Deck colour!

MarkRyan1981
Posts: 165
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 7:47 am

Deck colour!

Post by MarkRyan1981 »

I have a few patches on my deck that need flowcoating over (I plan to repaint the whole deck next year (perhaps the year after that!)) - does anyone know the colour the deck actually is? The below looks a bit dark:

http://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/p ... -1013.aspx

I might just go for white and live with the difference in these small patches?
Liese
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:08 am

Re: Deck colour!

Post by Liese »

Hi Mark,
I assume that this point has to be solved by yourself :-)

When I was looking for gelcoat colour, I received information tha
1. Different times might have used (slightly) different colours
2. the gelcoat is changing colour with every year it's getting older
3. I was looking for a colour table for reference to identify MY colour, where I had some defects. The colour tables cost >50EUR and more and they are (in printed version) valid only for 1 year (if I remember). Electronic documents are not calibrated (or monitors are different).
4. Years ago it was possible in Germany to buy different gelcoat colours. Now (5 Months ago I found only SVB selling different basic colours (3 white tones) and 3(?) basic tones for slightly adapting the basic colour...

If here are other more promising experiences, I would be interested as well :-)

Best regards from Hamburg,
Joerg
joern
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 11:07 am

Re: Deck colour!

Post by joern »

My deck was also very bad looking. I consulted with Hempel and they adviced me to paint it using Hempel Multicoat. Gave it 3 layers and I am now very happy with the result :-)
11921756_10208330756852858_5995356730061731167_o.jpg
11921756_10208330756852858_5995356730061731167_o.jpg (458.05 KiB) Viewed 35342 times
MarkRyan1981
Posts: 165
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 7:47 am

Re: Deck colour!

Post by MarkRyan1981 »

She looks stunning Joern, Hemple Multicoat is a single pack paint isn't it? Did you brush it on and leave all deck fittings in place or take the deck fittings off? Well done! I really must do this - my deck looks a state...
User avatar
prjacobs
Posts: 235
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 4:06 pm

Re: Deck colour!

Post by prjacobs »

Joern, can you tell me about that beautiful plexi fore hatch cover? The decks look great too!
Bob McGovern
Posts: 283
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:08 am
Location: Wyoming, USA

Re: Deck colour!

Post by Bob McGovern »

You can start with white or an approximate off-white & use universal tints to match, mixing up sample batches on a color card. As Joerg notes, the color you see now is not the color from the factory -- looking under the winches will tell you that -- and the gelcoat patch will change with age as well, so exact matching is an inexact science. We'll paint ours, probably with a 2-pack urethane, but decks take a beating & even AwlGrip may require touching-up. That's a good argument for a singe-component paint: usually easier to blend repairs. Alwasys, always the trade-off in coating selection: toughness/perfaormance vs. ease of application/repair.
joern
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 11:07 am

Re: Deck colour!

Post by joern »

Yes, it's a single pack. I used a small roll for the white and a brush for the rest of it. Unfortunately I left all deck fittings, so had to spend a lot of time taking off paint from where it was not covered good enough ;-) Having said that, it was quite easy to paint and I found a good offer on the paint, so it was not so expensive :-)

About the hatch cover: Sorry, but it was installed when I bought the boat, so can't say anything about it
MarkRyan1981
Posts: 165
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 7:47 am

Re: Deck colour!

Post by MarkRyan1981 »

Thanks for posting Joern! And interesting thoughts on the trade offs Bob, I remember my late father talking of those - I had always only really considered doing it in two pack due to the high level of wear those areas get, however that does bring single pack back into the equation. I think I'll save the job of painting the topsides and the deck for NEXT winter though :lol:.

I wouldn't mind trying to find a shed to put her in too when I do it...
Bob McGovern
Posts: 283
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:08 am
Location: Wyoming, USA

Re: Deck colour!

Post by Bob McGovern »

Mark: Another thing to consider is how much deck you really intend to paint, and what you will be doing for non-skid. As you can see from Joern's and Peter's gorgeous boats, most of your flat surface -- like 95% -- is covered with non-skid. Certainly the factory molded non-skid on our Ballad is dangerously slick when wet; painting over it will reduce its grip still farther. So your key decision is: Will you be adding a non-skid product? Where, and how much of it?

Historically, many people have painted the entire deck, then painted parts of it again with grit mixed into the same deck paint (or sprinkled onto the wet paint bits). Yields a uniform deck color, if that is your pleasure. There's a tendency for the grit to roll off underfoot, tho.

Some people like the Treadmaster rubberized mats, epoxied down. Or similar (faux teak?) coverings. Excellent grip, heavy, expensive, comfy for bare skin.

But many folks today seem to like KiwiGrip or similar paint-ons nonskid. There's a lot to be said for it: it's relatively inexpensive, really not much more than a good 1- or 2-pack marine paint with proprietary grit. It is stupid-easy to apply yourself. Two days masking, four hours rolling on. It's easy to repair if dinged. You can modulate the texture, from a soft suede finish on cockpit benches to really stippled on high-risk areas like the coaming tops. And its thick viscosity means it can go over rough surfaces & it hides many flaws in the gelcoat. It can be rough on clothes and skin, but it is amazingly grippy.

One huge advantage of Treadmaster or KiwiGrip tho, is you only have to paint the little channels in between non-skid areas, and these channels are somewhat protected from traffic damage afterwards. Paint survives better on vertical surfaces than horizontal, so you'll spend less future time maintaining it. A 1-pack urethane would survive fine. We love our KiwiGrip and will be adding it to the Ballad. But not everyone wants the appearance of two-toned decks.
Bob McGovern
Posts: 283
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:08 am
Location: Wyoming, USA

Re: Deck colour!

Post by Bob McGovern »

Peter: Is that hatch you are admiring from Plexfix?

http://www.plexifix.dk/ALBIN-BALLAD.htm

We're planning to make our own, either from a splash mold of the existing hatch, or just reinforcing it & adding a acrylic light. We will be adding some kind of skid-resistant tape to the lens, tho! I can image myself stepping back from the mast & skating down the hatch. :o

I've also been sketching up double-hinged hatches, so you could open it facing forward or aft. But that's probably too complicated. We'll hold off on it until we see if it is needed.
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