Non Skid that works & doesn't look crap?

[MiddayGun]

What's the best way to get a professional looking non skid deck that will last a while & is easy to keep clean?
Don't mind hard work or spending money on good materials.

No KiwiGrip recommendations please, I used it on my last boat & didn't like it, pretty grippy but it was a nightmare to keep clean & didn't seem to last that well. 
Don't mind having a go at spraying, but keep in mind that I've only got about 10cfm available at the boat so i would have to be a fairly small HVLP or LVLP gun. 

Guess that leaves Gelcoat / or 2 pack paint with non skid particles added. 
I made a test piece using gelcoat (with the wax added) thickened with fumed silica and then rolled into a texture using an old kiwi-grip roller, the result was a very grippy but sharp texture, I took the tops off the ridges off with a sanding block & then left it outside a few months to see how it held up. Unfortunately it seems to hold onto dirt really well & I can't scrub it clean. Not what I want on the boat, maybe I got my ratios wrong though.  
I also had a go at adding the international inter grip particles to flowcoat & rolled that out onto a test panel, unfortunately that didn't seem to work as the resulting surface looks good, but is deadly when wet. 

So yeah gelcoat / paint, spraying / rolling, any tips on getting a good looking long lasting finish? 

 

[Bruno]

Might try gelcoat with salt or sugar, can vary grain size to get a suitable pattern. Gelcoat once sanded loses some sheen. Trick with it is to spray a surfacing agent like pva to get sheen.

 

[Moonduster]

There are really only three choices with lots of variants:

• Additives to paints: KiwiGrip, walnut shells, sand, etc
  
• Non slip surfaces like SeaDek, Treadmaster or teak
  
• Better shoes
  

All the additive solutions are difficult to keep clean. All the solutions wear over time. There's no magic.

 

[ODSailor]

I used Quantum 99 2-part polyurethane to redo all my non-skid surfaces, but Awlgrip or other 2ppu would work as well.  For the grit I used SoftSand, which are small rubber particles that are much easier on bare skin while providing superior non-skid properties.  Work effort is sand the old non-skid smooth, prime.  While the primer is still very tacky, but not fully wet, broadcast the SoftSand liberally.  When it dries, use a clean shop-vac to vacuum up the excess grit.  If you avoid getting foreign debris mixed with the grit you vacuumed it can be reused.  Then apply 3-4 coats of Q99 to complete.  The Q99 goes on extremely thin, almost watery, so don't be surprised at the number of required coats to get a uniform finish.  Oh, and be sure to use a high quality paste wax on all shiny surfaces before beginning so you can easily remove any splatters.  Otherwise you ain't getting the s**t off!

It turned out IMO better than the original.  It doesn't show dirt, looks great, and as I said, is grippier while at the same time less harsh.  Search on Boatworks Today, there is at least one video showing the process, and another segment reviews Quantum 99.  Good luck!

 

[Rohanoz]

Caster sugar onto 2 pack poly paint.

One person rolls/brushes, the other follows closely behind and using a fine sieve liberally spread the sugar onto the wet paint.  The more even, the better it looks, but make sure you put plenty on.

Once the paint is dry, vacuum then hot water wash off the excess sugar (or just leave it for the ants to eat!

 

[MiddayGun]

Might do a test panel & give the sugar a go, does Caster sugar work? In the UK its basically so fine its like dust. Not sure if its the same in Aus?

Soft sand rubber I've heard good things about and watched the videos, but I can't find a European supplier, so would have to import from the US. 

 

 

[SloopJonB]

The best deck paint I ever used was a Sikkens product but it seems to have been killed when International bought them.

I haven't seen Interdeck on a boat but if they were smart they relabeled the Sikkens product. It had an extremely fine grit that was virtually unnoticeable by knees, pants etc. but gripped like mad - never slipped once. The finish came out almost like a flat paint but had the drip of a textured surface.

Does anyone here have experience with Interdeck? Does it sound like my description of the Sikkens product?

This is what it looked like.

 

[MiddayGun]

The best deck paint I ever used was a Sikkens product but it seems to have been killed when International bought them.

I haven't seen Interdeck on a boat but if they were smart they relabeled the Sikkens product. It had an extremely fine grit that was virtually unnoticeable by knees, pants etc. but gripped like mad - never slipped once. The finish came out almost like a flat paint but had the drip of a textured surface.

Does anyone here have experience with Interdeck? Does it sound like my description of the Sikkens product?

This is what it looked like.

Cheers Jon, I actually used the single part intergrip paint on my first & second boats. 
It looked good when first applied & did grip well, but it always needed redoing after one or two seasons & held the dirt a lot. 

I didn't mind so much on an older beater quarter tonner, but I care about this boat a bit more so want to try and do something a bit longer lasting that hopefully looks better as well. 

 

[Bruno]

Ditto on Interdeck, good product for the price but you get what you pay for.

I would experiment with different grain sizes of salt or sugar on a test panel.

