Boat Paint and Marine Painting

Non-Skid Deck Coatings

Non-skid deck paint is essential for safely moving around on an open deck in a rolling or pitching boat. Non-skid coatings can be applied directly to your boat's deck, or can be purchased as additives that are mixed in with regular deck paint to create a non-skid surface.

Given the propensity of boats to roll, yaw, and pitch, and the frequency with which boat decks are wet, non-skid deck coatings are commonly considered essential for safe boating to prevent slips and falls and man overboards.

Non-skid on Open Decks

One of the most popular non-skid coatings for open decks is Interlux Polymeric Noskid Compound, which works as an additive to your deck enamel. The Interlux compound can be applied to open decks, stairs, and cockpits, and is applies by brush, roller or spray. One 8-ounce can added to a quart of deck enamel covers approximately 135 square feet. Interlux is formulated for especially use in wet conditions, and is comfortable on bare feet. At about $7 for an 8-ounce can, it's an easy and affordable way to add non-skid properties to your boat's open deck and cockpit areas.

Interlux also makes a pre-mixed non-skid deck paint. The polyurethane finish is easyto apply, and protects your deck in addition to providing the safety of a non-skid surface.

Non-skid in Enclosed Areas

For engine rooms, lockers, and other enclosed areas, DeckMate interlocking tiles work well. Because of its raised design, it keeps water away from any items that might be resting on it, making it ideal for lockers. It is resistant to oil, gas and chemicals, making it suitable for engine rooms. DeckMate tiles are 12 square inches, and can be cut to fit any space you need. Because they require a snug fit, DeckMate tiles aren't suitable for open decks, but can be ideal for enclosed spaces, including cockpits.

Cleaning and Maintaining Non-Skid Deck Surfaces

Unlike the smooth gelcoat surfaces elsewhere on the boat, non-skid surfaces can't be compounded and waxed. Cleaning your boat's non-skid surfaces is easy enough, though. The first secret is, never, ever, not ever, wear street shoes on a non-skid deck. By this, we mean, only wear boat shoes on your boat, and wear your boat shoes only on your boat. If you wear your topsiders when running errands around town, walking through parking lots (with their plentiful dirt and oil stains), walking through the dirty oil-stained parking lot of your marina — don't wear those boat shoes on your boat. Wear only boat shoes that are reserved for use only on your boat. It also helps to keep a separate pair of shoes on board — call them your "bilge shoes" or "engine room shoes" — when working in your your boat's engine room or doing anything else that's dirty and oily.

The second secret is, clean your non-skid deck every time you use the boat. First, use a hose to thoroughly wet down the entire deck to loosen any dried-on dirt. Use a mild soap and a deck brush to clean one small section at a time, rinsing thoroughly as you finish each section. Do not attempt to save time by cleaning the entire deck at once, then rinsing. The soap scum will dry onto the non-skid surface and become even more difficult to remove than the dirt was!

After you complete each section and rinse it, aim the hose at the next section, and re-wet it thoroughly. If the deck is good and wet when you go at it with the brush, the dirt and grime will come off much more easily.

Removing Stains

Most of the time, a second washing and scrubbing will remove any stains that are left after the first scrubbing. Any stains that remain after a second scrubbing are likely to be from oil, food, or epoxy. Use a small amount of paint thinner to dissolve oil stains, then wash again with soap and rinse thoroughly. Food stains can usually be removed with the same household cleaner you would use at home to remove such stains. Epoxy generally can't be removed except by sanding or grinding it off — but one of the advantages of the rough non-skid surface is that the area where you sanded off the epoxy isn't likely to be noticeably visible.