Ballad Exchange

Hi Anne:

When I painted my deck, I painted around the toe rail bolts with a fine brush. With two coats of epoxy primer and three coats of 2-part polyurethane paint, it wasn't much fun at all. On an Albin Singoalla of a friend, the toe rail bolts had been painted over by the previous owner and the paint is still good. Good preparation is the key. You can also remove them and rebed them--not a bad idea on an old boat-- and even substitute a few with eye bolts. As for painting the actual deck, I did mine in Awlgrip oyster white and then painted the anti-slip areas with a separate colour adding anti-slip beads (both by Hempel). This has created a two-tone deck which, to my eyes, looks very nice. If you plan to go that way, try a new product for the antislip area called KiwiGrip which is far easier to use that 2-part polyurethane and has got great reviews. For the rest of the deck and cockpit, use two-part polyurethane as it really lasts a lot longer than one-part paints.

-Nicholas

Hi Anne:

Although it's considered to be the best two-part finish, Awlgrip is a very tricky paint to apply. It even drives professionals mad. I'm an amateur so when I have to repaint the deck I'll probably use another brand because I don't have the knowledge or equipment to do justice to Awlgrip. I don't know if you plan to use an airless sprayer or a brush/roller, but if it's the latter I would recommend International Perfection, which is a two-part paint specifically formulated for brush/ roller application.
Also, don't forget that the bolts are stainless steel which requires a different primer. Make sure to ask your paint supplier for specific imstructions. I've uploaded a photo of Moment of Clarity's deck so you can see the two-tone effect.

-Nicholas