Finish options for cold molded deck

[stellardrum]

Greetings all!

On my first build, which is a 25' stitch and glue sail boat (vagabond 26) and I am nearing the decking stage. Instead of using ply for the deck I am considering cold molding it with African Mahogany (mainly because I obtained a fair amount of it at a very good price, and I do love the look of it too)
If I take this route I assume I will most likely need at minimum a light glass over it for strength, So the question is- if I want to let the woods beauty show through on the deck do I have any finish options once glassed that will not be too slick when wet (and still allow the wood to look good)? Is going one layer shy of the needed deck thickness, then glassing it, and then laying the final layer over the glass like one would with Teak be a viable option or would the Mahogany deteriorate too fast without a built up topcoat type finish?

I am not aware of any non skid clears that will look good (but then again I am a pretty new to this all so maybe there is!) I just think it would look great to showcase the Mahogany on deck, just not sure how to get there without slipping onto my back side-

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions!

[johngsandusky]

I've never built or repaired a cold molded boat. But I did varnish a bowsprit on which I needed to stand underway. After a couple of coats I added nonskid compound to the last coat. It provided the necessary characteristic, and looked good. It was not by any measure a "mirror finish", but you can't have both. It wasn't discernably different unless you were on board.

[stellardrum]

Thanks that is good to know! I have no experience with nonskid finish yet and was worried I would end up with a murky mess using a built up nonskid clear. I do remember reading somewhere about sprinkling something water soluble on the last coat (like sea salt) then rinsing it off...not sure how "non skid" that route would be. Guess I will have to do some testing before I commit to one way or the other.

[wizbang 13]

I think you may be trying to fix what ain't broke. Leaving the deck bright on a non trad laid deck is asking for trouble.
I urge you to Leave the beauty below and paint the outside deck.

[JimConlin]

Other considerations:
For the glass to have effect, either in impact resistance, panel stiffness or encapsulation, it needs to be on top. If in the middle, it isn't really adding anything except cost and weight.
If it's sheathing the top, 8 oz. of glass is as heavy as you can go and have it look clear.
If deck is not very light in color and is left in the sun in a warm place. you might reach temperatures where the epoxy loses its structural properties. So, a bright finished mahogany deck can't be glassed or epoxied unless you're in a cool place.
Wood is a good insulator, so the epoxy within a wood lamination in the hot sun is less of a problem.
Getting a bright finish to be nonskid can be done, but it won't be crystal clear.

[stellardrum]

Thanks for the knowledge and advise- Maybe I will just go with a painted deck and work a bit of bright work into the cockpit area. I hear you on the glass in the middle, the reason I mentioned that is from reading in the Gougen book about laying teak like this, they mentioned the top layer over the glass can be used to meet the needed deck thickness (but that was for teak not Mahogany, so I am sure some added protection would still be needed over the mahogany vs teak) btw, the boat will be on lake Superior in northern Wisconsin...aside from this warm summer, heat is often a rarity

[Jay Greer]

There is a waffel print tread material that can be laid down in such a manner as would be a raw teak deck. The areas that are walked on can be left rough while waterways and other areas can be finished bright as though they were varnished.
An on line search should yield results for you. The material is used on many, current, high tech racing yachts.
Jay