 

[Pro looper]

Use Shark grip by H&C products it made for concrete but it stays suspended very well in paint

also to keep it form being slick you need to use flattening agent to a satin finish per paint manufactures

instructions , Just did a deck and it came out like a Pro did it

PL. Oh and tint the primer so you don't have to put to many coats of paint

 

[SASSAFRASS]

My wife did our decks and it has held up really well.  One part petit easy poxy paint and sand.  About the time you need to repaint from washing wear etc its enough that you retain the non skid on the paint.  Her process was prep prime all, tape off non skid area, roll on coat sand it. wait a few days, vacuum. roll coat over non skid,  pull tape coat everything. We are in the process of repainting after about 6 years of full time use, mostly cosmetic, still good footing.

 

[MiddayGun]

Its looking like 2 part paint & some kind of additive is the best option then. 
Soft sand rubber looks good, but importing from the US is a put off, had a look around but the stuff we can get is the stuff they put down in kids playgrounds, particles are way too big. 

I might have a few more try's doing test panels with the gelcoat, maybe if I add a little less cabosil a and then wait for it to kick before rolling it again I might get an acceptable pattern. This is the result of Cabosil & a kiwigrip roller and then after about a year outside. 





The colour difference is more due to the light than any colour change, but that's as clean as I can get it after a couple of scrubbing. 

 

[ghost37]

No wonder you hate Kiwigrip. Looks like you chose to lay down a lot of Kiwigrip (too much?)  and create a really aggressive texture. We experimented and use the smallest tooth edge of a west epoxy spreader to lay down a relatively thin layer before rolling. It gives full color coverage and a significantly less aggressive texture that cleans well and grips well too. 

 

[casc27]

No wonder you hate Kiwigrip. Looks like you chose to lay down a lot of Kiwigrip (too much?)  and create a really aggressive texture. We experimented and use the smallest tooth edge of a west epoxy spreader to lay down a relatively thin layer before rolling. It gives full color coverage and a significantly less aggressive texture that cleans well and grips well too. 

I think that is his gelcoat experiment done using a kiwi grip roller to texture it. Looks like most of the meat grinder gel coat decks I have lets square yards of skin on over the years.

 

[casc27]

Might do a test panel & give the sugar a go, does Caster sugar work? In the UK its basically so fine its like dust. Not sure if its the same in Aus?

Soft sand rubber I've heard good things about and watched the videos, but I can't find a European supplier, so would have to import from the US. 

 

Not sure about the UK but here in the US I think the equivalent would be baker's sugar, which is a fine grained sugar kind of half-way between granulated and powdered.

 

[Diamond Jim]

I’ve been happy with Awlgrip and their Griptex (coarse).  

Mixing the grit with the paint did not produce even results.  Shaking the grit onto wet paint, vacuuming the excess after the paint dries and and covering it with another THIN coat produced uniform results.
There’s an extra coarse griptex that’d be worth a look.

Sherwin-Williams SharkGrip sound like the same stuff.

 

[Bruno]

Biggest objection I have to kiwigrip is the weight. Temperature you sail in makes all the difference in how you perceive the grits.

 

[MiddayGun]

@ghost37 That's gelcoat, not Kiwi Grip. The KiwiGrip deck I did on my old 4ksb looked good when I put it down, didn't stay very clean though. 

Has anyone tried adding griptex to gelcoat? Or sprinkling it on top and then gelcoating over it? 
Can't imagine that it would stick to it the same way it does to paint. 

 

[Grrr...]

What's the best way to get a professional looking non skid deck that will last a while & is easy to keep clean?
Don't mind hard work or spending money on good materials.

No KiwiGrip recommendations please, I used it on my last boat & didn't like it, pretty grippy but it was a nightmare to keep clean & didn't seem to last that well. 
Don't mind having a go at spraying, but keep in mind that I've only got about 10cfm available at the boat so i would have to be a fairly small HVLP or LVLP gun. 

Guess that leaves Gelcoat / or 2 pack paint with non skid particles added. 
I made a test piece using gelcoat (with the wax added) thickened with fumed silica and then rolled into a texture using an old kiwi-grip roller, the result was a very grippy but sharp texture, I took the tops off the ridges off with a sanding block & then left it outside a few months to see how it held up. Unfortunately it seems to hold onto dirt really well & I can't scrub it clean. Not what I want on the boat, maybe I got my ratios wrong though.  
I also had a go at adding the international inter grip particles to flowcoat & rolled that out onto a test panel, unfortunately that didn't seem to work as the resulting surface looks good, but is deadly when wet. 

So yeah gelcoat / paint, spraying / rolling, any tips on getting a good looking long lasting finish? 

I've done two of my boats with AwlGrip and plastic particles added.  Excellent non-skid, easy on the knees.  However - absolute bitch to clean.  Even soft scrub with bleach, my old go-to on gelcoat surfaces, doesn't seem to touch the stains / ground in dirt.