O34 Final Taping for new Non Skid & Rationalizations (!)

I spent several days last week helping tape off every part of the deck and cockpit that will NOT be painted with non skid. Conceptually all (!) of the hardware has to be installed in final form/location before the non skid pattern can be laid out around the parts. So.... after all the layout is done with 'Fine Line' tape, everything is covered with paper and green tape to keep any and all drops of paint from settling on parts, especially any prior painted surface or plastic parts, or around intricate SS weldments.
While applying all that tape/paper is tedious it is nothing like (!!) the problem of removing stray droplets of paint, later.

So, about two full days of taping was done.

I realize that few owners will ever do a full re-paint, but it seems useful to document what goes into such a project.

Astute observers will wonder why the whole deck needed to be done when our non skid was by far the worst part of the original surface. Most other 80's EY-built boats will probably not "need " this level of restoration.
After all...... With carful taping, you could do your own Kiwi-Grip or another brand of non skid surface.

Backing up our narrative a ways in the project, at this age, all boats do need to at least have all the deck hardware re-bedded, and if done properly, it will keep water out of the coring for another 30 years.

You could probably also justify *not* doing the whole "over bore, epoxy fill, and redrill" work for several hundred fastening holes. EY had originally countersunk most of the holes and used a LOT of sealant, and this worked well. That said, I found many many places where the moisture had crept under the sealant and was very very close to getting into the coring. If... you were to add coring replacement to this project it could double the price.
Your hours or... your money... always your choice.

If an average owner carefully re-did this bedding work I imagine that they could expect at least 20 years out of the job. So if.... your molded-in gel coat non skid and general gel coat surface is still in good condition, that would be a much more cost effective solution.

In our case, we had old deck gel coat repairs inherited from abuse due to the boat's prior hard life in a sailing club, in San Fransicso. (There was a darned good reason we could afford to buy a "high end builder like EY" 70K boat for about 45K, in 1994, and now we are finally having to 'pay the piper' as the saying goes.)

Also, we had changed out and moved several major pieces/assemblies of deck gear over the decades, leaving a lot of epoxied-in holes behind. My meager skills color-matching gel coat for a plethora of little circles were not that good, and experts I talked to said it would take a LOT of hours and $, and there is never any certainty that the repairs will not show up later. (Even skilled glass guys find this sort of repair quite frustrating at times.)

Random Rationalizations and Opinions expressed, and worth less than $.02, on most days, unless on sale.

Painting happening this weekend, for two full days.
Next week after sufficient curing, we get on deck and remove all that paper & tape. The "finish line" is in sight.
Planned launch is about mid month, and we are sure looking forward to it.