Nonskid

I have an '85 E35-III. Is the nonskid gelcoat or paint? It is very chalky and seems to absorb water and dirt. What is the best way to recondition? New paint? Some type of sealer? I do have some small repairs so repainting might be best but what kind of paint. I do not think I would use a standard nonskid paint as this usually has some type of aggregate in it.

Hey pulled up your photo album to look at your non-skid to give you my opinion but you have no picture of it. I re-did mine and it was pretty easy. I used 1 part polyurethane with sand and it has worked very well. The sand is tricky but I got the hang of it quick. I sanded the deck first then proceeded to do the rest. Some redo the entire non-skid but that is something for the professional, a little too much work for me. I used a really course sand because I wanted a good sticky surface.

Picture

I will try and get a picture tomorrow. The texture of mine is fine and I do not want to sand it smooth. I have used the Interlux nonskid on my daysailor after sanding it and it came out very nicely. I want to preserve the molded in pattern but make it look new(and still be functional).

I'm repainting my molded in non-skid, using a 2-part LPU. I plan to dust on some non-skid grit over the wet first coat. Then recoat with a second coat after sweeping clean. I like the molded in look, so I wouldn't sand it off. But I want more grip than you get with just the molded surface.

OOps miscommunication, I did not sand my non-skid off just gave it a light sanding so I would get a good stick from the paint. I added the sand when the paint was wet and I mean lots of sand, then swept off the remaining when the paint was dry. I gave it 3 days for drying time. I did not use the non-skid paint from interlux because they only have 4 colors and I wanted the seattle gray. So I used the interlux 1 part, better look.

Here is a pic when finished and the 2nd pic is what it looked like before I started. Sorry for not a closer picture.

That looks nice Don. What about not adding any sand at all? Given that the deck already has texture, do you think the sand is needed?

What about the paint? Can you give me specifics? Brightside? Gloss, satin or flat? I am thinking of using one of my propane locker lids as a test.

How has it stood the test of time(UV)?

I don't personally think molded non-skid is very effective to start with, and after it's been painted it loses all edge it once had. So I think grit is important. You can get different grades of grit. I think interlux has a fine grit and a coarse grit. Maybe you can find something that adds a little gription but doesn't change the look or feel much.

I wanted texture because the current non-skid just wasn't course enough for me. I do a lot of heavy weather sailing and my decks get slippery and one time I nearly took the plunge overboard. It all depends what you are looking for. The brightside is what I used. When used with sand it dulls it. Everybody who sees it is impressed. Don't have to add sand I just felt I needed it.

Nate is right about grade of sand, I would use sand.

Simple Non Skid "Fix"

A message on YACHT-L@NIC.SURFNET.NL contained a solution for non skid surfaces questions. The owner did not want to paint but wanted "wax" to prevent dirt and stains. The responding message said to use "Future" acrylic floor finish because it would seal the surface, would not yellow in UV, and would not not slip like wax. Also, it can be removed with ammonia and soapy water. I tried it on my E-28's extremely faded maroon boot stripe (which I was about to paint) and the propane locker lid. Amazing. The boot stripe looks almost new and the propane locker the same - even after 6 weeks in the sun. So this idea looks like it has some merit for restoring some gel coat surfaces w/o painting. However you must clean or compound the surfaces before application to get the best results.

Jim Dusek
Princess Matoaka,
E-28, #514

OK, this didn't help the non-skid properties, but it didn't hurt them either. I used Poly Glow on my non-skid. It looks almost like new. It's not chaulky any more and its one consistent shade (like when it's soaking wet). Now I can't tell you how well it holds up, because I just did it, but it looks much better than it did. Practical Sailor gave the stuff high marks, so I've given it a try. I can manage to fall on almost any surface anyway, so the minimal traction of the factory installed waffle pattern is fine for me. At least it doesn't skin my knees like sand paint.