Treadmaster removal

[Stevedud]

I am considering removing some areas of treadmaster which have become worn, dried out and lifting in the middle of larger sections.
Having done lots of background reading there are various trains of thought on how to remove the stuff and techniques vary depending on what has been used to stick it down (epoxy or contact adhesive).
1" chisel
Scraper and heat gun
Angle grinder (ouch)
Orbital / belt sanders etc etc

Has anyone had any success using a Bosch PMF180 mullet tool using segment or plunge saw attachments. I understand the Bosch tool is similar to the Fein multimaster but half the price.

Up until finding this tool on the internet. I had decided to go with the purchase of a heat gun and scraper ensuring not to apply too much heat to damage the gel coat, but now wonder if my money would be better spent on the Bosch tool.

Anyone out there who has any PRACTICAL experience on removing Treadmaster and suggestions on the best way to proceed.

Note I intend not to replace the Treadmaster and need to ensure the surface is good enough to paint over after removal.

I wait your feedback with interest

 

[vyv_cox]

Anyone out there who has any PRACTICAL experience on removing Treadmaster and suggestions on the best way to proceed.

Note I intend not to replace the Treadmaster and need to ensure the surface is good enough to paint over after removal.

I wait your feedback with interest

Mine was stuck down with contact adhesive, which was why it had peeled up at the edges. It was a major job, for which I used chisels, a variety of solvents, abrasive papers and a hot gun. I worked in a laboratory at the time and had access to solvents that might be difficult to obtain for the man in the street. It took two of us a month of weekends to clear the whole deck of a GK29. At the end it was not in a fit state to simply paint over without some remedial work.

I suspect that if it was stuck down with the correct epoxy adhesive it would have been considerably more arduous, as heat and solvent would have little effect on the adhesive. Mechanical methods would then be the only option, for which it would appear that your Bosch tool might be suitable. Don't rely on getting it all off without deck damage though, I doubt if that is possible.

 

[macd]

I've removed epoxied treadmaster and found messy, laborious but not too difficult, with a heat-gun and wosisnmame (it is Sunday morning)...like a wallpaper scraper but stiffer. The epoxy softens nicely with heat. The resulting surface needs sanding down and is never going to look pretty.

 

[oldsaltoz]

Epoxy will soften with heat from a heat gun also heat the scraper, after tha bulk has been removed try to reheat the remaining epoxy and wipe the bulk off when still hot, when enough is removed the heat damaged epoxy should come off with some Acetone, just don't leave it on too long, repeated doses should get it all off without damage.

Don't be surprised if the area under the patches is blistered, just leave them to sun dry and shrink.

 

[Goldie]

I loaned a Bosch power chisel to an owner who was struggling to remove treadmaster from the deck of his Fulmar. The tool was returned a week later with a bottle of Scotch! I didn't see the work in progress, but reports were very positive. I expect an oscillating tool (the Bosch or Fein) would probably work too. Of the oscillating tools, a friend with the Bosch wishes he'd bought the Fein but I can't remember his reasons, although they made sense at the time.

 

[Feedman]

I have just completed the same task by using the Fein Multimaster and it was a piece of cake! It's true that the tool (and especially replacement blades) are expensive but they have enviable build-quality and a brilliant reputation. I used the Scraping blade which not only lifted the Treadmaster but also the adhesive film below.

The Multimaster is fantastic at sanding although it would be excellent if Fein produced a larger triangular pad for better area coverage. I understand there are Polishing pads too. An extremely versatile tool.

 

[Malcb]

I removed my old treadmaster with a Fein chisel tool with ease. The surface was good enough to stick the new treadmaster in place.

 

[BlueChip]

I removed treadmaster with an B&D electric planer, set to a very shallow cut.
There was no clogging of the blades and it was really easy to get off and left a perfectly smooth surface - would only work on flat panels though

 

[PeterGibbs]

I am considering removing some areas of treadmaster which have become worn, dried out and lifting in the middle of larger sections.
Having done lots of background reading there are various trains of thought on how to remove the stuff and techniques vary depending on what has been used to stick it down (epoxy or contact adhesive).
1" chisel
Scraper and heat gun
Angle grinder (ouch)
Orbital / belt sanders etc etc

I once watched a neighbour remove all his treadmaster - what a sweat. Be sure to have lots of time in hand, use an airgun to soften the Tmaster, and a chisel (about 1inch or more will suffice) that is sharpish and has rounded edges - or you will gauge your way across the deck! Use a drag scraper (Skarsten type) to remove residuals.

This I have seen work on a GRP deck.

Angle grinder / orbital sander - oh boy, you will severely degrade your boat if you do!

Chemicals - most unlikely to help, the Tmaster is pretty impervious, you have to get under it mechanically.

Is there a cosmetic means of upgrading the appearance of the exisiting Tmaster, perhaps by cutting out parts in a suitable pattern and fixing new sections? A bit of creativity in this direction could save a mountain of effort.

PWG

 

[TradewindSailor]

I'd be very cautious about using a heat gun or solvents to remove Treadmaster.

Solvents that will soften epoxy will soften the deck ...... and that goes for heat too.

 

[JayBee]

I removed treadmaster from my cockpit seating using an electric chisel to get rid of the bulk and a random orbital sander to finish off. The treadmaster was well stuck down with epoxy, but it all came away cleanly in the end leaving undamaged gel coat. I have heard that contact adhesives can be more of a problem than epoxy, requiring solvents of some sort to get a clean finish.

