Deck Refit - 1966 Alberg 30

[adhocbc]

I recently purchased a 1966 Alberg 30 and the decks are old and tired with cracked gelcoat, non-skid that is worn right down in places so that the paint is gone in the valleys and some odd holes to fill.

From my research it looks like kiwigrip is the way to go on the non-skid sections, but I'm unsure of how to prep and paint. Can anyone help with an order of operations for the job? What other paints should I use for prep? My thoughts are:

1) fill holes with west 420 and sand entire deck with 80 grit
2) mask off hardwear and woodwork
3) prime entire deck including non-skid sections
4) paint entire deck, including non-skid sections, with interlux topside.
5) mask off smooth sections and apply kiwi grip to non-skid section.

I don't need Bristol conditions, but want to make it look fresh and serviceable. The boat is in the yard now, but most of the job will be done dockside. As I'm in B.C. the rain makes painting challenging for much of the year. I am thinking I may fill, sand and prime while in the yard for convenience and to contain the sanding dust. Would wet sanding (with the help of rain) be a bad idea?

[coopec43]

There's quite a few video clips. This looks like a good one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM0J9h_XdYY

[adhocbc]

Originally Posted by coopec43

There's quite a few video clips. This looks like a good one.

Thanks, I'm mostly curious about prepping prior to putting on the kiwi grip. Do I need to do the smooth and non-fskid completely separately for all coats? Or can I prime the whole deck at once? What should I use for primer, and for filling holes and gel coat cracks? What's the best paint for the smooth sections of the deck?

[coopec43]

What about this one then?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoKq4yiXauI

[slug]

Originally Posted by adhocbc

I recently purchased a 1966 Alberg 30 and the decks are old and tired with cracked gelcoat, non-skid that is worn right down in places so that the paint is gone in the valleys and some odd holes to fill.

From my research it looks like kiwigrip is the way to go on the non-skid sections, but I'm unsure of how to prep and paint. Can anyone help with an order of operations for the job? What other paints should I use for prep? My thoughts are:

1) fill holes with west 420 and sand entire deck with 80 grit
2) mask off hardwear and woodwork
3) prime entire deck including non-skid sections
4) paint entire deck, including non-skid sections, with interlux topside.
5) mask off smooth sections and apply kiwi grip to non-skid section.

I don't need Bristol conditions, but want to make it look fresh and serviceable. The boat is in the yard now, but most of the job will be done dockside. As I'm in B.C. the rain makes painting challenging for much of the year. I am thinking I may fill, sand and prime while in the yard for convenience and to contain the sanding dust. Would wet sanding (with the help of rain) be a bad idea?

Not familiar with that paint

Deck paint wants to be the hardest , most UV resistant paint

I have always used Awlgrip.

Be careful with products like KIWI grip...in future they are very difficult to refinish

With non skid it’s best to mask off the non skip areas in moderate size panels..not one panel that covers the whole deck area.

When using non skid additive...follow directions, but when formulating the dry non skid additive.... mix 50 percent FINE grit with 50 percent COARSE grit

With this mixture ....The fine grit will fill in the space between coarse grit and give a uniform sheen to the non skid area.

[Tusitala]

I believe West System 420 is an aluminum powder additive? I wouldn't be using that. Best and nicest filler to work with so far is TotalBoat TotalFair, easy to mix, no pinholes. This is strictly a Jamestown Distributors product. Since you're in BC, maybe try System 3, they have a similar type of premixed filler that is also excellent to work with and are in Washington State.

I'm currently in the process of prepping decks to be finished in KiwiGrip. There's a few small areas done, and the stuff looks pretty good, but maybe not as grippy as I expected. As in a previous post, not sure I'd want to be involved in this project when it comes time to refinish the deck. My preference would be to use Softsand mixed into the paint of your choice. SoftSand Rubber from SoftPoint Industries – SoftSand particles are a rubber-based paint additive for a comfortable, colorful, and skid-resistant surface

Paint is tough. The best DIY stuff seems to be Alexseal, but it can be difficult to obtain. Super easy to get a finish that looks sprayed on, and it can be repaired. I normally use Awlgrip as it's available just about anywhere and is a good, tough dependable finish. There's a lot to be said for International Perfection too, it can give a great finish but typically takes more coats. Epifanes has a nice 2 part product also. Just be sure to use a 2 part system that has good availability in your area. Nothing quite like knocking the tin of catalyst off the deck and it empties on a perfect painting day and there's no replacement available.

This guy has a really good selection of videos that should cover most of what you are looking to do. https://www.youtube.com/user/boatworkstoday

Alberg 30 is a really good looking yacht ! There's a totally restored one in a yard nearby, very sweet boat. Good luck!

Pat

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by adhocbc

I recently purchased a 1966 Alberg 30 and the decks are old and tired with cracked gelcoat, non-skid that is worn right down in places so that the paint is gone in the valleys and some odd holes to fill.

From my research it looks like kiwigrip is the way to go on the non-skid sections, but I'm unsure of how to prep and paint. Can anyone help with an order of operations for the job? What other paints should I use for prep? My thoughts are:

1) fill holes with west 420 and sand entire deck with 80 grit
2) mask off hardwear and woodwork
3) prime entire deck including non-skid sections
4) paint entire deck, including non-skid sections, with interlux topside.
5) mask off smooth sections and apply kiwi grip to non-skid section.

