Deck antiskid - how do apply

[StoneCrab]

I have a mid seventies boat with an antiskid that is uncommon in my area. I heard it called Bristol at one point but have never seen any further information on the process or even verified that this is the correct term.

I am attaching some pictures in the hope that someone can tell me how this was done and what products to use. The general suppliers just want me to get their products and call it a day, but this surface is unique and I like it. The grit is definitely not rubber based.

The texture is very consistent. It looks like 100 grit sandpaper. The antiskid material appears to be a very fine mesh silica, much like sandpaper. The color is like beach sand and it has proven to be very durable. I need to repair a few areas and add this to a seacover that I built.

It sticks to lycra like velcro. I could roll the boat and a woman in leggings would still be stuck to the deck. It does however feel great underfoot due to its even texture and is a very secure antiskid underway.

Please let me know if you've seen this before and know how it is applied. The pictures are of a deck section that was removed by a hole saw when installing a solar Nicrovent.

[capt jgw]

I've done several boats with Interlux Polymeric Nonskid Powder. It's a granular powder you mix with the paint to get whatever level of grit you want. It's about the same density as the paint so it stays mixed pretty well. You could use beach sand but it sinks to the bottom quickly and you'll never get it to coat evenly. My applications didn't come out with as tight a texture as your example but with more powder added I think it would. The Interlux product comes in only one size grit but Awlgrip and probably others have the same thing in several grits, I think the coarser ones are what you want.
You could also try the "casting" method, you roll on a heavy coat of unmodified paint and immediately cover it with the dry powder kind of poured onto the surface. Make sure to get it all covered evenly. Best done with two people, the powder applier following a few seconds behind the painter. After it cures vacuum up the excess (Clean out the vacuum cleaner first so you can reuse what you pull off). Then roll on another thin coat of paint.
I'd play around with test batches on scrap plywood or something to get the best match.

[psk125]

Try posting the pictures again - they didn't come through. Sounds like Capt. jgw is likely right- polymeric granules from whatever 2-part paint supplier your boat is done with - probably Awlgrip. The granules go into the paint mix and you can add grit (up to a point) until it matches what you have. Do a test board or two first, to determine the ratio you need.

[Rumrace]

If you want to replace the non slip why not talk to the folks that likely have the pattern file for your boat in stock.

https://gibcoflexmold.com/

If you are painting something on your boat that requires a mask in your slip you are liable for damages to other boaters.

[tkeithlu]

Just to be absolutely sure that you are not being led astray, how about trying to separate the grit surface from the fiberglass in the plug you cut out. It's impossible to tell from the photographs, but the grit is so even that I'm suspicious that it might be a glued on surface, as in tape.