Nonskid Repair - Old School - Part I

Part I of II  The Agony of Removal (tune in again tomorrow for Part II ) About the only thing more frightening and annoying than a slippery deck surface when you’re out trying to reef is discovering that the aging non-skid is cracking and peeling right under your feet.  That was the case on our 1985 Celestial 48 center cockpit ketch that started peeling as if after a bad sunburn and therefore launched us into full non-skid repair mode. Celestial 48 - Project Location Diagnosis & RemovalThe first signs of non-skid trouble showed up after a boat bath.  Areas of non-skid bubbled up and trapped the wash water underneath which oozed out for hours as the boat dried.  Soon, long, spidery cracks in the non-skid appeared and the gelcoat surface started to show through.  Spider Cracks I had no idea how old the non-skid was having had the 22 year old boat only 5 years.  During removal, I noticed that the starboard side, where the non-skid came up easily in dinner plate sized chunks, was yellow underneath as if it had been epoxied.  The port side, where the non-skid came up only under extreme protest, had a white undercoating.  I deduced that one side (probably starboard) had been repaired already by the previous owner.  Big chunks with epoxy finish underneath I wanted an aggressive surface but one  that wouldn’t remove skin if sat or knelt on and once I realized how difficult it was to remove the old non-skid in the areas where it wasn’t already sloughing off, I decided that I would do only the affected areas. Therefore I needed to match not only the color but the texture of the previous non-skid. The question of which medium to use was quickly answered – no ground cork nor walnuts, no plastic pellets nor premixed non-skid paint, no Treadmaster nor Flex-Mold.  Sand was the answer (or rather 20 grit silica from a hardware store) and AWLGRIP two part polyurethane paint.  A metal scraper and gloved hand did most of the removal on one side but the other required a heat gun and much elbow grease.  Working from the edges, the metal scraper was inserted under the non-skid and then firmly pushed as the heat gun warmed up the surface ahead.  The key here was to avoid singeing the gelcoat and nearby varnished surfaces.  Slow and tedious removal The Celestial has molded-in, raised gelocated areas (intended for non-skid)) separated by water channels on the cabin top.  The rest of the deck is teak.  I cleared 6 sections out of the total 10 for approximately just over 50 square feet.  Molded and raised sections Surface PrepThe raised surfaces actually helped in surface prep.  First, it was easy to follow the curves of the areas when taping and second, it was easier to keep the power sander only on the areas that stood proud rather than scratching the rest of the gelcoat.  I roughed up the surface with an angle grinder and a 6” pad (with a soft backing for give) and 80 grit sandpaper.  I then dusted and wiped before taping.  I used 3M Fine Line ¼” polypropylene film tape first because it hugs curves easily.  Rubbing the tape with a Scotch-Brite pad made sure it adhered evenly.  Regular 1” tape was then used to widen the protected edge.  A third layer of 1” tape was applied for removal between coats of paint.  I had only a few minor gelcoat dings to repair which were faired to provide an even surface before application of the first layer of paint.  Color matching wasn’t an issue since the patches would never be seen. At this point, we’re about at the halfway point so come back tomorrow and we’ll go into how to apply the paint and sand and then get to the worst job:  cleaning up.