Who's had any luck removing treadmaster from a GRP deck?

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ChasB

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It's 20 years old. Really trying to avoid this job - previous threads are not encouraging. I'm wondering if I should just clean and paint - but what with?

So, anyone had luck with removal from GRP?

Cheers! :D
 
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ChasB said:
It's 20 years old. Really trying to avoid this job - previous threads are not encouraging. I'm wondering if I should just clean and paint - but what with?

So, anyone had luck with removal from GRP?


Cheers! :D
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42 ft boat covered in the stuff , old chipped and stuck down with super glue :p
Some ways of doing this , with a chisel type hand held or the multi tool with the scrapper (both did not work for me )
I went drastic and used an angle grinder and took 99% of with this , as usual be careful , moslty I took it down to the glue level and sanded flat , then I Kiwi Griped it all
 
Removed old treadmaster from the cockpit seats using a wide wood chisel. Lots of filling and fairing afterwards before laying new (smooth) treadmaster. If it's properly stuck down it's almost integral with the GRP so very difficult to remove. I believe Treadmaster sell a paint intended to freshen the colour (Treadcoat?).
 
ChasB said:
How long did that take...? :(
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2 whole days :disgust:
And is very dusty it is like sanding hard cardboard, I used 40 grit and went through the pads quickly , but I wathced a utuber doing it with a chisel and hammer and there were 2 of them took weeks and the poor souls were on the verge on jumping into the water
finished version
https://ibb.co/17vQ59r
 
Facing the same issue, but have decided to duck it - planning on using a rotating fibre 'brush' on a drill to remove growth, paint, etc from the treadmaster and then to paint it. I know International Interdeck has been recommended here before - I'm not sure if it is necessary to use pre-kote to enhance adhesion?
 
Absolute cow of a job! I did my cockpit floor 2m x 1m took me 2 full weekends.
I used a 2" chisel, kept very sharp, a multi-tool thingy, a Linbide scraper, belt sander and power plane. None were very sucessful but changing tools means you can use a different set of muscles and avoid [some] blisters and cramps.
 
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Nasty stuff. I stripped the decks of an old fishing boat and it has heavily covered throughout the aft cockpit.... wrong product for the job. NASTY STUFF!!

I used a fein cutter blade which I ground the teeth off to form a chisel/scraper type affair. Pulled it off in strips, in seconds.40 grit sand up then 2 coats of rough commercial deck paint over epoxy primer. Done.
 
Have done a Fisher 25 - a lot of Treadmaster

I used a hot air paint stripper and a wide flat 'filling' knife - and it came off easily, usually the entire panel in one piece
If you get it just right the adhesive lifts off along with the Treadmaster and you have virtually no other works thereafter - and no gouging of the deck
 
I removed the treadmaster from an Ebbtide 33 (33ft long x 10 ft beam) It covered the whole deck. I used a multitool with the scraper. With some practice you can cut throught the cork and leave just the glue which was a different colour. I removed the glue with an orbital sander with a 60 grit pad. This did a good job. As others have said it is hard work took me 2/3 days. best of luck
 
I am in the middle of doing this on our Sealord one panel at a time.

I use a power plane (carefully) then a belt sander and then a detail sander for the corners. I can get a whole panel off in half an hour or so. The slowest part is removing headlinings and deck fittings that have been bolted through the deck...
 
Clearly anyone who markets a tool that makes this job easy will be much loved.

Life's too short...

Any recommendations on a suitable paint? If I fill the cracks first, then paint, then I reckon I can give this a few more years of life.

If that doesn't work, then it's down to stripping it off. I have the same deck fittings problem as John.

Cheers!
 
Dan Tribe said:
Absolute cow of a job! I did my cockpit floor 2m x 1m took me 2 full weekends.
I used a 2" chisel, kept very sharp, a multi-tool thingy, a Linbide scraper, belt sander and power plane. None were very sucessful but changing tools means you can use a different set of muscles and avoid [some] blisters and cramps.
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On my cockpit sole i used a router, then finished with a stiff painters flat knife & orbital sander, no filling required
 
I used Treadcote the treadmaster paint.Was a waste of time for me.Pressure washed after lifting in and all the paint came off covering the
deck with flakes of the stuff.Going to buy some tools and do the job over the next lay-up.Problem I have is some people reckon it still looks
all right but I'm not convinced so probably remove it.I think the old treadmaster will drag down the value of the boat if it has to be sold.
 
I have a Colvin Watson 34 and I have dreaded facing this job for several years but now the treadmaster is starting to crack it has to be undertaken. I have been playing with the notion of using Tek-Dek or similar but the cost, about 150-250 m2 is quite off putting. Apart from the effort of removing the old. What to use as the replacement?
 
The key thing is what type of glue was used to stick it down.
If it was contact adhesive, then it will come off relatively easily and cleanly.
But if it was epoxy, you're in a world of pain and the deck will be left badly damaged.
Hence the differing responses in this thread.
 
Kelpie said:
The key thing is what type of glue was used to stick it down.
If it was contact adhesive, then it will come off relatively easily and cleanly.
But if it was epoxy, you're in a world of pain and the deck will be left badly damaged.
Hence the differing responses in this thread.
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Mine was stuck down with epoxy and by using the power plane carefully and then a belt sander and a detail sander I can remove the decktread and all the glue with no damage whatsoever. Glued down with epoxy doesn't automatically mean damaged deck after removal unless one is really cack handed.
 
john_morris_uk said:
I am in the middle of doing this on our Sealord one panel at a time.

I use a power plane (carefully) then a belt sander and then a detail sander for the corners. I can get a whole panel off in half an hour or so. The slowest part is removing headlinings and deck fittings that have been bolted through the deck...
Click to expand...
That's how I did mine last year. You have to be very careful to not let the sander run out of control.
 
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