Kiwi Grip.....

[Cheechako]

I used Dura Bak on six large 6" x 12" x 6 ft fir steps for my deck at home. These old beams were starting to deteriorate and also were a bit slippery in the winter. The only prep I did was to pressure wash and let it dry. The stuff adheres like no tomorrow, shows no sign of wear and has completely sealed the wood from deterioration. It's a bit lumpy, but I didnt take any real care in putting it on like I would a boat deck. Still, it might be more of a tugboat product than a yacht product. I probably should have mixed it more extensiely. Although, I think they have a less agressive type available also.

[AnchorageGuy]

We tried Dura-Bac before we used TuffCoat and had all of the problems that Roland had and more. The manufacturer kept blaming it on us so we gave up, removed it all and redid the decks with TuffCoat. Chuck

[rolandgilbert99]

Chuck, I have to admit the Tuff Coat primer is excellent, I had to sand it out all over the deck and it was a huge job, it stick to the gelcoat very well! But I noticed in your blog that you didn't use the white color and friends of mine who used a cream color were also very satisfied with it. So could it be that their white color paints are poor quality? They admitted that it was not the same formula () And I found also that the rubber inside the paint make the non-skid very hard on your knees, should you fall face down on the stuff, you're due for plastic surgery!

[AnchorageGuy]

Roland, I have never even considered the white color so I can't comment one way or another. I just can't imagine white non skid of any material. We find the texture to be very soft compared to most other non skid material. If you use the sand type and fall face first or crawl around on it, you will sand your skin off. Users of KiwiGrip report that they have sanded the surface after application because the texture was extremely uncomfortable, even with just bare feet. A gelcoat surface will do damage if you fall face first and can be painful crawling around. These are decks after all and need to be tough enough to stand up to the abuse we inflict on them and still maintain a non slip surface in adverse conditions. The TuffCoat has meet these standards for us quite well and we are very satisfied with the results and longevity. On our sailboat Sea Trek, the non skid was severely punished throughout the Caribbean and Atlantic US coast and still looked like new when we sold her several years after the application. We tried DuraBac and it was terrible and we had to replace it in less than a year. Boating is a compromise in just about every area. Chuck

[Steve A]

I went the old fashioned route when I re-did my cockpit; sand set in epoxy.

[rolandgilbert99]

Wow! You're an artist!

[w32honu]

Decided to go the kiwigrip route.

Results have been good. I spent more time than usual on prep work. A bit beyond kiwi's recommendation. Happy I did .......results are good.

Easy to apply. Looks are good with a good textured non skid.

Now only time will tell the rest of the story. My logic was that a 2 part LP would be a superior paint. It might last say 10 years. But the non skid additive probably would not last that long with hard use. So the "nonskid" quality of the LP paint job might be 3 to 5 years.......guessing. If Kiwigrip last about that long than it is a wash. KG is far easier to work with and is basically nontoxic.....

[Beersmith]

Used Kiwi Grip to re-do my deck. Am happy with the results

Notes:

-buy more than you think you need, a can doesn't go a long ways
-do not apply when humidity is very high, it will not cure before the bumps start to sag
-do not apply if there is a threat of rain. I ruined a large area by doing this.

[scajax]

i used durabak with dreadfull results.....impossible to clean......used kiwi grip on another boat....excellent results .....much easier to apply... covers well and cleans easy GREAT STUFF

[w32honu]

I agree it seems to be excellent stuff. The only thing I can mention at this point is the manufacturer gives a general ratio of paint to coverage. 80 square feet per gallon....... I believe. Based on this ratio I needed 3 gallons for a 32 foot boat.

Before applying to my deck....... I experimented with two different trowels. One 1/4 inch notched trowel typical for tile work and thin set. Found this to be too much KG. Ended up using a smaller notched trowel that put down less material with even coverage. Plenty thick IMO. Coverage was excellent with a good non skid texture.

Thus far I have used only one gallon. I have only a very small area left in the cockpit. So (in my case) the suggested ratio seems to lean in the favor of purchasing more product than you might need. No surprise there I suppose. This is dependent on the thickness of the application.........

Just a heads up........ your results may vary.