Paint

[gonesailing13]

Looking for some recommendations on paint for non-skid. I have some cracks I want to fix on the forward deck and paint the whole deck. One thing I need to consider is we have two dogs that go out with us. Hopefully can find some suggestions that don’t require a lot of prep. Open to suggestions.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. g. Kiwi Grip hands down!

 

[Comodave]

KiwiGrip. It will cover minor cracks and it easy to apply. Clean up with water. It is tintable. Wears like iron.

 

[Bmarler]

What I know of kiwi grip is that it’s not a watertight coating. It’s a non skid coating.
If you do decide to use it, make sure you do your repairs to the cracks first, use good epoxy primer, and a good two part paint. Then handle the non skid. I prefer to just use awltex for my non skid areas. It can be broadcast over a wet coat of paint, vacuum up the excess when dry. Cover with a top coat.

 

[Bmarler]

I should also mention, the type of deck construction would play a part in my decision making.

 

[Comodave]

How do you know that KiwiGrip isn’t watertight? It certainly was on our last boat. The manufacturer put the gel coat on too thick and it had tons of cracks in the gel coat because it was too thick. I didn’t repair any of them but just sanded off the old nonskid and then painted with the Kiwigrip. Never had any issues with it. The cracks were completely covered and didn’t come back as long as we owned the boat. The Kiwigrip is extremely strong. The PO had done some repairs on the deck and they didn’t appear until several years after we had the boat. They didn’t cover the cuts in the deck glass with any fiberglass but just put a filler in the cut. Eventually the filler let go so I had to remove the Kiwigrip to glass the deck cuts. I tried sanding it off with a DA sander and 120 grit, then 40 grit, no go. Eventually I brought out my belt sander with 40 grit. It slowly chewed through the Kiwigrip but it was slow going even with the belt sander. I was very impressed on how tough the Kiwigrip was.

 

[Bmarler]

How do you know that KiwiGrip isn’t watertight? It certainly was on our last boat. The manufacturer put the gel coat on too thick and it had tons of cracks in the gel coat because it was too thick. I didn’t repair any of them but just sanded off the old nonskid and then painted with the Kiwigrip. Never had any issues with it. The cracks were completely covered and didn’t come back as long as we owned the boat. The Kiwigrip is extremely strong. The PO had done some repairs on the deck and they didn’t appear until several years after we had the boat. They didn’t cover the cuts in the deck glass with any fiberglass but just put a filler in the cut. Eventually the filler let go so I had to remove the Kiwigrip to glass the deck cuts. I tried sanding it off with a DA sander and 120 grit, then 40 grit, no go. Eventually I brought out my belt sander with 40 grit. It slowly chewed through the Kiwigrip but it was slow going even with the belt sander. I was very impressed on how tough the Kiwigrip was.

It’s on their website. I researched it a while back when I was doing repairs to my foredeck. I decided against it for that reason.

 

[Comodave]

It sure was watertight when I used it.

 

[Greg QS]

Look into Raptor truck bed liner. Yes truck bed liner. I installed it on my 42 sf and came out great. Front area of the boat was 15 years old when sold and no failures. 100% water tight. Intalled with a shots gun and got a nice pebelly finish. I will be using it on my new boat since my non skids are ready for repair.

I have a nice pic of it somewhere cannot find right now.

Amazon.com

 

[Bmarler]

It sure was watertight when I used it.

From their website: Yes. KiwiGrip does not act as a sealant. Therefore there are microscopic pores in the applied product that will allow water to reach the substrate. KiwiGrip will have no issues sticking to the metal surface, but the surface should be protected from water damage with an epoxy primer.

I stopped researching the product right there and went with a more traditional approach.
A lot of people like the kiwi grip and I might change my mind about it for certain applications, but for now, I’m not using it.

 

[Bmarler]

Look into Raptor truck bed liner. Yes truck bed liner. I installed it on my 42 sf and came out great. Front area of the boat was 15 years old when sold and no failures. 100% water tight. Intalled with a shots gun and got a nice pebelly finish. I will be using it on my new boat since my non skids are ready for repair.

I have a nice pic of it somewhere cannot find right now.

Amazon.com

I use this product for classic car restoration. If you buy it from an auto paint supplier they will tint it for you.
You can apply it with the schutz gun as mentioned, or roll it on for different texture. Have not used it for boat deck, but it’s probably pretty good.

 

[Xlantic]

I have used this mixed-in two-part paint on my fly-bridge:

Non-Slip Additive for Topside Paint | International

Creates a non-slip surface when added to topside finishes prior to application or sprinkled onto wet paint

www.international-yachtpaint.com

I think it works well. Not too rough but not slippery, and easy to clean.

There may be an Interlux equivalent in the US.

 

[Brbdwire]

Looking for some recommendations on paint for non-skid. I have some cracks I want to fix on the forward deck and paint the whole deck. One thing I need to consider is we have two dogs that go out with us. Hopefully can find some suggestions that don’t require a lot of prep. Open to suggestions.

Things I learned from using Kiwigrip:
60 grit on an orbital sander to scuff up the surface. No need to sand aggressively. Apply two part epoxy primer thinned a bit so it soaks into the spider cracks( I had a lot). Be careful! If the epoxy bleeds under the tape line, it’s almost impossible to remove. Be sure there’s no excessive dew in the forecast. The primer does not like moisture. Sand the primed area when dry. When applying the KG, I found that the small rollers in tandem on a standard sized roller handle works best for large areas like a cabin top or cockpit. The single larger KG roller you find at West Marine has a different, slightly more aggressive nap. Apply in a consistent pattern. Since it dries very quickly(like varnish), do not back roll. The last pass with your roller should not have any pressure. Only the weight of the roller. Pull the tape quickly and put it in a box, not a bag. Remember the process needs to be quick and consistent but not sloppy. I thinned my KW with 10% water as I wasn’t looking for an aggressive texture. The cockpit is perfect. Looks great with just the right amount of texture. Easy to clean and easy on the feet. Rock hard and it’s thick enough to cover spider cracks on the cabin top. My first attempt was on the cabin top. Weather got warm and breezy. The result was disappointing I had to take a second pass after I learned to apply when cool, no breeze, work quickly and with consistently. The second coat on the cabin top was applied with a 3/16 trowel. For larger areas, I highly recommend using a trowel to apply before rolling. Easy and looks great. Be prepared to revisit the first area you paint. Practicing on a piece of plywood helped me to decide what texture I wanted. Still, I messed up on my first section of the deck. Hopefully my experience will help you. My Californian is 40 years old. The KG really made a difference. Neighbors comment on how nice it looks.
Good luck!

 

[balder8]

During several years I used this great product: easy to apply if you follow the rules: adapt the pressure required but not too much on the "special" roller and remove the tape immediately after painting. One issue: I use grey kiwigrip and found it was not easy to keep clean. Last but not least I decided to cover kiwi grib by a two components paint like jotun hard top XP. It was a test and I knew I was flirting with disaster. Finally, it works 100%. More shinny of course than the very mat finition of kiwi grip but solid and more easy to clean. I added also some silice quartz in the paint.Finally, kiwigrip was used to create a nice anti slip relief.