Replacing the Nonskid on a F-44

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We found my dream boat but it was in need of a bunch of TLC. I love working on boats so we went for it. I spent the last year or so doing little jobs here and there but this summer it was decided to replace the nonskid. The boat is a Farrier 44 catamaran that was hull #1 of a failed SA company. They tried to give it the "Built in a mold" look by using sheets of nonskid cut to shape and glued down to the deck with a raised smooth boarder. I bet is looked good the first few years but when the PO brought it up to the Chesapeake and winter hit, any water that found its way below the nonskid froze and started popping the nonskid up. It looks ugly but the original laminate is in great shape and the deck is solid as a rock. I talked with a local fiberglass guy and he said to grind out the nonskid and lay tow layers of CSM then filler until it is smooth. After that a primer and a nonskid paint. That sounded good so a few weeks ago I started in the cockpit thinking the cushions will help hide my learning mistakes. Since then I heard from the designer and he said the CSM way will be heavy and I should take it down to the original laminate and then one layer of 1.5 oz cloth then primer and paint.

So after I finish the cockpit I will move to the the cloth.

The first photo is after I ground the nonskid down and left the smooth boarder. The rest of the photos show the progression after the CSM was set where I applied the filler.

Kurt

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Today I finished sanding the filler coat and sealed it up with two coats of epoxy. The first coat I thinned with some MEK and applied it with a spreader. It came out smooth as butter. The admiral reminded me that I belong to her and not the boat so I had to run and let it harden. When I came back I washed the deck and broke out the RO with 80 grit to knock the shine off. The I laid the second coat with a 3//8" roller.

Kurt

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The second coat did not harden so I have spent the last few days getting back down to the hard epoxy. Not sure what happened but the second layer stayed tacky in a few spots. Almost ready to get back to epoxy.

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So I ended up needing to apply another skim coat of faring compound to everything. I was going to just hit the spots I had to clean up but figured it would be harder in the long run to fair it back down. I finally found a use for skill I learned doing drywall work in the house.

Kurt

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[Roy M]

Great work. Now, stop adding useless weight and get on with applying the nonskid. I am doing my 10-year regular nonskid overhaul this month, so I can appreciate your efforts. The ONLY thing that needs delicacy is the smooth parts (waterways) that surround the actual nonskid. Don't waste time and treasure on the fairness of the nonskidded areas. You will never see the difference. And now you know about mixing, mixing, mixing your epoxy. I paint the epoxy with epoxy primer, then paint the waterways with several coats of LPU, followed by masking tape over the nonskid areas (using a razor to cut the radii of the corners. I paint my nonskid a contrasting color to the waterways and hull color, just to be different. Roll the fresh LPU paint over the masking tape, then before it gets tacky, sprinkle sand over the surface. The next morning, vacuum all the loose sand off, then recoat with paint. I generally use three coats to cover the sand. I do my nonskid in small sections of about six square feet to allow me to manage the issue of paint drying too soon.

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As soon as I get this section done I will be changing the layup a bit which will be less wight


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I have 2 gallons of Macropoxy 646 I plan to use for a primer coat. After that I will need to find a good top coat. The white primer is there to protect the epoxy and to keep the boat looking halfway good while I do all this.

I hope to apply my first coat of primer tomorrow.

Kurt

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I got a coat of primer on but boy was it thick. They said to use a 3/8 nap roller but it left a rough coat. Will need to sand it smooth before the second coat. I will try a foam roller next.

Kurt

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[Roy M]

Use the appropriate thinner for your primer, unless your surface is so rough that you need the "high-build" that you are experiencing. The primer is there to do two things, make an irregular surface smooth by filling the lows with an easily sanded filler, and to provide a solid attachment surface for the succeeding layers of LPU. Consider all of this as just another G-D! learning experience. Soon you will be an old pro at painting with high tech paints.

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The paperwork said to thin the mix if spraying but not if rolling. I think you're right and thinning it down a bit will help.




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[Roy M]

Play with small patches until you get the feel for the appropriate amount of thinner to do what you need. It is easy enough to sand off and correct, and easy enough to put too little, you will get it soon.

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Spent an hour this morning sanding down the rough spots of the primer. Not hard but kept thinking that if I can paint it smooth I would not need to do the extra sanding. The primer requires a special thinner so off to the store during lunch to pick up some and then do some testing. One lite but smooth coat and then off to the next section. The rest of the deck I plan to remove the old nonskid and filler down to the original laminate. A thin coat of filler and then one layer of 1.5 OZ cloth. After that a coat of primer and move to the next spot.

[Roy M]

You've got the idea now. Great work. What are you going to use for nonskid? Your options include using sand (I use the "play sand" that comes in 50# poly bags at Home Depot), or the lightweight, but costly, nonskid additives from Awlgrip, and others. It depends on how much "grip" you need and how much you hate sitting on a sharp nonskid seat. For me, it's all about the slipping.

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I really like the Kiwi grip paint that I have seen on other boats. Might go with that. I picked up the special reducer today and if the rain holds off will try thinning the mix and see how it goes. Thanks for your help.

Kurt

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I was able to get a second coat of primer on today. Made up 16 oz of primer and thinned it down with 1 oz of their special reducer. Not quite the full 10% max. That helped along with a epoxy roller.



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