Non skid topside help

[Blaine]

Second the recommendation of Awlgrip with Griptex. Mine is a year old and even old red wine stains are no match for this stuff with a little Bar Keepers Friend and a course sponge.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Benz

My favorite, and the one all the headboats I've worked on uses, is Awlgrip with Griptex additive. There's various grits, and the deck will last for five years or so of heavy traffic between applications.

Just did my deck in Awlgrip with Griptex and am very happy with it. Used 50% coarse 50% medium. Grippy but you can still kneel on it. Can be sprayed, sprinkled, even rolled.

[msrcal36]

I cast another vote for KiwiGrip. We used it. One part paint It is EXTREMELY easy to apply. You control how aggressive the non skid is (slightly raised to craggy). US distributor Willie was very helpful.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by George DuBose

Skylark had 35 year old Treadmaster that was so ugly I couldn't even determine the original color. I painted it with the outrageously expensive TreadMaster paint and then the next spring I powerwashed it away!!!

I switched to International's InterDeck and although I had to mix my own color to get an ivory color, it has lasted.

The final death was that the epoxy used to bond it to the old deck was failing, so I have chosen Tek-Dek® in the faded teak look and that is the trick. Cleans with a pressure washer, looks like faded teak and feels like wood. Not cheap, but if you can make your own templates and install it yourself, it is quite reasonable and really makes the boat look great.

I could send photos to anyone interested.

George DuBose

I'd love to see some photos. This is a project in our future & my hope is to go with a faux teak look.

[DeborahLee]

Try looking at bath tub non skid. I found it several s ago and installed it. I was able to find it in different widths in 100 ft roll (reasonable). I think it has been 7 years and is still good. Just peel and stick easy to work with. Being made for the bath tub it is water proof and would be easy to change if the tourist manage to destroy it.

[UNCIVILIZED]

The below is from an old post, in another nonskid thread:


There are a huge variety of excellent glue on nonskid surfaces. Treadmaster makes a few dozen types. And there's TBC. Some cork based varieties, & others. Also, there are various deck molds, or mold like agents, which when used in conjunction with gelcoat leave crisp, sharp looking nonskid on decks. And they can often be used with paints as well.

Some folks even use window screen material (bug netting) for this. Though of course it needs to have the proper non-stick agents on it's surfaces, & the proper size weave to work well. But it works somewhat along the same principles as does peel ply for working with epoxy, in that you wait until things are cured, or almost cured, & then lift it off, to reveal a nice diamond tread pattern on the deck.

Then of course there's; sand, salt, polymer beads, etc. which one either mixes in with the paint/coating, or applies on top of it while it's still wet. Followed by overcoating it. Ditto Kiwigrip, etc.
And the ancient standby, skateboard tape. Which comes in a multiplicity of different colors, & grip levels.

Consider too that the nonskid on a boat's topsides needn't be the same over the entire deck. For example for a touch of class you can add a decoratively shaped pad of treadmaster to a boat's sidedecks where folks most often board her. Or do the same around deck hardware that would otherwise bang on the deck. Such as spinnaker guy blocks.

And I'm a fan of 1-2" wide strips of 1/4" thick teak (or even 1/8" thick), with similar sized gaps in between them, in areas which need heavy cleaning quite often. Such as the first several feet of foredeck area that commonly get coated with the muck & mud from ground tackle when raising the anchor.

The gaps are paramount in that they give the mud you're hosing off a clear channel to flow through in order to exit the foredeck & go over the side. And such is the same reasoning behind the smooth raceways between patches of nonskid on the rest of a boat's decks. Otherwise it gets very difficult to get them completerly clean, no matter how much you scrub, or pressure wash.

PS: It often pays to make up a couple of test panels using your nonskid candidates, in order to see if you like it, & whether or not it's agressiveness meets with your tastes.

[Thumbs Up]

I like the window screen idea, would work great in rolled on gelcoat, bathtub nonskid! I like that too. I don't think that the op has checked back into this thread since they started it. Kiwigrip only comes in four colors and its expensive and hard to keep clean. What is the best looking, cheapest, most durable, and best functioning nonskid treatment?

[GoneIsland]

Kiwigrip comes in any color you want, just add the tint at a paint store for free and there ya go! I know there are a lot of haters on kiwigrip but I think it's great. Gotta clean it a lot cause it attracts dirt but when it comes time to renew it you just wash and roll on a new coat. How simple is that. I'll take that any day over all the sanding and prep work you do with the alternatives.

[Thumbs Up]

Kiwi grip is back in the race!

[Djarraluda]

If you want a painted finish and do not like the KiwiGrip....
Years ago we simply masked a pattern on the deck, painted one coat and then sprinkled sand, or a specific non-slip product. When all dry, remove masking and vacuum of surpass sand, then paint entire deck with the finish paint (even 2 coats). You get a textured pattern of non-slip.

If you use sand, wash and dry it thoroughly.

If you use a 2 pack paint, then it is very durable, but the sooner you sprinkle, the better the finished surface as you do not want it to skin before you sprinkle. Small patches at a time and a sugar shaker works well - or a jar with holes in the lid.
Roger

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Thumbs Up

Kiwi grip is back in the race!

while Kiwigrip seems to be popular, here's an alternative that is much less expensive and has worked extremely well for us for ~6 years now.

http://www.colormaker.com.au/wp.../1...R-Tech-Data.pd

this is an industrial product,meant for factory walkways, pool access ramps and so on. One part acrylic, water based, easy to apply (light scuff of old LPU based non-skid) and roll it on with a textured roller. When we bought it here in Oz the cost was ~180 Aud for 15 liters. We used less than half of that on our 46 footer's deck, so have enough for a complete recoat if required.

And as far as I'm concerned, it is the best non-skid I've ever encountered, both wet and dry. As with Kiwigrip, you control the final aggressiveness with the degree of roll out that you apply, and can modulate things in appropriate areas... like dampening it's bite on the cockpit seats and the sugar scoop where we sometimes sit in our bathers.

The only drawback (and this is true for all such coatings) is difficulty in cleaning. Such is true for all non-skids, but this is worse. For us, it is worth it... I simply do not worry about slipping on deck now. Tripping and flying overboard, sure, but not having my feet go out from under me!

Jim

[UNCIVILIZED]

If you use sand, it's worth it to get pure silica sand from a builder's supply place. That way you know that there's no trace iron mixed in, as if there is, you run the risk of rust streaks on your deck, even though it's painted over. Just my $0.02, & sorted sand isn't expensive.

[HarpAggie2001]

Originally Posted by alansmith

if you enjoy seeing paying customers "bust their arses" you might also be the type who enjoys seeing your customer's feet bleeding when barefoot. If that is your preference use crushed walnut shells and mix in with latex paint. It is incredibly effective at shredding bare feet. Smile

Only the extremely drunk ones