deck paint

[mcfish77]

The time has come where the fiberglass deck in the cockpit of my downeaster needs a paint job. The 2 questions I have are:
1) what type of paint should I use for this that will hold up to the abuse the cockpit will take, and
2) is there anything I can mix with the paint to give better traction in the cockpit.
Currently, the deck is very smooth and becomes very slick when wet, especially if you are barefoot.
Thanks for any and all help.
Mac

[jawz12]

awlgrip...use grip tex...

[Capt.Troy Crane]

I second the Awlgrip with medium grit grip tex.

I just reglassed a deck on a Downeast hull last month for a guy.
The most important thing is to prep the deck really good or nothing will stick.
I use 36 grip paper on a 8 inch sander and let her eat. Don't get carried away and let it gouge the glass.
Clean it off really well after you sand it and then wipe it dowm with some laquer thinner.
Then put a couple (or more) good coats of Awlgrip 545 primer on it. The primer dries quick and you can topcoat with the paint right over top of the tacky primer if you want to. If it sits with the primer on it for more than a couple of days you will need to scuff it first.

When you roll the top coat out keep the grip tex mixed up well in the paint or it will clump up on you. I use a candy stripe short nap roller and it seems to do well. You can also sift the grip text by hand on any areas you want to have it heavier and roll another coat over it. I did this in front of the cabin door, the side station as well around the kill box.

Good luck,
Troy

[mcfish77]

Troy--thanks for the detailed answer. How many coats of awlgrip should go on? Is one enough after the primer?

[karenlynncharters]

Awlgrip is great paint. We have been spraying it and rolling and tipping it for many years. We used to use it on our decks and applied it similarly to Troy, but in the last few years and on our new boat, the Karen Lynn, we have been using Ameron which is an epoxy that is widely used by the commercial fishing fleet in Gloucester and elsewhere.

We found it to need less surface prep, as awlgrip is made to be sprayed in multiple, very thin (3-5 mil) coats. Ameron fills much better and self-levels more. It is also much easier to apply and mix. We clean and scuff the surface with 36 or 60 grit and then roll it on. It is made to stick to just about anything. Awlgrip itself does not have great adhesion, the 545 primer is essential. You can mix in pool sand or you can use awlgrip griptex if you want it less abrasive and more expensive. We have also had good success on area's of the boat with less traffic, rolling on a coat, covering it completely with sand and letting it kick, then brushing off the excess sand and rolling a thin coat over it. This gives you a less abrasive and more uniform surface but not as slip resisitant. I would not use this method on my deck as I would rather have to scrub hard to clean and wear out my boots than have a customer slip and get possibly hurt.

Most importantly Ameron seems to hold up much better and unlike awlgrip, it is easy to touch up and can be thickened to fill gouges. We also use it in our ballast tanks, bait wells and fish box as, unlike awlgrip it can be immersed in water for long periods and not blister. It does not come in as many colors but you can get whites and greys. When all is said and done, Ameron is also cheaper as awlgrip base, converter, 545 primer, retarder, etc.. all adds up.

We get it from Roses Marine in Gloucester but the area distributor is CG Edwards in Boston. There are about 7 different types of Ameron. Just ask the supplier to recommend the best one for your application. Here is a link to Ameron products. http://www.cgedwards.com/ameron/amerprod.htm I attached a couple of pictures of the Karen Lynn's deck but it is hard to tell anything from the pictures. if you zoom in you can see how it is glossy like awlgrip.
Good luck with the project.

Jim
www.karenlynncharters.com

[Capt.Troy Crane]

Sounds like some good stuff Jim, I'd like to try some on my deck. Do you have many color options ??

Mac,I usually put down a minimum of two coats depending on what I am painting over but I have done as many as four back to back after they tack up. If you roll it on use the candy stripe short nap roller so the paint is not going on thick like Jim was talking about and use the SLOW brush converter. We have had better performance with the Awl craft product on the decks than the regular Awl grip.

I painted my boot stripe today with Awl Craft and it was 42 degrees out. I used the activator that smells like cat piss, yes it does, and it cures it faster. I brushed three coats of black on and it flowed out perfect.

Good luck,
Troy

www.maraudersportfishing.com

[karenlynncharters]

Troy, there is a color chart on the link I supplied. I don't know how many of them are readily available. Ameron smells just as bad as awlgrip minus the cat piss accelerator!

Jim
www.karenlynncharters.com

[Capt.Troy Crane]

Thanks Jim,
a lot of the boat builders down here started using Alex seal a few years ago and it has seemed to do well for them. I am told it sprays really well. All I have ever sprayed is Awl grip and Emron so I am kinda of partial to what I know works for me. It's a tuff call using a customers boat for a ginny pig

Thanks for the info, I checked out your site, nice rig you have. You boys like to get those sticks up high in the North don't you ??? How many baits do you pull from it at one time ???

Troy

www.maraudersportfishing.com

[Questsportfishing]

fiberglass coatings has it down here and its two part .. I can send you some pics of it and when the home depot roller drys you can bash the heck out of it with a hammer and it will not break or chip...it takes any grit sand to the finest awlgrip sand and is easy to roll ...has mixable colors. My wife is a avid diver along with all her friends and I fish. this stuff looks good and holds up. I also coat my fuel tanks with it. easy to clean also

[karenlynncharters]

Troy, we pull 4-5 baits for Bluefin and twice that for yellowfin.