Fabric will as only a couple of pounds since you are only doing the deck. You could use aircraft Dacron on the deck but it is rather thin and almost fragile. While I do have a beautiful 11.7 oz it is overkill for just the deck. An 8 oz. Is a good weight.

Anything..... Well so far anything I have tried stuck just fine to polyester. Latex exterior housepaint actually works pretty well. But oil based is better, but it's hard to find in most places. I am giving in and changig to water based paints for most boats. Not as durable under water but it is easy to touch up.