I realize you are getting professional advice and they certainly know more than me, but unfortunately that has never shut me up before . ..
Several years ago Nick Bailey, who has written several how to articles for the sailmags, posted this on the C&C group at the time: << Alex, Some answers for your questions... - Gelcoat is only slightly easier to work with than paint. It won't crack unless the deck underneath is way too flexible or you roll it on way too thick (i.e over 3/32"). I know some C&C Custom 33's (the "3/4 Tonner") the same vintage as your 35 that have the most outrageous rolled gelcoat antiskid. Some of the stucco peaks are almost 1/8" high and there are no cracking or spalling (flaking) problems. (The crew wear the asses out of their pants while sitting on the weather rail but have excellent footing...a good thing because any fall on this deck will remove skin) - The only kind of paint worth using is a polyurethane. The 2 part LP's are most durable but are trickier (and nastier) to use. In particular they require warm temperatures (above 56 degrees F in the case of Awlgrip) and very good ventilation and/or a good mask. (otherwise you'll die...Polyisocyanates form a good percentage of the mix in most LP's and that was the same stuff that wiped out Bhopal India). Gelcoat also smells bad but it's nowhere near as toxic. - It is possible to add colloidal silica to a fully mixed 2 part LP (no other paint type will work due to the difficulty with solvent retention in the thick paint), You then shake the hell out of it on a commercial paint shaker and end up with a beautiful mayonaise consistency... perfect for rolling on a stucco antiskid. (This is what we often use at Bristol Marine) But unfortunately, mixing everything just right is an art. It is tough to gauge the correct amount of silica to add becuase it doesn't thicken till after you shake it (Gelcoat can be mixed by hand, a bit at a time)...I found out the hard way on my own boat that you need to add flattening paste to the mix otherwise the beautiful almost glossy antiskid is surprisingly slippery when wet (when you need it most). Paint stucco also takes a long time to cure to tack free (cures best baking in the hot sun). None of the paint manufacturers actually recommend this technique intheir standard instruction literature (Probably because it is a bit too tricky to quantify control)...they all recommend mixing in an antiskid aggregate (various proprietary ones exist i.e Griptex etc.). Unfortunately the aggregate wears off eventually whereas the stucco ages a bit more gracefully. For you an "all paint" deck with an aggregate antiskid is the most straightforward approach, although it is tricky to get a consistent aggregate distribution with a roller. The next DIY choice would be a mixed medium approach with painted smooth areas and a rolled gelcoat stucco. (masking between the 2 media gets a bit tricky) If you were having it done professionally the "all paint" deck with sprayed smooth and rolled stucco antiskid is the way to go. (I had no idea you were working on a boat this size...this is a really big job no matter how you go about it....more like 250 to 300 hrs. If done professionally a project like this, including materials, would translate into a $20 to +$30K yard bill at Bristol or Wiggers!) - Lastly hardware...The toerail should stay on. You may need to clean up the inside edge to remove any old butyl sealant that has squeezed out over the years so you can get a clean masking edge. You can also leave on hatches and window frames. Small fittings that are hard to mask & work around should come off. We usually only pull the winch drums off and mask the base inner guts in place. When the drum goes back on it overhangs the base enough to hide the paint edge. ...she's a good boat. Worth a restoration ...all the best, Nick Bailey, Bristol Marine>>> I thought he (Nick) had a recommendation for the Flattener ratio, but I don't see it here. For my (Shiny) deck paint, not only did I not use any flattener, I used a couple coats of Stratoclear with pearl powder, that stuff that gives cars that pearlescent look, and it has never bothered my eyes. In fact, Now I wish it was even more glossy, because it makes it much easier to (keep) clean. Regarding the antiskid, Maybe it was one of the local painters that gave me my recommendation - 4 parts paint, one part hardener, 2 parts flattener. I tried a sample of this, and it was way too flat. I used only one part flattener, and shortly after I wished I had used less. My buddy just did his trawler and after looking at my original sample, then my boat now, he used a half part flattener and is happy with it. It gives grip, and also can be cleaned much better. This was with PPG Concept, not Awlgrip, but both polyisocyanates . Just my opinion, of course, and worth every cent you paid for it. Bill Coleman C&C 39 animated_favicon1 From: CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Harry Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2013 4:31 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Stus-List Non skid, C&C 39 Dave, I was advised to flatten the deck gloss just a slight amount to reduce glare. I think you want your topside as shiny as possible. Harry -----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dave Godwin Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2013 8:53 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Stus-List Non skid, C&C 39 Harry, I'm planning on using Awlcraft 2000 Cloud White for my topsides. I'd be interested in knowing the 10% flattening decision. Best, Dave "Ronin" - 1982 C&C 37 Sent from my iPad On Jan 6, 2013, at 8:33, Harry <[email protected]> wrote: Craig, The deck color scheme will be: Awlcraft Gloss: Cloud white (flattened 10%) NS: Chevy white (flattened 50+%) Harry -----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of craig montague Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2013 6:54 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Stus-List Non skid, C&C 39 Harry , what NS. well you be going with. Craig C&C34r Port Townsend, Wa. _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com [email protected]
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