Treadmaster - can you - would you paint it

[Dougie_the_Mate]

I was wondering if it would be possible - wise - to cover the treadmaster surface in the cockpit with non slip deck paint.

It has worn rather well and does clean up after much effort, but it was just a thought that it might look better if it were painted and might clean easier.

Any thoughts?

 

[JimC]

Rather than deck paint I advise you to use Treadcote which is made for the job and works well. It restores the appearance of the Treadmaster without detriment to its non-slip properties. It's quite expensive but a little goes a long way as it's of a thin consistency and brushes out well. Before applying it make sure your Treadmaster is properly adhering to the deck, sometimes edges will lift - squirt some epoxy adhesive under and weight down till cured. If the Treadmaster is punctured or rubbed through in paces this can be repaired with epoxy filler which can be 'sculpted' before curing to match the pattern of the Treadmaster. You'll be surprised how well even really tatty Treadmaster can be made to look.

Here is a link to Treadcote http://www.treadmaster.co.uk/treadcote.html

 

[Steve_N]

I tried the Treadcote paint and wasn't happy with the results: it started to degrade pretty quickly in the Scottish climate and had very little resistance to abrasion. It needed repainting after less than 12 months.

About 3 years ago I repainted the Treadmaster with non-slip Interdeck and it has been really good. It looks as smart now as when I did it and the non-slip qualities of the Treadmaster are enhanced too.

 

[robmcg]

I would have to agree with Steve N. We tried Treadcote at the begining of this season. The treadmaster was religiously prepared, dried and the treadcote applied as per the instructions. It started to flake away after a couple of weeks and now look rubbish. I would be interested to see some photos of treadmaster painted with other types of deck paint which seem to offer much greater longevity compared to treadcote which is super expensive!!!

 

[DavidTav]

A vote for Treadcote - works extremely well in my opinion

 

[JimC]

I must have been lucky. My last boat was an aluminium Sarum 28 built in 1977. I bought her in 2004 at which time the blue Treadmaster which covered all the decks was really tatty. I stuck down the bits that were lifting and patched up a couple of spots where it had abraded and then applied 2 coats of Treadcote (used 2 jars). She still looked pretty good when I sold her 5 years later. This was up in Lancashire where the climate isn't particularly kindly.