Deck Repainting

[David Hodos]

I'm thinking about having the deck on my CD25 repainted. The question is do I do it, or have the boat yard do it. The antiskid has been repainted, and has cracked from apparently too much paint. The cockpit floor has been repainted with some kind of sand based paint which is a mess. The other areas, cabin top and all 'white' areas are in good shape, but could use a fresh coat. I did a search on the old message board and found some info. I think it may be a good idea to strip the anti-skid and cockpit floor areas.
Any ideas or shared experiences would be helpful.



dhodossr@aol.com

[Ross Williams]

we have a CD26, 1985 hull. We may be facing the same deck issues that you're referring to. We were told it's actually gelcoat crazing on the decks because the original gelcoat was applied to thickly. Common on Cape Dory's from what we've seen on other local CD's and this website. We're getting quotes this fall to have the worst areas professionally corrected which I assume means sanding the old gelcoat down with a belt sander and re-applying the gelcoat. Not a job that we can tackle ourselves. We want to avoid water getting into the decks over the long run so we didn't want to ignore the cracks long term. Keep us posted if this sounds similar and we can compare notes on costs etc. Ross and Sandra



rosswilli@aol.com

[Rick Parish]

Painting is easy; is the prep work that is tough. To do a good job you should remove all previous coats of paint and fill any cracks. Then sand the non non-skid until very smooth. I used Interlux Brightside to re-paint my deck and used sand for the non skid areas. There is a good book "Sailboat Refinishing" by Don Casey that helped me understand the basic steps required to do a good job. My Typhoon is 35 years old, yet the dock walkers always ask me if it's a new boat. And I would rate my painting abilities as below average. Plan on one day to remove all deck hardware and check for delamination due to water in the core, two days to sand and prep, one day for each coat of paint (two minimum), two or three days for the paint to cure enough to work on deck, and one day to put all the deck hardware back. Some days you'll work all day, other days you'll be done in 2 to 3 hours. It's a little scary to start a project like this, but if you do it right you will be very proud of your boat.
Rick

I'm thinking about having the deck on my CD25 repainted. The question is do I do it, or have the boat yard do it. The antiskid has been repainted, and has cracked from apparently too much paint. The cockpit floor has been repainted with some kind of sand based paint which is a mess. The other areas, cabin top and all 'white' areas are in good shape, but could use a fresh coat. I did a search on the old message board and found some info. I think it may be a good idea to strip the anti-skid and cockpit floor areas.
Any ideas or shared experiences would be helpful.

rick.parish@honeywell.com

[Rick Parish]

Ross, from your description and from what I've seen with other CD's the cracks do not have to be removed by belt sanding to the extent as to remove the gelcoat. The cracks can be gouged out with a sharp tool to make a nice 'V' shaped channel. This can be filled with gelcoat or epoxy and sanded smooth. The deck can then be re-painted. Many CD's have lots and lots of stress cracks and that can take a couple of days to gouge out and fill. I would suggest you get advice from more than one person before you agree to having the deck gelcoat removed by sanding.
Rick

we have a CD26, 1985 hull. We may be facing the same deck issues that you're referring to. We were told it's actually gelcoat crazing on the decks because the original gelcoat was applied to thickly. Common on Cape Dory's from what we've seen on other local CD's and this website. We're getting quotes this fall to have the worst areas professionally corrected which I assume means sanding the old gelcoat down with a belt sander and re-applying the gelcoat. Not a job that we can tackle ourselves. We want to avoid water getting into the decks over the long run so we didn't want to ignore the cracks long term. Keep us posted if this sounds similar and we can compare notes on costs etc. Ross and Sandra

rick.parish@honeywell.com

[David Hodos]

Painting is easy; is the prep work that is tough. To do a good job you should remove all previous coats of paint and fill any cracks. Then sand the non non-skid until very smooth. I used Interlux Brightside to re-paint my deck and used sand for the non skid areas. There is a good book "Sailboat Refinishing" by Don Casey that helped me understand the basic steps required to do a good job. My Typhoon is 35 years old, yet the dock walkers always ask me if it's a new boat. And I would rate my painting abilities as below average. Plan on one day to remove all deck hardware and check for delamination due to water in the core, two days to sand and prep, one day for each coat of paint (two minimum), two or three days for the paint to cure enough to work on deck, and one day to put all the deck hardware back. Some days you'll work all day, other days you'll be done in 2 to 3 hours. It's a little scary to start a project like this, but if you do it right you will be very proud of your boat.
Rick

I'm thinking about having the deck on my CD25 repainted. The question is do I do it, or have the boat yard do it. The antiskid has been repainted, and has cracked from apparently too much paint. The cockpit floor has been repainted with some kind of sand based paint which is a mess. The other areas, cabin top and all 'white' areas are in good shape, but could use a fresh coat. I did a search on the old message board and found some info. I think it may be a good idea to strip the anti-skid and cockpit floor areas.
Any ideas or shared experiences would be helpful.

Rick,
Thanks for the tips and encouragement. I'd really like to redo the anti-skid with a pattern as the original had. I'm really not too keen on the sand-based paint. The previous owner attempted (in a very sloppy way) to paint the cockpit floor with a sand based paint. It looks terrible and is starting to peel off! What a jerk! I just don't want to make the same mistake. I've done some auto body work and I'm familiar with hand sanding techniques, but I guess my question is wheather I do the repainting or have someone else do it. Other than the cockpit, the decks are ok, but need to be stripped of all the 'heavy' coats of non-skid (not sand based). I'll try to find the book you've mentioned. Do you have any pictures of your work? Where are you located?
Thanks,
David



dhodossr@aol.com

[Fred]

A few non-skid tips for you:

1 you want to apply it with a paint roller, use a 3/8's nap roller cover. It should be of fairly high quality.

The nap of the roller causes the non-skid to be distributed evenly. Don't use a foam roller.

2 consider using awl-grip. It will last forever and be easier to clean.

It's not much more difficult to use. Be sure to use the awl-cat 3 catalyst.

3 apply two coats, pull the tape after the second coat, before it dries. Allow to dry 12 hours between coats.

4 Don't use beach sand!! pay for the real thing

5 test how it looks before you start. when you roll some on a test piece, be aware that alot of what looks like non-skid is really air bubbles. Wait for them to pop. You will be surprised at how much sand you can put in.

6 when you start to apply the paint, use a light touch to start, so not to dump a large clump of non-skid in one area.



fred@hotheet.com

[Sandra and Ross]

Thanks we are getting quotes, starting tonight as a matter of fact.
We are dealing with smaller reputable shops, individuals for quotes rather than boatyards - way too expensive. Thanks for your thoughts on this, we'll see what the other professionals have to say and we'll share our info if others want to see it.

Our crazing/gel coat cracks/stress cracks are mainly concentrated aft of the shrouds, very little forward - just as an FYI. We just want to make sure we do it right the first time and we're not talented enough, or brave enough to attempt it ourselves.

Thanks again to all for advice. We love this site!!

Sandra and Ross Williams
STORNOWAY
1985 CD26



rosswilli@aol.com