Denny,
On the non-skid, I'm reinventing the wheel again. The Awlgrip non-skid additive comes in a 1 quart/ 1lb. container for $30+. It can be mixed with the paint and sprayed. I'm guessing they've formulated it to have the same specific gravity as the paint so it will stay in suspension or something. Must be good stuff.
What I used was 80 grit glass bead blasting media. I already had it and I used about 35 cents worth. Rolled on the paint, sprinkled on the 80 grit with a salt shaker, and rolled paint over it. Then I sprayed it as I shot the rest of the boat. Time will tell if it was a dumb move. Right now, it looks pretty good.
The cabin hatch isn't cored, but it's at least an eighth inch thick. With that thickness and the convex shape, it's plenty strong.
Terry,
I must have misunderstood you. I thought you were stopping by THIS Thanksgiving.
I had time this afternoon to put a little boat jewelry on.
I needed to put the live well and fish box back in the boat to mark the mounting holes in the deck, so I decide to go ahead and mount the seat pedestals and see how it's gonna look with the seats mounted.
Dave