Best Non skid Deck Paint?

[Bryan A.]

I am repainting the decks on my other boat, 25' Whitewater. Original decks, Fiberglass over plywood. They are in decent shape and I have fixed soft spots with plywood and west system. I wanted to ask the readership of this site what the best non skid paint is for this application? I have used interlux two part paint on my 20cc with the nonskid additive applied with a roller before. This looks OK but is not very slip resistant. I was wondering if anyone has had better experience with other products?

Looking forward to your comments.

[other tom]

I've done more than a few projects, and over the years, what I've found best, is to use Awgrip in lighter colors. Do all your normal prep work and priming with finish primer like 545. sand to a perfect 220 grit finish. Then roll out and tip (large areas) or brush (smaller areas) the surface in full gloss. Let it cure for at least 30 hours. Mask off the areas to be non-skid (most jobs leave gloss around the edges and around hardware in a 3/4" band which happens to be the width of the widest Scotch "fineline" tape). If you have tight radius corners, use a razor knife to cut the edges. Sand the area to get non-skid with 220 grit dry then acetone wash to remove residue and any oils. Mix up the awlgrip. For rolling, use the slow dry reducer (T003 I think). Mix in 15% (by volume) Griptex fine and 15% (by volume) Griptex course non-skid particles. Add 25% (by volume) Flattening agent, then thin again with the reducer to get to the right consistency for rolling. Use a fine, short nap roller - 3" wide, (pink color from WEST), and roll in a uniform direction. You will need to add reducer as you go depending upon the heat and humidity. You may need to tip it with a good 2" brush or use a smaller brush for tough areas. Concept is to use the first gloss coat to cover, and then thin and flatten the non-skid coat to flow and hide any roller or brush marks. Then, 4 - 5 hours after rolling, pull the tape off. If yo wait, it will get harder and maybe pull the edge depending upon how thick you applied near the tape edge. This will give you an absolutely perfect result that will not chip (and show old subsurface) and be easy to clean up after fishing. Too much griptex or non-skid and you will be wearing the tops of the particles off and it won't fully cure. This is not the cheapest (materials-wise) method, but is the best possible result and doesn't require spray equipment. I am going to help a buddy do his cockpit and coaming on a 35' Egg Harbor that is currently gelcoat, I will try to shoot some digital pics before and after (and during) next week.

[ May 16, 2003, 01:40 PM: Message edited by: other tom ]

[FELLOW-SHIP]

THE OTHER TOM METHOD LOOKS GREAT. I THINK THE MIXING THE TWO GRITS FIND AND COURSE IN THE KEY TO KEEPING IT A NON SKID FINISH FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS I DID MINE WITH THE TWO PART STERLING PAINT ROLL AND TIP METHOD WITH JUST THE FINE GRIT ABOUT A YEAR AND A QUARTER AGO AND HAVE DECIDED TO DO IT OVER AGAIN WITH A MIXTURE THIS SUMMER. JUST THE COURSE GRIT IS TWO MUCH AND JUST THE FINE IS NOT ENOUGH GRIT SO YOU GET TO BUY MORE STUFF TO GET IT WRIGHT.
FELLOW-SHIP [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[Finster]

What about going over existing no skid? Do you need to sand it smooth first?
On mine I've done replairs and need to add the the deck. How will the new match up with the old?

[ocuyler]

Guys,

We went with Sanitred non-slip and it's serious stuff. It's the same thing you find on concrete industrial floors. It's all rubber, can cover a multitude of sins and is really non-slip. It's a more agressive surface than Interlux, but it's a fishing boat. The white looks great and UV tough. 10 year guarantee. We'll see how it goes.
You can order a sample kit to try it out.

[Ed]

You may also want to think about using gelcoat based nonskid. It can be rolled on in a variety of grits as well. My boat is 12 years old and the factory applied gelcoat nonskid is still in great shape. Just a thought

[deepsushi]

Bryan,

I also have a deck that I would like to paint with some type of non skid paint. I previously painted part of the deck with regular oil based marine paint with non skid mixed in, but it has worn off after 2 seasons. From the info I can find on the internet, a two part epoxy (ie Awlgrip or Sterling) is the most durable method to use, but these paints are expensive.

Over on the Bertram 31 site the guys were talking about painting their bilges with an industrial grade epoxy available from rustoleum. I cant seem to find the exact discussion thread on the site but I am pretty sure that this is the paint they were talking about:

http://www.rustoleum.com/product.asp...t_id=169&SBL=2

This paint comes in several different colors, is about 90 bucks a gallon and sounds extremely durable.

So, if I decide to use this paint here is what I think I would do:

First, lay down a coat of this epoxy, letting it set up till tacky and then sprinkle some type of aggregate (either sand or one of the commercial anti skid additives) over it. After letting this dry, add another coat of epoxy over the aggregate thus locking it in place.

This seems to me like it would work quite well, however, there is always the chance that it could turn into a disaster.... [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[rcnight]

I recently built a flats boat and spray painted it with Imron. I purchased a non-skid additive from the store, I believe there were micro-sheres. I added the appropriate dose per instructions but did not think it was enough, so I tripled the dose and sprayed it. The decks turned out great, probably the best thing on the boat. My decks were flat and void of any pre-existing surface, I'd think you might need to remove any existing non-skid before refinishing. With allitle taping, you can do get very professional looking results.

[abl1111]

I agree w/ Ed. I did a non-skid w/ gelcoat and Awlgrip's (US Paint) non-skid ' particle mix '. It worked great. Not to mention you can make it just about any color you want.

A couple of notes here. When you roll the resin on w/ a roller - don't go too thick. Typically, you add the non-skid particles to the cup of resin before applying the resin to the non-skid area. If the resin is rolled on too thick, these gritty particles may settle too 'low ', via gravity, in the applied resin lay-up, therefore not exposing enough grit for a nonskid surface.

Instead, do two thin layers. Make sure you mix the container holding the resin and grit often to assure that the grit does not settle to the bottom of the container.

You can also use a sugar /salt shaker to apply the coarse particles to the wetted out area.

Hope this helps...

[Bryan A.]

Thanks Guys. I see alot of good ideas. I probably won't get to painting for another two weeks. I am still rebuilding the hatch hole. Original construction very poor. I think it was rushed on account the boat was originally built for running drugs!?. Any othe Whitewater/Seacraft owners out there on this site.