removing old treadmaster

[jasper 85]

AFTER TRYING MANY COMBINATIONS OF GRINDING PADS AND SCRAPERS I HAVE SETTLED ON AN ELECTRIC PLANNER AS THE BEST TOOL TO USE. I'M SURE I'LL GO THROUGH QUITE A FEW BLADES ,THEY ARE NOT TOO EXPENSIVE AND THEY ARE DOUBLE SIDED.THE PLANNER DOES THE LEAST AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO THE UNDERLING GEL COAT.
MY QUESTION IS; HAS ANYONE HAD ANY EXPERIENCE WITH KIWI GRIP NON SKID. I'M THINKING OF USING THAT ONCE I GET ALL THE OLD TREADMASTER REMOVED.THANKS FOR ANY INPUT

[Cheechako]

Have you tried a heat gun? Do you know what the treadmaster was glued on with? Some folks on this board Like Kiwi. I thought it seemed rather "cheap" and alot like latex paint. It's not very thick at all, so you need the surface to be very good prior to applying it. I also tried it on a hatch top with the only prep being good scrubbing. I found I could pull it up and stretch it like latex rubber on one spot where it didnt adhere. Once you use it , I doubt you can go another way if yo wanted to.

[delmarrey]

Treadmaster should be fairly easy to remove! All it is, is natural rubber impregnated with cork bits. All it takes to get it up on my boat is a heavy duty scraper with a sharp edge and a orbital sander with 40 grit pads to finish it for the next layer.

[Cheechako]

As lng as they didnt put it on with 5200!

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

As long as they didn't put it on with 5200!

The instructions recommend coating the back of the TM and deck both with epoxy then applying the TM and positioning. I would think a marine sealer would cause lumps under the TM, unless one were to use a heavy roller afterwords. Lets hope not!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by jasper 85

(...) HAS ANYONE HAD ANY EXPERIENCE WITH KIWI GRIP NON SKID (...)

I have used TBS non-slip material and it is ... perfectly non-slip. YET: it gives sort of 'dirty' look (or does it get dirty this much). Good stuff but with poor aesthetics. Recommended/NOT.

b.

[SVTatia]

Jasper

1) Try a multi-tool with a rigid scraper blade - you can get a cheap one just for this job at Harbor Freight. If it burns, get another one...
2) I applied kiwi-grip last summer and it's quite easy - the results are excellent. After sanding the deck I applied an epoxy base coat (545) then kiwi-grip. Please see the video on Youtube before you start, its very easy, but requires a lot of preparation, as it dries very quick and pay special attention about how to remove the masking tape which needs to be done rather quickly after painting. Do small areas at a time - drop - spread - roll - remove tape, drop - spread - roll - remove tape, etc.
Use a soup ladle to drop the paint on the deck and get a notched spreader and use the 1/4 slots.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...ched+Spreaders

Multi Tool
Multifunction Oscillating Power Tool - 1.6 Amp, 120 Volt
Scraper blade:
2" HCS Multi-Tool Rigid Scraper Blade


How to video Youtube:

shop clip #8 kiwigrip application - YouTube

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

The instructions recommend coating the back of the TM and deck both with epoxy then applying the TM and positioning. I would think a marine sealer would cause lumps under the TM, unless one were to use a heavy roller afterwords. Lets hope not!

Yeah, it's been done many ways. I saw a steel boat that had put it on with industrial Contact Cement (Landau Top Adhesive), I saw it after several years. Looked great. Epoxy is often used. I've done a little with 5200, it'll never come off! You need to use a 1/32 or 1/16 notche trowel to spread it. Problem with all (but Contact type adhesives) is holding it in place and down intimately while it dries. I was going to do my Hans Christian with 5200, but finally opted for epoxy as it was easier in some ways and it was hot and humid in Trini. I love the stuff but it's not real comfortable with bare feet for sure...

[GlenM]

I don't envy you.
85% of my deck had cracking Vetus non skid (which is similar) glued down with some kind of industrial contact cement. I used one of the scrapers below, that was sharpened to a knife edge. It was still a pain to get off.
I have a steel hull and, not sure how one of these would work on fiberglass, however when using it never did go down to the bare metal. I had to grind the adhesive off.

Glen

[jasper 85]

NO I haven't tried a heat gun, but it may be worth a try,as with everything else I'll have to be careful working on fiberglass,
Thanks for the input

[bstreep]

Just a note here: This is why when folks are looking for a non-skid product, I jump in with a "what are you going to do when you have to remove it". There are lots of "great" solutions out there for non-skid decking. But, we elected to go the traditional route: Interlux Perfection with non-skid added.