I had a quick look for the electric chisel on Screwfix, where mine came from a couple of years ago. Can't find it anymore, but I think that the Fein or Bosch multitools would do the job. *

The job took me a long time, and an absolutely perfect finish wasn't really required as I covered the smallish area with teak.

I am currently having treadmaster removed from the deck - this time by a boatyard. The professional who is doing the work has removed most of the material with a hand plane and is finishing off with an orbital sander. So far, the deck is absolutely undamaged and there is no trace of treadmaster or epoxy left.

Once the stuff is off I will be painting with non-slip, so a reasonable finish is needed.

It is a long job and I don't think it will be finished in less than 40 hours, so a hefty bill will be coming my way.

36 foot boat.

Good luck.


*http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Bosch-PSE-180E-Power-Carver-Scraper-23036.htm

 

[jezza]

All depends on whether the Treadmaster has been laid by the original builder or is an owner-done job. Where original, it is likely to have been bedded down on an epoxy adhesive (if a reputable builder). Cheap and easy brigade use a contact adhesive which makes it easy to remove.
On our Colvic-moulded UFO31, as with the 27s and 34s, epoxy was ladelled on and after 43 years, there's more of that left than the ghastly diamonds! It's taken nearly five years to finally remove it, and we've tried all sorts of methods.
Where the material is still fairly thick, the Bosch/Ryobi tool with a curved flexblade was effective, but no good on the threadbare areas. The final solution turned out to be heat gun and scraper - not a Skarsten but a Stanley Max Finish 9-in-1 stainless jobby. Set yourself a target of about a 1m x .5m panel a day - that's about what you'll do. DON'T use an electric planer. Finish off with a rotary sander and 40 grit to remove the residual epoxy, and a straight orbital with 140 grit to get a fair finish to take a non-slip deck paint, such as Hempel's acrylic one - other makes are available, but acrylic is a good medium to work with.

 

[vyv_cox]

All depends on whether the Treadmaster has been laid by the original builder or is an owner-done job. Where original, it is likely to have been bedded down on an epoxy adhesive (if a reputable builder). Cheap and easy brigade use a contact adhesive which makes it easy to remove.
On our Colvic-moulded UFO31, as with the 27s and 34s, epoxy was ladelled on and after 43 years, there's more of that left than the ghastly diamonds! It's taken nearly five years to finally remove it, and we've tried all sorts of methods.
Where the material is still fairly thick, the Bosch/Ryobi tool with a curved flexblade was effective, but no good on the threadbare areas. The final solution turned out to be heat gun and scraper - not a Skarsten but a Stanley Max Finish 9-in-1 stainless jobby. Set yourself a target of about a 1m x .5m panel a day - that's about what you'll do. DON'T use an electric planer. Finish off with a rotary sander and 40 grit to remove the residual epoxy, and a straight orbital with 140 grit to get a fair finish to take a non-slip deck paint, such as Hempel's acrylic one - other makes are available, but acrylic is a good medium to work with.

He has probably done it now as he asked the question seven and a half years ago.

 

[Topcat47]

I own a Bosch P180, Bosh replaced it twice in a year's guarantee period and I"m waiting hopefully for the last one to die so I can buy a Fein.

 

[Toutvabien]

He has probably done it now as he asked the question seven and a half years ago.

Hopefully; with any other task I would probably agree Vyv, but removing Treadmaster can be a very long term project.

 

[BlueChip]

There is someone doing it at Sutton Harbour this week, making very slow progress.
I don't know what the problem with user a power planer is, it worked very well for me. Just set it to a very fine cut and you can easily remove most of the treadmaster from flat surfaces leaving just a mm or so of material with a very smooth surface to finish off using a sander. No chance of digs and scrapes that seem the norm when using chisels and scrapers.

 

[gavin400]

Have removed Treadmaster from my Fisher 25 (Fishers have a lot of the stuff!)

I used a hot air gun and a large putty knife
It came off remarkably easily - if you time it right (not too long, or too little with the heat gun) it simply lifts off with most of the adhesive coming with it
I cleaned the residual adhesive with Sticky Stuff Remover and a green scouring pad

 

[SailSouth]

Still lots of old Westerlies (and other boats of that 70/80's era) that have treadmaster that now needs replacing. I have to do mine, 39' of chiselling, scraping, sanding, filling, faring, sanding and painting.......hmmmm think I'll put that off for another year....

 

[vyv_cox]

Hopefully; with any other task I would probably agree Vyv, but removing Treadmaster can be a very long term project.

Mine took me a complete weekend using hand tools, mostly chisels, plus strong solvents of which I had a good supply in those days. Not something I would enjoy doing again.

 

[john_morris_uk]

There is someone doing it at Sutton Harbour this week, making very slow progress.
I don't know what the problem with user a power planer is, it worked very well for me. Just set it to a very fine cut and you can easily remove most of the treadmaster from flat surfaces leaving just a mm or so of material with a very smooth surface to finish off using a sander. No chance of digs and scrapes that seem the norm when using chisels and scrapers.

That might be me!!

I've been using a Bosch power plane and then a belt sander and chisels and finally a palm sander or a detailing sander on a Makita multi tool.

Its been taking me a while because a) It keeps raining. b) I've been doing bits of deck with deck organisers in so have to remove lots of headlining to access fastenings...

I think I'll get much quicker when I'm working on straightforward sections with no deck fittings.

I tried the oscillating cutter on the multitool but it was quicker to power plane the bulk of it off and then use a chisel and sanding machine to clean up the last bits of epoxy.

PS Come and say hello if you see me down there. We are on A pontoon.