Grind nonskid off while keeping it flat

[We we]

I’m in the process of stripping topsides down for paint and can’t seem to find an easy way to get all that non skid off. I can’t believe how hard this stuff is. It’s molded in the boat and there is some damage in five or six places. There is no way to match this pattern if I wanted to. The plan is to take all of this non skid off and roll on some paint and put sand like particles. I can take a side grinder but I can’t keep it flat. I know I’m in for a lot of fairing, but would like to keep that to a minimum. Belt sanders work but are much slower than I think it should take. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

[boatpoker]

You can recreate nonskid patterns.

[Svsumurun]

Kiwigrip ..... covers right over it ...

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by Svsumurun

Kiwigrip ..... covers right over it ...

+1 for Kiwigrip. You've found out sanding the old nonskid off is a pain and then the large amount of prep work/sealing the deck w/2 part primers for some of the epoxy based nonskids can be more labor intensive and expensive than needed.
Here's our story and why we say, just go w/Kiwigrip.


Bill O.

[Franziska]

I did that on our cat. Used a wire rush on an angle grinder to rough it all up.
Tough job.

Than applied KiwiGrip.

Be aware, KiwiGrip is not watertight. So you need some PU or other paint underneath.

Still, KiwiGrip is great stuff!

[tarian]

42ft boat covered in Treadmaster ad I mean covered
Used an angle grinder and took all off down to glue they used and sometimes to deck , but never cutting in. then Kiwi Gripped with Patterns
Looks great

[roverhi]

If you don't already know, a large diameter grinder/polisher with foam backing pad and 60 grit sand paper. The foam pad is a must to keep from gouging out the deck. Use a grinder/polisher with a max rpm around 2000. Too fast rpm on the grinder will generate enough heat to melt the fiberglass and give poor results. Ground all the non skid pattern off the deck of a 32' boat. It's a long, messy job not undertaken lightly. Keep a shop vac. handy and use often or you'll piss off everybody near you.

https:https://www.ebay.com/itm/7-Inch-Plas...EAAOSwVFlUDKgp

[Cheechako]

Why remove it? Paint over it and add sand if you want.

[jmschmidt]

The "Topsides" of a boat are not the decks. Topsides, as the "sides" part implies, are the sides of a vessel from the waterline to the deck.

[Fore and Aft]

You could try an electric planer with new blades. I have seen them used to remove gelcoat below the waterline and was surprised at the results.
I have also seen this tool below used to remove non skid and the job was very quick and nicely done.
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/albi...ool/1131878988
Cheers

[Mattm]

If you need to get the nonskid pattern off take a skill saw and set the depth so it just cuts the low parts of the nonskid then cut a tick yac toe board over the entire area. Sand until the board is gone. You're guaranteed the same removal throughout and the grooves you cut will assist in removing much more material.
But as said kiwi grip is way easier

[We we]

Thanks to all.
Kiwi is probably the way I’ll go but what about the 5 or 6 places that have damage ?
If it wasn’t in my driveway I would not go to so much trouble and work. I had to take toe rails off anyway cause they had rotted places on both sides of boat and leaked a lot of water inside the boat.

[jhulmer]

Originally Posted by roverhi

If you don't already know, a large diameter grinder/polisher with foam backing pad and 60 grit sand paper. The foam pad is a must to keep from gouging out the deck. Use a grinder/polisher with a max rpm around 2000. Too fast rpm on the grinder will generate enough heat to melt the fiberglass and give poor results. Ground all the non skid pattern off the deck of a 32' boat. It's a long, messy job not undertaken lightly. Keep a shop vac. handy and use often or you'll piss off everybody near you.

https:https://www.ebay.com/itm/7-Inch-Plas...EAAOSwVFlUDKgp

I second roverhi,

I removed the teak decks on my boat and the molded in non-skid was full of sealant. I had to remove all the texture to paint and add new non-skid.

I tried, as you have, the grinder and the belt sander with the same result. what finally worked was one of these with the soft disk. This grinder is variable speed and provides the control needed to keep from gouging the surface. It is very dusty work but this grinder has a vacuum connection.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-120-...Sander/3651298

[jhulmer]

I eventually purchased one of these and it is variable speed and 6" dia. and the best sander for boat work I have owned to date. Not cheap but well worth the money in beer minutes. (the more time sanding the less time to drink beer)
https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-Variabl...gateway&sr=8-3


It comes with the soft pad.

[ausnp84]

Removing non-skid is a real PITA! I had that Treadmaster crap all over the cat and spent two weeks chiselling it off, then sanding the glue and leftover papery strands beneath.

Add another two weeks of repairing the gelcoat beneath that had cracked, and now it’s on to priming with Jotun and then polyurethane two part top coat paint, with crushed superfine glass added.

Make sure you put two coats of paint over the grit as otherwise it’s too rough and will hurt like hell if / when you land on it.

N