If you’re the nautical type and love your sailboat, speedboat, yacht or dinghy, then you know that the end-of-winter season is a great time to shore up your prize possession for the warmer weather ahead. Whether you’ve had your boat on dry dock or have already been taking it out on the open water, depending on what part of the country you live in, late winter/early spring can offer the ideal chance to assess necessary repairs.
Certainly one of the most important surfaces of your marine investment – whether you use your boat for the occasional sail, full-time recreation, or even as a part of your livelihood – is your top deck. It’s where all the action happens—and it has to be ready to take on the foot traffic…and weather extremes.
And if you have kids, pets, or frequent guests, your deck is also sure to catch a lot of “tread” in the months ahead – so it’s important to protect it from exterior damage and ensure it offers the safety and traction to keep your travelers on-board, in more ways than one.
At Bullet Liner, providing color-safe, spray-on UV protectant for our boating customers is just another part of our brand’s many product applications. Not just for truck beds anymore, Bullet Liner’s elastomer coating has multiple uses—for any kind of vehicle ranging from boats to trucks, ATVs, RVs, Jeeps, and trailers, and even for everyday household items like tools, outdoor furniture, skateboards and surfboards.
And for boat owners, Bullet Liner is the perfect complement to keep your deck in top shape. We’ve provided a few handy tips below for anyone looking to undertake a do-it-yourself (DIY) deck renovation, that are easy to implement and cost-efficient:
- Before undertaking any structural or cosmetic improvements, it’s important to properly clean your boat’s deck surfacing – to remove debris, marine residue, dirt and mud. A quick hose off followed by a thorough mop job should get it ready for the next phase.
- Second, remove any chipped paint, or rough or irregular edges. Sanding the deck (either manually or ideally with an electric sanding tool, like a 6-inch random orbital sander from a brand like Festool or Makita) will be one of the most laborious parts of any deck renovation—especially if you have an older boat that hasn’t been kept in good condition or that’s been uncovered or exposed to the elements for extended periods.
- Third, repair any rotting or water damaged areas to prevent worse dry rot from getting under the soon-to-applied new surface coating.
- Fourth, inspect the deck’s key areas, and corners, for growing mold or mildew and treat appropriately with a chlorine-bleach or anti-mold solution. (Extreme mold situations that impact other regions or your boat’s deck area—beyond the deck surface—will likely need consultation and support from a professional mold remediation company.)
- Next, carefully tape around the edges of the boat deck surface to prepare it for either a paint application or Bullet Liner’s protective spray-on surface coating. If you’re painting only, choose a semigloss alkyd enamel house paint from a brand like Behr, which should withstand a beating from harsh elements.
- Ideally, though, at this point, opt for a professional application of Bullet Liner coating. Any vessel working in and around water presents a multitude of challenges from both a maintenance and safety perspective. Bullet Liner’s watertight properties provide a secure barrier between your boat and splashing seawater, rain and flooding. It easily adheres to virtually any surface and is especially efficient in preventing rust and corrosion in metal boats. Bullet Liner can literally add years of life onto your investment and improve resale value if and when you decide to sell.
We hope you enjoy cruising the open waters this coming year…and consider the benefits of streamlining your boating experience by taking Bullet Liner’s High Caliber Protection along for the ride.
Bullet Liner provides a non-slip surface, which is one of the most important features for any boat deck, to protect the safety of your family, friends and “crew,” even if your boat has as a “crew of one.” Our spray-on polyurea protectant delivers a unique grip tight texture for more secure footing and grasping on topside deck surfaces.
Bullet Liner’s advanced color matching capabilities also ensure that our protective spray can be easily blended to identically match other colored boat surfaces, to keep your watercraft looking aesthetically beautiful and in top visual shape at all times. And our UV color guard will also keep that vibrant deck shine looking great – even after weeks and months of baking in the sun.
Our Bullet Liner spray teams utilize Graco equipment to deliver an affordable, end-to-end coating solution that will enhance both the appearance and functionally of your boat. It’s the perfect complement to a complete DIY boat deck renovation project…from bow to stern.
To locate a Bullet Liner dealer in your area trained in marine surface applications, please click here.
Team Bullet Liner