MERLIN ROCKET FORUM

Topic : Question for previous owners of Steppenwolf

For a really smart job use fairly narrow marking tape to mask out lines (parallel to planks) within the non slip zones so you get a 'striped' effect.

Some builders merchants sell fine white kiln-dried sand which is perfect.


Posted: 12/02/2013 11:20:22
By: Geoff Wright
Chinchilla bathing sand worked best for me, not quite the same consistency as budgie sand.  If you want the wood to really show through then use salt, but don't varnish over it. The salt will dissolve on your first wet sail and leave a roughened varnish surface. DONT do what I did & use sugar; it turns into a horrible treacly mess which gets on everything.


Posted: 23/03/2013 12:21:56
By: Rod & Jo
Salt or sugar, once dissolved, leaves, as you say, a dimpled and grippy surface; I think the two are equivalent; maybe I just didn't wash the sugar version enough before going sailing.


Posted: 23/03/2013 12:21:56
By: Rod & Jo
Hi Brian,

Use thinned epoxy and budgie sand. Sieve sand to remove any large unwanted particles onto non slip area . Mask off areas which you want to protect. Once cured run hoover over to remove loose sand.

Hope this helps.


Posted: 30/05/2013 09:33:48
By: Richard Battey
"I found with the FRP NSM1 that the only thing that was going to get it off was the hot air gun, but there is a point long before it actually bubbles that it first softens. Expect blisters on your hands as the resulting scraping is much harder than for bubbled paint. \r\n\r\nIn the case of the NSM, I think the coating was epoxy as it softened at the same time as the laminate also softened, and the core beneath. Took a few hours spread over a few days to get it off, but it seems stiff as it was before on cooling. Even 36 grit Makita sanding discs were bouncing off it though, it was like masonite granules or something!"



Posted: 18/08/2013 21:12:59
By: Andy
Hi angus

Does your method remove the sugar leaving just dimpled and grippy varnish ? As opposed to the sand method which leaves you with varnish and sand?


Posted: 28/11/2013 10:25:25
By: Gareth Griffiths
Great tip thanks...!


Posted: 28/11/2013 10:25:25
By: Gareth Griffiths
I have used sugar a couple of times with good results. gentler on the kit than sand and i think neater as well. apply varnish first then sprinkle the sugar over the top. Best to wash off with warm water before you go sailing or things can get a wee bit sticky.


Posted: 31/12/2013 11:10:16
By: Angus
Yep, I use sand for budgie cages too. Although I tend to mask, varnish, sprinkle then varnish again. I would think it makes little difference.


Posted: 07/01/2014 08:59:33
By: Jez3719
We last used fine sand sprinkled onto rolled 2 part perfection varnish - the thin coat of varnish only accepts so much sand and the excess just brushes off as its nearly dry.
It worked very well and didn't show any signs of wear over the last couple of seasons (unlike the crew's boots)Fantastic grip but because of that it can be a little abrasive. We used some left over kids play sand from ELC or Toys R US which was as fine and dried - sounds just like the sand described above.


Posted: 10/01/2014 03:43:25
By: K.M.
Hi

Am replacing the anti slip coating inside a wooden merlin and wondered what is best to replace it with. It appears that the previous coat was sand stuck into varnish or epoxy over the wood. I tried searching the forum but couldn't find anything mentioning sand.

Am keen to keep the good natural looks of this boat and don't want to resort to modern anti slip paints if possible so any advice about how things were done originally with the wooden hulls would be gratefully received.

Ta


Posted: 13/01/2014 04:17:34
By: Brian - 3496
"as I recall dave fowler fell on them...dave had his own imaginative ways of fixing things, then the boat went to earlswood, and was ted kington'ed....he also modelled repairs on the cheap and cheerful school.....all I can do really..good luck!!"



Posted: 25/03/2014 07:45:58
By: d.h
"Can anyone tell me what the non-slip paint is that has been applied?\r\n\r\nI am trying strip it off to see what damage was done to the starboard planks/lands.\r\n\r\nI started using hot air and scraper, but it has to be so hot to bubble this stuff that it is setting fire to what appears to be unsaturated fibreglass matting underneath it.\r\n\r\nThanks in advance\r\nMiles"



Posted: 23/04/2014 12:55:39
By: Miles
"Slowly getting the stuff off, then I hit about 5 coats of hard baked paint.\r\n\r\nThis seems to had a very colourful interior, cream, brown, blue, white, grey."



Posted: 26/04/2014 09:43:35
By: Miles

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