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My neighbor applied to anchor locker and cockpit sole about a month ago. Turned out great and nearly match the existing light blue Hunter deck. He did a very careful job of masking and used their roller. Kiwigrip completely covered large spider-cracking that came from dropping the anchor.
We used a product called Tuffcoat on two of our boats now and it has held up extremely well and is truly non skid. It's also easier on bare feet and knees than Kiwigrip. Here's our installation, The Trawler Beach House: Transforming The Non Skid Decks . Chuck
We recently used Kiwigrip on our side decks, and have nothing but good things to say about it. It goes down super easy and looks great though it can be hard to keep clean. Only piece of advice is to pull the tape for the edge ASAP otherwise you wont get a sharp edge. Awl or Nothing
I redid my nonskid 5 years ago with Kiwigrip (light gray) on my 1977 Bristol 29.9, I'm very happy with the product. It was easy to use and has held up realy great. I've used other nonskid paints, and non of them last or look as good. I would use it again if I was to do it over.
I just did my decks, I think I skimped too much with it, but I'm satisfied. It goes on real nice, but watch the temperatures outside, if its too hot it'll start to clump on the roller.
I do find it a bit slippery barefoot when the deck is real wet but like I said, I don't think i applied it thick enough.
Thank you for the info. How big an area did you cover approximately and how much did you use. I'm thinking maybe I need to buy over and above what they recommend?
I'm applying it to my boat now and am really happy with it. Once you start rolling it, it will set up quickly and if it's hot, you should work fast. As soon as it is to the point where you like the way it looks, pull the tape off.
I bought white, but decided it would be to bright so had it tinted at a local paint store to a light tan, came out really nice. Since it isn't their standard base, they won't guarantee it comes out exactly like the sample but it will be really close.
I bought a couple of their rollers, but at $25 they are expensive. Went to Home Depot/Lowes and got orange texture rollers with "loopy-goopy" loops, work just as well at $6. Sometimes the rollers are in the paint section, sometimes in the drywall section.
It is the consistency of mayonase, I scoop globs on an area and spread it with a notched trowel from the home improvement store, something like 3/16 notches, it was the finest I could find there. How thick you spread it contributes to how agressive the tread will be. If it is too agressive just keep rolling it pick up excess and then roll it on the next adjacent area you plan to apply it to. If it isn't as agressive as you like I've put some in a paint tray to get it on the roller and then gone back over an area after it was dry and built it up more.
Keep a bucket of water to put your tools in while you aren't using them, it will set up on them quickly.
Wow! Thank you so much for all the helpful and money saving tips! I can't wait to get started on my project. I won't be heading down to the boat until mid October but at least now I will have everything ready to go when I get there. Everyone has been most helpful. I have a feeling I will be seeking advice on SailNet again and again!:
I did my decks and cabin top in the spring with Kiwigrip mad it came out great. As with everything tomdomwith painting, the results are all in the prep. I washed, abraded, washed again, then solvent washed to get the best adhesion. Now that I see how tenacious a bit of spray is on non-prepped areas, maybe I needn't have bothered being so thorough.
Careful masking is crucial to good results. A helper is pretty well necessary. Slop it on with a small notched trowel and float it out before rolling. Different textures/grippiness can be achieved by varying the a punt of product and roller pressure.. Pull the masking tape right away. Kiwigrip has a chart for heat and humidity, well worth looking at.
I was lucky to have had one perfect day this spring, warm, not hot, medium humidity, we just roared through the application on my 32 footer.
I also did a custom sort of sandy tan color at the local paint shop. The contrast with my freshly painted cabin top and cockpit is fantastic.
It will cover roughly what the can says, I think it's 80 sq ft per gal?
Second all the positive reports here. We got our decks a bit too stippled (hot day, working too-large sections), but it sure is grippy! For the cockpit seats and coaming tops, we spread a thinner layer and rolled it with a cheap foam roller cover; result is a lightly suede texture that is easy on clothes and skin but MUCH safer than the molded non-skid was. It does show dirt. Good product, good customer service from the West Coast distributor. When the time comes, our 30'er will be getting KG. Not even considering anything else.
To prevent unused KG from hardening in the can, decant into smaller jars & top with Bloxygen or propane. It's super-easy to touch up any gouges.
I'll give another endorsement. Did all my decks and it worked great. Used the boat heavily this summer and the Kiwi showed no ill effects. Having tried or used other products so they may be great also, but I can say for sure that Kiwi grip did the job I wanted.
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