deck crazing solution

Anything that doesn't fit into the other Physical Systems categories
Post Reply
User avatar
mike cunningham
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:21 am
Location: Jacqueline, F30 #3, Discovery Bay, California

deck crazing solution

Post by mike cunningham »

I have some deck crazing on the forward and side decks. It is only crazed in the nonskid areas. The smooth strips between non skid areas are not showing any signs of crazing. I think this is relatively common in boats like mine which have been exposed to the hot sun for many years.

I recently had a guy do some gelcoat repairs and asked about the crazing on deck. How would he repair it? He proposed to spray the non skid areas with tinted gelcoat to match the current light grey color. In effect he was going to paint the deck with gelcoat. This sounds like a reasonable approach given that gelcoat is thicker than paint and ought to fill the tiny cracks pretty effectively. Having said that I have only heard folks discuss re-painting decks not re-gelcoating them. I wonder if any of you have any insight into whether the gelcoat approach makes sense. Has anyone done this?

By the way, in addition to the crazing, the nonskid paint is wearing through and showing the underlying white color of the deck so I would really like to deal with the appearance of the non skid as well as the crazing.
Mike Cunningham
Freedom 30 (Mull) Hull #3
Build date...June, 1986 . Freedom Yachts USA, sloop, shoal keel
Gun Mount and pole retrofitted (purchased from a Hoyt Freedom 32)
Yanmar 2gm20F , 1600 hrs fixed two blade prop
e-rud and ocean racing equipment

User avatar
rvivian
Posts: 210
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:08 pm

Re: deck crazing solution

Post by rvivian »

Hi Mike -

Recently saw an ad video (Jamestown Distributors I think) for this stuff:

http://www.kiwigrip.com/

Looks pretty good to me and I'm thinking about putting it on my list of things to do.
Heart's Desire
Freedom 30
Shelton, WA

User avatar
Rick Simonds
Posts: 144
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:49 pm
Location: Tallahassee, FL

Re: deck crazing solution

Post by Rick Simonds »

I have exactly the problem the Mike describes (crazing just in the non-skid and patches of missing color) and I'm considering exactly the solution that rvivian suggests. I've read everything I could find online about Kiwi Grip and haven't found anything negative. People who have used it seem to like it and I haven't come across anyone who describes it as anything but positive, but I also haven't really read about anyone who has had it on their boat for a long time. Most installations seem to be new or maybe a year old. My remaining question is about longevity.

Just by "feel", not by experience, Kiwi Grip looks pretty good to me, too.
___________________________

Rick
Tallahassee

User avatar
mike cunningham
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:21 am
Location: Jacqueline, F30 #3, Discovery Bay, California

Re: deck crazing solution

Post by mike cunningham »

Thanks for that kiwigrip pointer. I had seen this stuff before but only gave it a glancing look because I really had the deck low on my to do list. I spent some time on the Kiwigrip site and read a bunch of reviews elsewhere. it looks like the ideal DYI solution. I particularly like the water base chemistry. Its kinda counter-intuitive that a water base paint is going to be satisfactory in a marine environment but seems like a lot of users are pretty happy with it. I think I'll buy a "test' liter and do some experimenting before I take the leap.
Mike Cunningham
Freedom 30 (Mull) Hull #3
Build date...June, 1986 . Freedom Yachts USA, sloop, shoal keel
Gun Mount and pole retrofitted (purchased from a Hoyt Freedom 32)
Yanmar 2gm20F , 1600 hrs fixed two blade prop
e-rud and ocean racing equipment

User avatar
sailmon
Posts: 237
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 6:53 pm

Re: deck crazing solution

Post by sailmon »

Mike,
Just a thought - and this has probably already crossed your mind: I don't think you can just cover your gel coat crazing over. No matter how good kiwigrip is, existing crazing will likely transmit through over time. My guess, you will need to grind down the gel coat in the crazed areas before re-coating. Probably a good idea to do so to verify that the crazing is not down into the laminate and that there is no delamination or moisture in the deck where the crazing has occurred.

I have a good deal of crazing on the deck of my F38, and look forward to hearing about your results.
Bob
Sailmon (Captain Bob Allenick)
S/V Her Diamond
1991 Freedom 38
Cleveland, OH

User avatar
gamayun
Posts: 270
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 9:14 pm

Re: deck crazing solution

Post by gamayun »

Rather than create a new post, I thought I'd add to this old one since it's relevant. I also had a lot of crazing on the starboard bench of my F38, hut practically nowhere else. I have ground each spider crack down to fiberglass if it extended through the gelcoat (a lot did not) and will be fairing with thickened epoxy. My plan (at the moment) is to repaint the non-skid with Awlgrip since I've used it before on another boat, then repaint the white areas with AlexSeal because it looks amazingly easy to roll. AlexSeal has a non-skid but I can't seem to get ahold of their technical department and so I'll probably go with what I know. Or should I try to repair and buff the gelcoat? Thoughts?

I also removed all the deck hardware, reamed out the core, and refilled with epoxy to create waterproof "plugs" for all the through deck holes. Oh what joy my life has been lately. I keep reminding myself this is a one-and-done job. By the way, I had leakage under the very forward screws on both the port and starboard handrails where the gelcoat had cracked underneath. Maybe it's from the deck flexing more in that area? The core didn't feel wet for very far inside so maybe I caught it in time. Was just curious that both sides were like that. I plan to rebed new PlasTeak handrails and other hardware with 4000, which has worked extremely well in the past. Any input on all this would be great to hear! It's too late to turn back now....
Last edited by gamayun on Mon Apr 19, 2021 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Kynntana, Freedom 38

Pearce
Posts: 65
Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2020 10:28 am

Re: deck crazing solution

Post by Pearce »

Great topic. Also considering options to resolve this issue. Would be great to to be able to match the non skid pattern and color.

Came across this company Gibco -

https://gibcoflexmold.com/repair-resour ... to-videos/
Pat
Schoodic - F36
Beverly MA

walterg
Posts: 67
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2016 6:48 am
Contact:

Re: deck crazing solution

Post by walterg »

I've purchased a piece of the Gibco Flex-Mold to repair the spider cracks in my non-skid this year with some tinted gelcoat....will report back with how it works. Pattern for my Freedom is #301.
Walter Gotham
Salem MA USA
'87 Freedom 28-Mull #33 "Nova Vita"

User avatar
Castaway
Posts: 286
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 8:40 pm
Location: Lerwick, Shetland Isles

Re: deck crazing solution

Post by Castaway »

On a previous boat, which had this problem, I used two pack deck paint with sand added to the mix (International 501, I think). It worked really well, and lasted for years – I saw the boat ten years later.

Two drawbacks; it sanded through my oilskin trousers where I had used it on the cockpit side deck, and the stuff it scuffed off any dark soled shoes was a b*** to remove.

I have seen, for sale, crushed walnut shells. These apparently give a good non-slip texture, but without the abrasive effect of the sand. If I were to need to do this again, that's what I'd use. A lot easier than replacing the Treadmaster on my F35, which I did a few years ago.
Gerald Freshwater,
s/y 'Castaway', (UK F35 cat ketch, centreboard, 1987)
Lerwick Boating Club
Shetland Isles, Scotland

Post Reply