2 Attachment(s)
Ariel #304 deck refinishing
Well, I finally removed all of the "astro-turf" from the deck. I guess my wife can't affectionately call her the avocado boat anymore. As you see from the pictures, the adhesive left a rather big mess. 3M adhesive remover doesn't even put a dent in it. Because the non-skid not so non-skid anymore, I was thinking of just sanding the deck down and reapplying a new non non skid surface. There a lots of threads regarding non-skid, by my novice searches didn't turn up any info regarding the proper methods to remove the old non skid and finish. What do you experienced refurbishers suggest?
I have seen a few threads on recoring, but I have no soft spots at all that I have found and don't feel it is necessary to gut the deck and start from scratch. There are a few repairs in places you see on the picture that probably require it, but nothing extensive. The hardware was bedded down very well, so I think the core is fine.
A few suggestions about non skid choices and finish removal procedures will help. I have a sanding block, a belt sander, an orbital sander, etc. Is this the way to go. Do i just take the finish down till the non skid is gone and stop there?
Also, my coamings are very dried out and when i tried to remove them to refinsh, they are hopelessly (maybe) stuck to the sides of the cockpit. It appears to be a silicon bedding or something keeping it stuck. I also noticed both boards have the beginning of a split where the cockpt stops. Can this be reinforced with some filler or are they a write off and need to be replaced altogether? I think I would break them in half if I applied the force to remove them.
I sailed the boat extensively over the last 9 months and have found the boat to be a sanity saver. Its time to pay it back with some lovin' care. Bret
my before picture is here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...achmentid=2214