying the quikfair or just epoxy/microballons mix over some kind of screening material. I'll post the results back here.

Reply to John B.

John, B.,

My understanding that Poliglow is like an acrylic floor polish--very shiny, resulting in a "wet" look that reflects light well and makes the boat look newer. But that kind of polish is very slippery on floors--I would think it will be similar on boat decks and lead to lots of slip/sliding. :0305_alar

I personally would not risk that, but others may think differently.

Frank.

Clay said:

I have never heard of "gel coating" instead of "painting"

Click to expand...

I've brought up gel coating a couple of times here. I've never tried it but it sounds quite interesting as an alternative. A couple of links that might be useful:

http://www.bertram31.com/proj/tips/re-gelcoating.htm

http://www.west.net/~lpm/hobie/archives/v1-i3/tip9.htm

I also had a link to a powerboat repair site that gave detailed step by step instructions on everything from custom FRP construction to repair and finish, but now I can't find it.


-Sven