Conference unifix::sailing

    Funny Gene, if I remember correctly your nonskid did a great job
    putting skid marks on my knees ;-).  Does it have to be a "paint" on 
    type?  Could you use a nonskid matting instead?  We have this on our 
    boat which has held up quite well for the the last 20 years.  I know 
    it comes in different colors and can be easily cut to shape.  I have
    seen the sand paper kind which is like what you have on the deck today
    as well.  Ours is a spongy material with a raised diamond pattern.  The 
    only maintenance we have needed has been an occasional regluing in some 
    spots.  Easier on the bare skin too for those unplanned trips to the 
    deck!    
    
    Brian
    Brian

    Think you got problems?  We're doing the same thing on Wildside.  We
    had Fat Tuesday done professionally with Imron and microballoons. 
    Worked okay, but expensive.  I'm interested in what you get for
    responses as well.  I've hand painted a polyurethane mix on a deck
    before with decent results.  Looked good and lasted.  Probably what
    we'll do this time.
    
    As to the matting, it is good but VERY heavy just where you don't need
    weight, up high at deck level.  Not popular anymore for racing boats.
    
    Preparation is 90% of the work and 99% of what makes it look good.
    
    Dave

    I have used a product called "Paint-a-Carpet" for my non-skid for years
    and it has stood up fine on two trips to Canada, round trip to Bermuda, 
    and a one-way to Bermuda-St.Croix.  It has small pellts of rubber in it
    and is based on a latex formula which sticks to most any surface that
    has been cleaned and lightly sanded.  It can be colored with standard
    gell coloring and looks pretty good.  Basic color is Navy Gray, but add
    one or two tubes of color and you get a nice tint.
    
    I think Bliss carry's it.  I don't remember the manufacturer, but
    someone should know.  It goes on really easy.  Firstc coat looks like a
    mess, but wait 2 hours and second coat fills it in nicely.  An
    overnight wait and you're in business.
    
    Good Luck,
    Jeff
    
    

Never tried it myself, but heard it's pretty good:

Ground walnut shells, in a binder of paint of some kind.  Two advantages 
are that the shells hold pigment well, and sanding it down for a re-do is 
wonderfully simple.  They probably tend to float to the surface, which is 
good.  Seems like it might hold up better than rubber num-nums in the mix,
too. 

I've seen bags of such ground-up shells for sale before, though the only 
people I know who have used them used a hand-crank coffee grinder following
a Christmas season at their home marked by bowls of nuts on every table
for months on end.  ;-) 

J.

    When my boat was AwlGripped in 1984 the yard did the non-skid over with
    Awlgrip.
    
    They applied it and the griptex with a brush, because a roller pulls
    the giptex (or sand) up out of paint.    (pull the brush up to get
    particles to be more abrasive)
    
    It has held up for 5 seasons and seems to be a reasonable mix of
    durability and traction.
    
    Frank

The most recent issue of "Messing About in Boats" had a short article on a 
tried and proved non-skid technique I'd never heard of:  Epsom salts.

Paint a section of deck, and while the paint is still wet, sprinkle Epsom
salts (magnesium sulfate???) on it.  the wet paint will wick up around the
salt crystals, and dry like that.  Work section to section, to be sure the
salt is added before the paint has started to dry and then won't wick up.

After the whole deck is thoroughly dry, hose it down to dissolve the salt.
Voil�!  Non-skid, and no more difficult to remove at season end than the
paint alone, since that's all that's there.   Cheap, too.

Love these folk recipes, don't you?

;-),  J.

    I wound up using interlux's 2398 non skid compound, which looks like
    white microballoons, mixed into their brightside polyurethane paint. 
    One quart of the compound and two quarts of the paint was good for two 
    coats of nonskid on the deck.  There was no particular reason for the
    choice of paint other than the fact that I had some left over from
    painting the topsides.  It's not nearly as hard as the real
    Polyurethanes but the deck nontheless has a reassuringly gritty texture
    now.  Feels good underfoot when doing the foredeck where I don't have
    any lifelines.  I'm very satisfied with the appearance but I'll have to
    see how well it holds up.  Hardest part of the job was tapeing the
    areas where I didn't want the nonskid.  
    
    Since I didn't want any gloss, I could paint at night with no worry
    about the finish flattening out.  In fact, the dew that formed in the AM
    probably enhanced the the desired non-gloss effect.  This is one of the
    easier DIY boat maintenance jobs.  A breeze compared to deblistering
    the bottom.
    
    - gene

    I've taken on a project (aka bying a boat), a J-24 with terrible
    non-skid, instant skin peel. I was interested in -1 and the use of
    Interlux, I was wondering what the part numbers for the brightside
    paint and microbaloons were.
    
    I'm also looking into LP'ing the topsides, and wondered what peoples
    experiences where at doing it themselves, as regards work, time,
    difficulty and end result.
    
    Thanks
    
    Bruce - out on the West Coast - where the sun shines last

    If your non-skid can "peel skin", it sounds perfect for a J/24.

    The Mfg's part number on the microballoons is 2398.  The part numbers
    for the paint vary by paint color.  If you're on the west coast, West
    Marine stocks both as well as comparable products by other vendors.
    
    Be aware that it will be impossible to replicate the molded in non skid
    pattern over the entire deck of the J-24.  It's possible to do this for
    isolated worn areas but I don't think the technique is applicable for
    large areas.  The microballoons and paint won't look as neat as the
    original.  But if you choose an unobtrusive color it should be
    satisfactory, at least from a distance.
    
    Before LP'ing the topsides, I suggest getting a copy of the Awlgrip
    book, also available at West Marine.  If you intend to race the J-24,
    it may not be worth painting unless the topsides are hopelessly
    discolored.  J-24 racers are not known for their gentlemanly behavior
    at marks.
    
    - gene

    Gene, what is "LP'ing"?  I can think of a few possibilites, but not for
    this context!
    
    Dave

    LP = linear polyurethane
    
    - gene

re:    LP = linear polyurethane
    
    I would think "contact" paper would be better for J-24s ;>)  ;>)



	john

	6 days without sailing and feeling blue !!