deck paint

[steplift20]

i would like to paint my deck, my decks not to bad so i want to make sure if i paint it im not opening a can of worms kike will i have to paint it every year or does that stuff last a really long long time and what kind would you recommend
thanks
P.S, spring is right around the corner

[Destroyer]

Personally, my recommendation would be to NOT paint it. Instead, cover it with U-Pol truck bed liner, or Rhino-liner, or any of a few other pickup truck bed liners. They come in various colors, so you are not stuck with black or grey. (mine is a really light tan) They hold up forever (going on 3 years for mine already with no sign of degradation), are soft on bare feet. (it's a Urethane blend of rubber after all) and cleans up with a hose with no staining. Plus they are sanitary (good when there's blood all over the deck) and you don't have to worry about slipping. In fact, the ONLY thing you might have to worry about is if you wanted to remove the stuff. (If doesn't like being removed and will resist your efforts) Look at my boat on page two of the following thread for what it looks like.

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/community/showthread.php?t=18076&highlight=Destroyer

You can buy the U-pol on eBay (U-pol Raptor is what I used) or from them directly or from one of their dealers.

Oh, and it's flexible and waterproof also, so you don't have to worry about it cracking and pealing like you would with paint.

[steplift20]

did you have to prime the deck first or clean it with a solvent?

[Destroyer]

did you have to prime the deck first or clean it with a solvent?

I power-washed the deck when it was out of the boat while I was redoing the wood on the underside of it, so once it was back in place I just gave it a fast wipe down with some acetone, just to make sure no grease or oil was left on it. The U-Pol instructions say that you only need to prime bare metal.

[steplift20]

thanks

[phatdaddy]

i painted mine about 15 years ago( had to replace about a third due to rot) and usually end up painting it about every 3 or 4 years. first time i did it, i used petite topside marine paint. lasted about 3or 4 years. next time i just used glidden porch enamel , worked great, lasted about 3 0r 4 years, third time same enamel, needs it again. i thought about going the coating route like destroyer suggested, but down here in the fl sun, that stuff gets pretty hot to bare feet.

if i did not have to paint, i probably would just leave the original gel coat.

[inaforty]

I did our 13' Whaler last spring with Tough Coat. It's something like a truck bedliner that you can get in different colors. It did require a primer coat.
It has chopped up pieces of rubber in it to help with the non skid.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/inaforty/Bertram/20131124_104211_zps61876c74.jpg (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/inaforty/media/Bertram/20131124_104211_zps61876c74.jpg.html)


BTW it's for sale!