Pgitug
Guru
I just purchased a 2002 trawler that has a lot of diamond cut, gel coat, fiberglass non skid. It has never been compounded or waxed and looks really dull. What is the best method to bring this type of surface back to life?
I have miles of that non-skid and found Starbright non-skid deck cleaner works best out of everything I've tried but it is aggressive and I have mixed feelings on recommending it. I learned the hard way to test any product first, even if it's specifically made for boats. It was either this stuff or Castrol Superclean I used once to wash the whole boat and irreversibly damaged some of my windows and painted surfaces. A common household product like Fantastic will also ruin glass and some paints.
If it is just dirt between the cracks you could use Simple Green straight up and a stiff brush. I just did that and it work better than a product that was advertised as non-skid cleaner. My results were great.
I also use the non-skid deck cleaner. It does a good job. Leave it on for a few minutes for the kelation process to work. It supposedly leaves a PTF coating after rinsing. That is supposed to give it some UV protection. Don't know if that works, but it does clean.
I am wanting to get off some oxidation.
We have a 2002 NT 32+, so probably the same nonskid as your boat. We've been very happy with the Starbright that has already been recomended, followed by a treatment with Woodywax, which seems to do a good job of keeping the nasty stuff from sticking. If you want to compund it, I came across a video on youtube done by boatworks today: Boatworks Today
I can't remember which of the videos specifically addressed the nonskid, but he recommended using compound and a brush attached to an orbital buffer. This one has velcro backing so if you have a makita type buffer with a vecro pad it should work. Haven't tried it yet, but it is on the our todo list. Amazon.com: Chemical Guys ACC201BRUSHC Carpet Brush with Hook and Loop Attachment: Automotive
As for the gelcoat, I can attest that it is really thick on the Nordic Tugs. BTW, love your boat. We keep talking about moving up to a 37/39.
Give "Amazing Roll Off " cleaner a try, it worked wonders on our decks.
Roll Off is a great product. I try to keep some on the boat. It is strong, so I use it as a weapon of last resort.
My experience as well, using a big strong power washer with the pressure dialed down a bit and a relatively gentle spray head. Same setup I use to clean hull, topsides, and my truck.I've found that a 120 V relatively low output water-blaster/pressure-washer works wonders to clean diamond non skid surfaces. Just be careful how much pressure and how close you hold the wand as well as what ejection setting/attachment is on the wand end.