Marine Water Heaters Specialists Share Ideas on Protecting Your Nonskid Boat Deck
Your Marine Water Heaters Distributors Discuss Extending the Life of Your Nonskid Deck
Raritan Engineering your marine water heaters professionals would like to share with you this week some great information regarding how to protect your nonskid deck.
As we found in our do-it-yourself nonskid test revamping a nonskid deck is a time consuming project, one that you'd rather not have to repeat every few years.
Proper Application
Surface prep: We all know proper surface prep can make or break coatings applications, but it also directly affects the coating’s service life. Always follow maker’s recommendations.
Application: The surface must be clean and totally dry. After sanding, wipe it down with xylene, dewaxer, or acetone. Some paint makers warn against using solvents, so be sure whatever you wipe down with is compatible with the paint.
When it comes to using a paint and a nonskid additive, we recommend combining the mix-in and broadcast methods to get the most uniform grit pattern. Mix the nonskid additive with the paint, roll it on with a high-nap roller, and sift more aggregate on the paint while it’s tacky; once the paint dries, you can brush off the excess and apply a second coat in the same manner.
Your Marine Water Heaters Experts Share Your Love Of Properly Maintaining a Nonskid Deck
Curing: Your marine water heaters specialists talk about how to follow the maker’s recommendation for dry time, and be sure to allow the paint to fully cure before subjecting it to foot traffic. This allows the paint to achieve maximum hardness, making it more abrasion resistant and longer lasting.
Mat Installation: If you’re installing a self-adhesive mat, application is a no-brainer. Just be sure it’s where you want it before you stick it to the deck; contact adhesives don’t allow the small “wiggle” adjustments that epoxies do in application.
Testers also learned a few application lessons the hard way when installing nonskid mats with two-part epoxy. The epoxy usually has about an hour of pot life before it becomes permanently stuck to whatever it’s touching, so clean up any errant epoxy with a solvent as soon as possible.
Regular Maintenance
Boat bath: Nonskid paints and mats should be cleaned regularly to remove abrasive salt spray and dirt. Wash with standard, mild boat soaps or household cleaners and a soft- to medium-bristled brush.
Mold and Mildew: To prevent mold and mildew, you can lightly scrub the surface with an ammonia/detergent solution. To spot clean areas that are heavily soiled or show mildew, you’ll likely need to step up to more aggressive cleaner.
Wax Not: While waxing can breathe new life into topside paint, the paint makers we talked to do not recommend waxing painted nonskid. Most nonskid paints and bead/powder additives have UV protection built in, and the paint formulas include UV absorbents, making waxing unnecessary.
Longevity expectations
Nonskid’s life expectancy can vary based on type (paint vs. mats, and paint type), boat location (UV-saturated South Florida vs. overcast Seattle), and how it is cared for. The soft-foam mats we tested did not weather as well as more rugged mats like Treadmaster—nor did some one-part paints, but they can be freshened up with a little sanding and a recoat.
On Ocearch shark tagging boat, deck hand from Franklin is getting a taste for the shark world | Wildlife & Nature
In the midst of doldrums, D.J. Lettieri was a blur.
Thankless hours mashing dead fish into chum were broken up by running errands – filling the water coolers, dishing out snacks to crew and guests, tidying up lines and basic cleaning.
Lettieri is living the dream.
A 24-year-old Longwood University grad with a degree in environmental science the Southampton County native has his foot in the door of a research organization that’s working to spread the word on the importance of sharks to the health of the ocean.
While he mostly does grunt work, he said he’s benefiting greatly from rubbing shoulders with some of the top marine wildlife scientists in the country.
He doesn’t mind being the crew’s main deck hand as he learns.
“I take care of the boat,” he said. “When we’re not on expedition, I’ll be painting, scraping, cleaning – you know, boat stuff.
He never went saltwater fishing, but said he was fascinated by sharks from an early age.
“Don’t know what it was,” he said.
After graduating from Longwood, he wasn’t sure how he’d apply his degree to work until he saw that the Ocearch team was looking for people to work on the boat.
“We’re gypsies,” he said. “We were down off South Carolina the last expedition and now we’re here in the mid-Atlantic. We’ll be up in New York in a few weeks. It’s great. What’s not to like?”
The anglers on this expedition were having significant trouble finding any cooperative sharks willing to take the big pieces of bonita, a member of the tuna family, being offered on large hooks.
Within minutes he was wrestling a 3-foot-long sharp-nosed shark, bringing it up to the stern before it bit through the line.
His catch broke the monotony of what had been an extremely quiet day on the boat.
“This is what I want to do,” he said, running back to the bow for another hook.
So don't forget these important tips for protecting your nonskid deck. 1) Always take time to prepare the surface; 2) After sanding, wipe it down with xylene, dewaxer, or acetone; and 3) While waxing can breathe new life into topside paint, the paint makers we talked to do not recommend waxing painted nonskid.
Click here for more information regarding marine water heaters and see how Raritan Enginering always takes care of your marine sanitation supply needs.
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