tredmaster deck covering

[rogerthebodger]

I plan to use tredmaster, or the like, non slip deck covering on my new sail boat and I was thinking which way the diamond patten should run. I plan to have the long side of the diamond running fore-aft but should it follow the toe rail as on a teak planked deck or follow the centre line of the yacht. Comments please.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Roger,

Mine follows the centre line of the boat.....

I would have thought it very difficult to get it to follow the toe rail and resemble any kind of neatness.....

 

[tcm]

I think treadmaster should follow the line of the sea bed i.e. chuck it overboard. No offence, but treadmaster is pretty ghastly stuff. Surely there is something more aethetically pleasing you can use?

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Matt,

I agree, but in my case it was there when I got the boat.... and frankly the thought of peeling/scraping it off, sanding down the entire deck, and then painting or recovering with something else is not one that fills me with enthusiasm...

 

[Stemar]

Treadmaster is great when it's new, but, in my (limited) experience, is difficult to clean and inclined to come loose at the edges after a few years, which rather spoils the pristine appearance Then when you want to renew it, it's an absolute b*ugger to get off. It's also hard on the legs if you sit or crawl on it in shorts.

I have some kind of rubberised paint on my boat. It's easy to clean and very non-slip. After many years - for all I know, 35 - it's getting tired, so a scrub down and another couple of coats should do for another umpteen years. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure the experts can tell you what to use. I have heard of using masonery paint, but I suspect this also could be a bit hard on the knees to, though not as bad as treadmaster.

 

[Steve_N]

it's an absolute b*ugger to get off

I find it quite easy using a very sharp 1" wood chisel - this slices easily through both the Treadmaster and the epoxy adhesive leaving the area ready for re-application.

Another tip - no need to buy special Treadmaster epoxy adhesive: just use any standard epoxy (West, SP etc..) mixed with colloidal silica to an Araldite-like consistency. Works really well.

 

[Stoaty]

I have a lot of treadmaster on my boat. It's in keeping with the style of boat. It has to be the worst stuff in the world to clean. It seems to attract oil, grease and mud. You have to get down on your knees and scrub it. Scrub it hard and then within a few minutes it's grubby again. If you don't want to waste your life cleaning don't get it. But it is safe and non slip.

 

[Poignard]

When you buy some more it`s worth shopping around. I had to buy some a couple of years ago and the cheapest source I found was Marine Superstore at Port Solent. It was cheaper than buying direct from the manufacturer and no carriage to pay.
I agree that epoxy is fine for sticking it down.

 

[EmmaB25]

Re: treadmaster deck covering

www.treadmaster.co.uk sells the product cheaper than anywhere else - you cannot actually buy authentic Treadmaster cheaper than from the manufacturer (I have asked around!) so I would warn you against anythign that is because its prob a bad replica! I myself did something similar a few years back and the colour ran from it and it broke down really quickly - I have used Treadmaster since and its been great - sure the diamond pattern is tough on knees but I have put their Smooth pattern decking on my sundeck and its lovely and comfy underfoot! I recently did my RIB in their teak effect stuff too- looks fab! Must admit I have heard its difficult to take up but I've had a westerley in the past and that had the original Treadmaster on from build and it never lifted or gave me any reason to replace it!