Can I revive my nonskid?

[Loren Beach]

Dragged image to desktop and rotated in Preview.
I wonder if they have a pattern for the pattern on an Olson? (Actually you can use a rubber compound and make a mold of a less-worn part of a deck, but I have only read about it and never done that)

[garryh]

thanks Loren. I tried to rotate in my library but it seems to always want to 'send' in its original orientation no matter what I do to it : /
Yes I have considered that option... spray the non-skid with a release agent and lay something up to create a female pattern... but although expensive, the Gibco option seems SO much easier if I do go that way. I much prefer the original non-skid pattern vs removing all and going with KiwiGrip... just not sure how practical it will be in real life. I need to finish my decks first to assess. Maybe even do some sailing!
From talking to (very helpful) Customer Service at Gibco, it seems they have an extensive collection of patterns so could easily have the Olson pattern. It is cheaper in full 4X7 sheets but that is a huge investment.

[JPS27]

Since I started this thread over two years ago I thought I'd give an update on my nonskid status and decisions. I did everything I could over that time to keep my nonskid as "sticky" as possible in it's original state. But it was never good regardless of how I cleaned it or what shoes I wore. I practiced with quart cans of kiwi grip and Total Boat products in the garage over the last few months as time permitted. In the end I went with total boat Total Tread paint (kingston grey). The kiwi grip was too much a departure in "look" for me. I only did the cockpit for now and will complete the rest when it's not so hot and humid. Here are some pictures. I'm very happy with the look. The grey is darker than I would have liked but I decided to just get the job started rather than agonize about what ifs. Of course, durability is still a question. I just finished this stage this past weekend. I have only gently walked on it so far, but traction is much better and I like how you can still see the original pattern.

Jay

[Kenneth K]

Great look! I think this is the route I will take when the time comes. As to wear, I would guess that the "middle" sections of each painted area (where everyone steps) are the sections that will wear the paint the fastest. The good news would be that the edges (the hardest part to mask and paint) will probably hold up quite well. Maybe it would be possible to touch up the middle sections every few years without repainting the entire area.

Did you experiment with or find ways to prevent the paint from filling up the lowered "troughs" between the raised non-skid "squares?"

My tan non-skid is just starting to show what I thought was gray-ish "staining." I couldn't figure out where the "stain" was coming from. Now I'm starting to think it's just the beige gelcoat wearing thin and starting to show the grayish FRP below it.

[JPS27]

I was trying to mentally make note of "things I learned" as I went along. I'll try to capture them here. It was pretty straightforward. It was a job I put off due to my imagination of things that could go wrong. There were very few in actuality. I used regular blue painters tape, one inch wide. There were few long straight lines to tape. Even the "straight lines had some curve. I passed on trying to razor cut the rounded corners and instead used the approach of tearing about 1 inch lengths of tape and curving around lines. I think that made the result much better. I also made sure I saw a smidge of white gelcoat to ensure that I covered all the yellow.

I used a 4 in foam roller like the kinds used for epoxy. They worked fine. I made sure the roller was loaded before my first roll and I did one coat rolling vertically they horizontally. In places you could see faint hints of beige gelcoat but I tried to take the varnishing approach of not "worrying" and overbrushing. The next coat of paint covered those spots just fine. Two coats was a must IMO. 3 might be overkill. I figure I'll use leftover paint for touch ups, but I'm also expecting it to fade. So who knows. I didn't do anything special to avoid pooling etc. It just flowed nicely. I did make sure I worked in the morning and before temps got above 80 (with no rain in sight for a couple of days).

Other thoughts:
I removed tape about 8 hours after the second coat was applied. This required yoga moves since I didn't yet want to step on the painted sections, but didn't want to pull up paint later.
I unscrewed the lazarette hinges to make the taping and painting more precise in those spots.
I had lots of latex gloves and changed them liberally to keep paint from findings its way to unwanted areas. I had plenty of acetone and clean rags and paper towels. I was not as environmentally conscious I would have liked to be in that regard.
pre-cleaning: I scrubbed with Dawn and some TSP, then I scrubbed with simple green contractor grade solution (it's purple, go figure). I did the scrubbing the day before. Then I wiped down with acetone on the day of.
I used a green scotch bright pad in between the coats and used my shop vac to suck up the dust. Jamestown site suggests 220 grit paper, but I went with the pads.

Oh and yes, KennethK, I had dark areas that you speak of are where it has worn through if your nonskid i like mine.

[Alan Gomes]

That looks really, really nice! Assuming the colors in the photos (as displayed on my monitor) is close to reality, I think the color you chose is perfect.

[frick]

I had a friend who deck became very slippery.
The quick fix was he did a deep clean and then applied a surfboard Wax on the anti skid.
It worked and also kept his deck clean for the season.

If I remember he used Dave's Deck Wax, but most all surfboard wax is non skid.

Rick

also
http://www.starbrite.com/item/non-skid-deck-wax