Does anyone have experience removing Treadmaster or a like product?The previous owner installed two sheets at the base of the mast and it looks simply awful; it has a diamond-plate pattern and whenever I step aboard, I think of a workboat, not a classic sailboat. As I am currently repainting the decks, now would be a good time to effect a removal. However, I am concerned as to the tenacity of the product. Does removal pose any threat to the underlying glass? I am not skilled at fiberglass and have no interest in recontructing that portion of the deck.
On a tangent: If I do end up keeping the Treadmaster, I'll have to spruce it up. I have heard of a product called Treadcote. It's a hardwearing paint that apparently goes a long way towards revitalizing Treadmaster. Any thoughts?
Removing Treadmaster
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Jason K
- Boat Obsession Medal Finalist
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- Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 10:41 pm
- Boat Name: Rambunctious
- Boat Type: J/30
- Location: Mandeville, LA
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Well - I guess I'll answer my own question.
Treadmaster, at least in the diamond plate pattern on my boat, is garbage. While it may provide an excellent non-skid surface, it looks absolutely dreadful. It also, at least in my case, holds moisture - a lot of it.
I was concerned that the Treadmaster was bonded to the deck permanently and that removal would damage the underlying glass. I did a fair amount of research into options. For removal, the common wisdom is to grind, then sand, then fair and paint. It's not as much fun as it sounds.
I also considered revitalizing it with Treadcote.
I actually ordered the Treadcote - at $70 a liter. When it arrived, the bottle had ruptured in the sealed bag. I took that as an omen and resolved to purge my decks of the monstrosity.
After failing to make any progress with a belt sander, I attacked the edge with a chisel and hammer. It came right up - the whole job only took a few hours. However, I was perturbed to see one of the panels trapping a LOT of water (although that section pulled right off).
I cannot fathom why someone would put this crap on a sailboat. A barge, maybe; not a sailboat.
Treadmaster, at least in the diamond plate pattern on my boat, is garbage. While it may provide an excellent non-skid surface, it looks absolutely dreadful. It also, at least in my case, holds moisture - a lot of it.
I was concerned that the Treadmaster was bonded to the deck permanently and that removal would damage the underlying glass. I did a fair amount of research into options. For removal, the common wisdom is to grind, then sand, then fair and paint. It's not as much fun as it sounds.
I also considered revitalizing it with Treadcote.
I actually ordered the Treadcote - at $70 a liter. When it arrived, the bottle had ruptured in the sealed bag. I took that as an omen and resolved to purge my decks of the monstrosity.
After failing to make any progress with a belt sander, I attacked the edge with a chisel and hammer. It came right up - the whole job only took a few hours. However, I was perturbed to see one of the panels trapping a LOT of water (although that section pulled right off).
I cannot fathom why someone would put this crap on a sailboat. A barge, maybe; not a sailboat.
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Steve480
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Jason K
- Boat Obsession Medal Finalist
- Posts: 741
- Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 10:41 pm
- Boat Name: Rambunctious
- Boat Type: J/30
- Location: Mandeville, LA
- Contact:
In my case, the water was trapped between the Treadmaster and the glass. I actually would have been a bit less concerned if it was the cork interior of the product that had become saturated - that part is certainly sacrificial. However, as I pulled it off in strips the interior of the Treadmaster was dry and firm throughout.