It has been some time since my last post. I have been very busy working on other boats. The last post displayed the work I was performing on the cabin top and deck. There were voids, dings, scratches, and stress cracks all about; moreover, some areas had very thin gel coat.
In order to match the deck final look to the cockpit, which I had completed worked and gel coated the previous season, I knew I would need to perform the same task of cleaning, sanding, and fairing/filling work. Using the same products and color scheme as before, I faired and prepped the deck for new gel coat.One item to note: the port lights were the old style of Lewmar, and I was fortunate to find used but new new style port lights by Lewmar at a consignment place online. The old port lights had the typical aluminum look that was very worn and faded. The new style had powder coated black frames, which look much more stunning against the new gel coat.
For those with a keen eye, you may have noticed that I changed to a new color for the non skid. The previous color was blue: the new color is white. Why the color change? I think the blue deck blended too much with blue water if and when when spotted from afar from a plane it may more difficult to see --- think possible rescue. The blue color also broke up the deck into sections and made the deck look blocky, and white would be cooler under the foot.
Oh, the non skid is Kiwigrip. I have read mixed reviews online about Kiwigrip by some who complained that it flakes off. I had no such experience with the old blue Kiwigrip that I applied ten years ago. I had to grind and sand for many hours to get that off. It was really bonded hard to the substructure. With the correct prep work of the surface I have learned by empirical observation that the product is tenacious in its holding ability. I suspect others may have not had a good clean surface for the product to bond.
Please enjoy the new look and the final work of the gel coat, new non skid, and new port windows.
