Wanted: cockpit grate for a Cape Dory 25D

[Riverleigh]

Cockpit grate: I know it is a longshot, but I have a 1984 Cape Dory 25D with the Edson wheel. The cockpit floor is starting to show signs of age. I am thinking a grate might postpone the inevitable for a while. If anyone has a grate, I am interested. Or, if anyone has other solutions, I am all ears. Thanks for reading my post.

[Steve Laume]

Covering the cockpit sole with anything will trap moisture which will not help.

Finding a grate for a CD-25 with a wheel will be much harder than collecting hens teeth.

If you refresh the non skid area, it will take care of the issue. Raven had a good bit of crazing in the cockpit gel coat. I sanded the non skid area pretty aggrsicely with 60 grit and then masked off the area and gave it a coat of epoxy to seal everything. Once it dried, I sanded again and applied Kiwi Grip. It has beed a couple of years and it still looks great.

I did the same treatment to a CD-14 hull, that had crazing everywhere. I followed with finer sanding and topside paint. That has held up very well for over ten years.

Your cockpit sole will be a pretty easy fix that will be done and looking good long before you ever find a grate, Steve.

[pete faga]

Steve
Did you tint your kiwi grip or use their stock color chart for a match?

[Steve Laume]

Everything on the cabin top was white so it went on straight out of the can. I then took the rest to my local paint guy along with a piece of the deck I had cut out with a hole saw. I had installed a windlass so it wasn't done just to get a color match. He told me he wasn't sure if he could get an exact match. I told him it really didn't matter and close was good enough. When I had an old and new section side by side you could see a difference but it is close and looks great.

Of all the non skid products I have seen and used, this stuff is the easiest to use and comes out looking really nice as well as offering excellent grip as the name implies.

I once bought 3 or 4 gallons of high quality bottom paint for very little money because it was purple. I thought I could have it tinted black. That didn't go quite as well, Steve.

[pete faga]

Thx Steve
My cockpit sole needs the cracks repaired and the non skid(1973) is worn out.
I used bright side Bristol beige on the deck and cockpit seats and was thinking of tinting the kiwi grip to match.
Probably just use kiwi’s stock white
Steve what was it like using their roller covers?
Thx

[Steve Laume]

I found using Kiwi Grip to be easy but different than any other paint application. Read the directions and follow them. The only part I didn't comply with was not applying it in full sunlight. It still works but you have less time to work. The masking was the most difficult part of the job. You don't use the roller to apply the paint. I transferred it from the can with a large chip brush and spread it roughly over the surface. You use a notched plastic trowel to uniformly control the amount of material on the surface and then the roller is simply used to texture the material. Any areas that you cannot reach with the roller can be textured by dabbing at the surface with the brush. Pull off the tape as soon as you are done and move on to the next section. Do not try to go back and fix anything. You need to work everything when it is still wet, including the removal of the tape. The roller and tools clean up easily with water. No need to keep particles in suspension or worry about unequal distribution.

What could be easier that that, Steve.

[Riverleigh]

Thanks for the advice Steve and Pete! (I know hen's teeth are not easy to find.) Doug