non skid gelcoat

[dirtydiego41]

Has anyone tried to duplicate or have any insight on the non-skid deck finish that you see on parkers and prolines? It looks like drywall texture that has not been knocked down. I typically spray gelcoat with a g100, my thought is to lay down the first coat flat, and then quickly come over the top with less pressure and/or a smaller nozzle to get the speckle. My concern is that the second coat may want to lay out too much, maybe add 10% cabosil? Any and all input would be appreciated.

 

[Sparky568]

Something like this?

http://gibcoflexmold.com/310-gfss/

 

[dirtydiego41]

That is more like a 30 grit sanded surface. I don't think what I'm talking about it is a molded surface. Usually you can find duplications of one feature in those random patterns that aren't that far apart. I checked out flexmold before posting on here, $53/sqft seems a little rapey. If I wanted to match molded non-skid I would just I would just pull a mold off of the boat and use that (probably what I'll end up doing). I think flexmold is targeting DIY guys, too bad it's a bit more difficult than they make it look. If they offered sheets of the patterns at a reasonable price I'd bite. On that subject, if anyone has a source for nonskid pattern material, I'm all ears.

 

[gonzo]

You can do it with low pressure and a large nozzle. The viscosity should be the most your gun will take.

 

[PAR]

Pull a latex mold off a large existing section that isn't too badly screwed up and use this over taped off waterways and a fresh, slightly thickened batch of goo. This is the best way to get a perfect match. That texture job looks to have been rolled, not sprayed, though I've seen spray jobs that are close to that. The rolled texture technique is one I use frequently and you simply take a roller, sometimes a textured one, though the setting up resin. Timing is key, as you want the goo to kick off before it can lay back down and self level. A couple of practice attempts on some plywood and you'll figure it out. It's quick, repeatable and can be adjusted by back flooding the area or sanding the tops of the more aggressive portions of the texture. Paint will also fill some of the texture in, "softening" it a bit.

 

[SukiSolo]

PAR mentions a good technique if trying to match. For small repairs even Blutack can be used to get an area to match closely the surrounding finish. On new build the mould usually has some textured let in, this can be done on the plug too. If creating new textures you can buy a roll of suitably textured vinyl or other polymer that will release from the gelcoat. This can be used on top of sprayed gel as PAR suggests. Air entrapment is the thing to watch for.

 

[dirtydiego41]

Thanks for the input. I fooled around with the 3m gun and figured out the exact match. Just about the easiest, most effective, and all around user friendly coating one could have. 2-3 coats thinned, then turn the fluid and pressure way down until you get the right size flecks of un-thinned for the drywall texture. Wet sand lightly with 1000. Super easy, not hard on the feet or footwear, simple to keep clean, and I think it's attractive. I'll drop a few pics asap.