What can I darken my deck with and add non skid?

KCKracker

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Bayliner trophy, anybody have this problem my deck is so white that when the sun is shining on it it literally blinds me, and even if I wear sunglasses all day I end up with an awful headache from the bright glare.. I'm wondering if anyone else has this problem and has put any kind of a coating over their deck to maybe darken the color or like some kind of grey, off white paint or epoxy , gelcoat, something also with better traction? I'm not a boat builder so I have no idea what should be put down over this fiberglass Deck. I'm hoping that you're going to tell me that I can tape off some large patches and there's something cool I can buy that can be rolled on yank the tape off and I'm done lol
 

Scott Danforth

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sand the deck with 80 grit
tape off what you want to do as non-skid
mix up the color of gel you want with some fumed silica
roll it on with a bed-liner roller. wait 5 minutes, then roll again. then wait until it kicks and roll over the gel pulling little peaks for the non-skid
 

mickyryan

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thats why i went offwhite /cream color when i built my trophy it blinded me looking out over the bow lol i used raptor bedliner for my non skid areas and then thinned it out on the areas i wanted smooth , worked really well and hasn,t faded in 5 yrs so far :) its a urethane based bedliner material but what scott said works well as well if you wanna stick to gelcoat
 

mickyryan

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makes boating a lot more pleasing on the eyes
 

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briangcc

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SeaDek it. It'll cost ya but you can make your own pattern and get it made to your liking. Soft on the feet too.

There are others out there, I just happen to have purchased SeaDek for my swimpad.
 

KCKracker

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thats why i went offwhite /cream color when i built my trophy it blinded me looking out over the bow lol i used raptor bedliner for my non skid areas and then thinned it out on the areas i wanted smooth , worked really well and hasn,t faded in 5 yrs so far :) its a urethane based bedliner material but what scott said works well as well if you wanna stick to gelcoat
Any pics? Sounds cheap n easy
 

KCKracker

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sand the deck with 80 grit
tape off what you want to do as non-skid
mix up the color of gel you want with some fumed silica
roll it on with a bed-liner roller. wait 5 minutes, then roll again. then wait until it kicks and roll over the gel pulling little peaks for the non-skid
I don't know what gel means. What do I buy
 

JASinIL2006

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I don't know what gel means. What do I buy

He means gelcoat. It's colored polyester resin (same resin used with fiberglass to make your boat, most likely). You can mix it with fumed silica (sometimes called by the brand names of Cabosil or Aerosil) which serves a thickener for the gelcoat, which is otherwise pretty much the consistency of latex paint. Gelcoat gets mixed with a catalyst which causes it to harden fairly quickly.

Rolling the thickened gelcoat on with a roller can give it some texture which helps make it a non-skid surface.

I'd be cautious about using a one-part urethane coating (like DIY bedliner or Durabak). They tend to be not so durable and they are miserable to remove if you ever decide you don't like it. I put something similar in my boat and it was a huge mistake.
 

dingbat

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Google "non skid paint for boats"
Lots of premixed, roll-on solutions available.
 
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mickyryan

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I'd be cautious about using a one-part urethane coating (like DIY bedliner or Durabak). They tend to be not so durable and they are miserable to remove if you ever decide you don't like it. I put something similar in my boat and it was a huge mistake. <~~ truth , that's why i said raptor liner , its tintable thinnable for different texture and even able to smoothly paint it if wanted to
 

mickyryan

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SeaDek it. It'll cost ya but you can make your own pattern and get it made to your liking. Soft on the feet too.

There are others out there, I just happen to have purchased SeaDek for my swimpad.
i had rodents, squirrels use my seadeck for nesting ...
 

RaftRat

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I’m about to try Durabak for my deck, but the deck is removable so it’s not as big as a commitment. But I’ll give an update when I actually have it.
 

KCKracker

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Thanks I ordered this up in dark gray. Should I roll it on with a smooth paint roller or should I use something that would give it more texture or does it even matter? Also my biggest question what do I need to do to prep the surface do I just wash it really good or do I need to wipe it down with something?
 

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kcassells

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KC all you're supposed to do is read the mfg's specs and how to on the can you just bought. :}
Self explanatory.
 

KCKracker

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KC all you're supposed to do is read the mfg's specs and how to on the can you just bought. :}
Self explanatory.
I haven't got it yet just getting prepared but thanks for the kind helpfulness 🙄
 

zool

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