I don't need Bristol conditions, but want to make it look fresh and serviceable. The boat is in the yard now, but most of the job will be done dockside. As I'm in B.C. the rain makes painting challenging for much of the year. I am thinking I may fill, sand and prime while in the yard for convenience and to contain the sanding dust. Would wet sanding (with the help of rain) be a bad idea?

I did the deck on my boat and it had lots of cracked gel coat. What you do in a nutshell is sand with an orbital sander using 40 or 60 grit – depending how much you need to remove. Then open up the major cracks with a Roloc style grinder on your electric drill to create a channel. You fill these channels with epoxy putty and sand them smooth. To fix, this is basically it.
Then you prime (I used US Paint 545), sand with 320, prime again, sand with 320 again then apply the topcoat only on the areas where you will not have the Kiwigrip. You need to plan this in advance. No need to mask at this point. Once you apply the second or 3rd coat of topcoat (I used Awlgrip), then you mask the “panels” where you want the Kiwigrip.
Kiwigrip is easy to use, but you must be quick or it will change the aggressiveness of the finish as it dries, and you have to remove the masking tape right after you paint.
Sand everything you need to sand while on the hard, but after that, don’t try to do everything at once. Divide the work accordingly - the cabin top first, then the foredeck, the side decks, and finely the cockpit.
Your challenge will be to do all this with all the hardware in place.

This is all perfectly doable as long as you plan each step. Good luck with the project.

Check John’s work here, one of the best reference sites for refitting an old boat (he actually rebuilt his boat and did a fantastic job). Check under “projects” and “tools”.

[blakeney]

I have 1964 Alberg 35. Did the decks last year after repairing 2 soft spots from leaks around the storm hatch.Sanded everything with 80 grit. Primed with Interlux primer.Painted all first coat with Interlux Brightside.Taped off the non skid & painted everything else 2nd coat.Taped off the non skid again & painted it with Brightside with AWLGRIP Griptex additive mixed in. I used the fine particles & wished I had used a coarser one but the grip is fine.I didn't use the Kiwigrip as I don't care for contrasting colours on a classic boat.
You may want to add some flattening agent to the Brightside to cut down on the sun reflection.

[Scubaseas]

Power wash and or de-grease deck prior to any sanding. Wipe down any cured epoxy with soapy water and ScothBrite to remove amine blush prior to sanding. Or use peel ply. If using poly or vinyl ester based fillers use acetone or MEKP to wipe clean.



Use same paint system/manufacturer for primer as for paint.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by blakeney

....I didn't use the Kiwigrip as I don't care for contrasting colours on a classic boat.
You may want to add some flattening agent to the Brightside to cut down on the sun reflection.

Interesting comment Blakeney. I have a classic (1967) so I guess I am non-conforming...
One of the reasons I chose Kiwigrip grey was to cut down on the glare. I used Awlgrip's Matterhorn white and it is extremely reflective. But I understand and respect you viewpoint.

[George DuBose]

I gave up painting the old Treadmaster. Their own paint product would wash away with a pressure washer.

I went with Flexi-teek and it makes my 46 year old gal look almost new...

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by George DuBose

I gave up painting the old Treadmaster. Their own paint product would wash away with a pressure washer.

I went with Flexi-teek and it makes my 46 year old gal look almost new...

Wow. That is a deck...

[Tugwit]

I refinished the (molded-in, gel coat) non-skid on my Cascade 36 a couple of years ago with Kiwi grip and am very happy with the ease of application and the results.

I was satisfied with the smooth, non-non-skid areas, so did not attempt the primer/awlgrip/brightside task, but you'd certainly do that first, if desired. And as noted by a previous post, there's no reason to prime & paint the area that's going to be covered by Kiwi Grip...just extend the smooth-area coating an inch or so inside the non-skid area and re-prep that small area (sand, basically), after masking for the non-skid.

There are lots of non-skid treatments, but the Kiwi Grip approach is simple because there are no additives to select and mix. It's basically a thick, acrylic paint that is textured with a special roller to yield the peaks and valleys that, when dry, will result in the desired surface. Practice application on some cardboard--as recommended--until you get a feel for it, and be aware of the ambient temperature as it will affect drying time.

In practice, I had a few areas that seemed overly aggressive when dry and I took a sander with a light touch to knock off the tops of the peaks to achieve a more satisfactory (to me) surface. In fact, I don't understand the claim in a previous post that Kiwi Grip is difficult to touch-up or re-finish. With an aggressive-grit sanding paper, the Kiwi grip could be sanded off completely, if desired, and re-applied---it's just paint.

I also don't share the aesthetic that a contrasting color is out of place on a "classic" boat. In practice, I used a light grey color for the Kiwi-grip which considerably reduced the glare off the deck when sailing in bright sunlight--which I have come to very much appreciate. (Yes, sunlight occasionally occurs in the Pacific Northwest...;-) And I've also received many unsolicited compliments on the resulting appearance.

[dmalcol1]

With regard to priming and prepping deck i used Interprotect 2000E bottom barrier as a primer.on the deck.

[adhocbc]

Originally Posted by dmalcol1

With regard to priming and prepping deck i used Interprotect 2000E bottom barrier as a primer.on the deck.

A wealth of knowledge, experience and opinion on this thread. Thanks to all.


How did the Interprotect work? Did you have any crazeing amd cracking to take care of? The primer and prep is what I'm really curious about. I'm wondering if there is a primer/filler that will fill in small cracks (most of which are in the smooth sections of the deck without molded in non-skid). I'd prefer to avoid lots of gouging and filling and go sailing.