Kiwi Grip.....

[w32honu]

Does anyone have any experience with kiwi grip non skid?

Curious about the longevity and quality of the product.......

Application or prep issues??

Any info good or bad.....

Thanks in advance.....

[Cheechako]

a few on this forum have used it and seem to like it. I tried it on a hatch cover and some deck repairs. seems like rubbery latex paint to me. Texture is very minimal. I could actually lift the edge of the coat I put on a repaired area and pull it and it stretched like a piece of latex. as I peeled it. I guess that means it's not very forgiving for minimal prep. I'm sure the "likers" will chime in with experience on larger areas.

[w32honu]

Thanks,

I think they claim no sanding prep which seems a bit hard to believe.......

Can you alter the texture or non skid quality with a thicker application???

[Cheechako]

If you used a roller with a lot of stipple you might, not sure how the thick ripples would be once dry....? Even though it doesnt have a lot of texture.... it seems a little "rubbery" which may help it be more non skid....

[rolandgilbert99]

I have used a similar product called Tuff-Coat, and painted my whole deck. Bad idea. The paint was dirty after a few days walking on it and washing it was a pain, lots of soap and brushing very hard. After a few months it did what was just described by a previous post, peeling off from areas that did not stick properly (I used their own primer though!). I finally decided to take it all off by sanding it and this was a big job. I would not recommend any type of paint that is not a two parts polyeurethan such as Interlux Perfection or Awlgrip, less is cheaper and easier to apply, but you have what you pay for.

[Jim Quibell]

I redid the cockpit sole with KiwiGrip 3 years ago. Fantastic grip, yet forgiving to the skin unlike some of the other products on the market. Our sole had become very smooth after 38 years of heavy racing and we had to make it safe for the crew.
This is one of the few products out there that does exactly what it is advertised to do. Follow the instructions and you will be very pleased with the results.
Research them on their website for details on application and different textures.

[Samantha ann]

+2 love my decks with Kiwi!

[Boatguy30]

It's a nice product, but way overpriced. It hardens over time and is difficult to peel up after a few days. Easy when it has just dried.

Making latex paint in NZ and shipping it to the US has to me the most expensive thing imaginable. Cheap house paint is like $60 a gallon in NZ at the hardware store. It is called "don't slip" in NZ.

I have contacted the rep to talk with him about having it made in Florida, but he seems to have no interest. Would cost $70 a gallon and have 2x the profit margin for the seller. Any takers? There is a very similar product already made in FL for an entirely different purpose I've used as a substitute that just doesn't get quite as hard.

[bstreep]

I often get abuse here for this comment: OK, when it goes south - and it eventually will - what do you do? How hard is this going to be to grind off of your boat? What mess will you be left with?

We took the HARD route, when doing our decks. We used Interlux Perfection - which is a well-known quantity (repaint after 8-10 or 12 years, overtop of the exisiting coats).

JMHO.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by bstreep

I often get abuse here for this comment: OK, when it goes south - and it eventually will - what do you do? How hard is this going to be to grind off of your boat? What mess will you be left with?

We took the HARD route, when doing our decks. We used Interlux Perfection - which is a well-known quantity (repaint after 8-10 or 12 years, overtop of the exisiting coats).

JMHO.

Looks beautiful! Did you paint over the old non-skid or did you have to re-do the texture as well? Is this a polyurethane?

[Boatguy30]

I would use LP nonskid with grit as well if using LP on the rest of th deck. Kiwigrip is basically a water based version of gelcote with cabosil and a nap roller that some builders used.

It seems to sand OK after drying for about a week. It would never come out of the pattern on your deck there unless the bond fails which I have to think it would eventually being latex paint. Boiling water would also likely lift it, but haven't tried.

[svtrio]

FWIW,

I've wrestled with what to put on my own decks, and have found pros and cons for every product out there.

Searching various forums from trucks to fishing, as well as here, Ultra-Tuff/Tuff-Coat, a polyurethane coating, <www.tuffcoat.net> and Kiwi-Grip, an acrylic coating, <www.kiwigrip.com> seem to be discussed most often and with more favorable comments.

First-hand users of both products have provided great information, and
both manufacturers have been helpful on the phone and e-mail. Reading the instruction manuals and MSDS docs on their Web sites is an eye-opener too.

Seems to me that Practical Sailor recently did a comparison of non-skid products.

Roger

[rolandgilbert99]

Originally Posted by svtrio

FWIW,

First-hand users of both products have provided great information, and
both manufacturers have been helpful on the phone and e-mail. Reading the instruction manuals and MSDS docs on their Web sites is an eye-opener too.

Seems to me that Practical Sailor recently did a comparison of non-skid products.

Roger

I don't agree with this above statement, Tuff Coat did not provide the white paint without the rubber non-skid stuff, they suggested to make it for me since I didn't want to cover the whole deck with non-skid paint. Then I realized that the smooth paint took more coats than the non-skid one and I called them and they apologized for it, and billed me for the extra paint I needed. Later on when I reported the problem with the paint being always dirty and difficult to paint, they again apologized because the formula for white paint was not the same as other colors and they suggested I buy more Tide detergent to wash my deck! Furthermore, the paint didn't stick to the primer they sold me in some areas, and they had no explanation for it except that the formula for white paint is different.

Never again I would apply a water based paint on a boat!

[svtrio]

Roland,

Sorry to hear of your experience, but thanks for sharing because "First-hand users of both products have provided great information..." about non-skid products.

Roger

[AnchorageGuy]

My experience with Tuffcoat is just the opposite of Roland's. We are now using it on our second boat and we really like it. It is extremely easy to clean, very durable and we have no problem with it coming loose. Quite the opposite, the stuff is tenacious. Here is a post on our installation on our previous sailboat, Voyages of Sea Trek: Transforming The Non Skid Decks and we have put it on our new to us trawler, The Trawler Beach House: Trawler Flybridge Makeover . We would not consider anything else based on our years of experience with the product. Chuck