LM27 fitting treadmaster

[oceandancer]

Hi All,

I am thinking of fitting standard diamond pattern treadmaster to my LM27's deck to cover the raised panels . I see that you can now get 2m sheets by special order which would cover the side deck panels without joints, however, the problem is the original diamond pattern moulded into the deck.

My decks have quite a lot of wear, dings and marks aquired over the last 45 years and the panels are currently painted. I would like to have a more permanent and tidier covering and the tan coloured diamond pattern will go well with my cream deck.

I have seen several neat examples of treadmaster covered decks on the internet and would welcome advice on fitting it, for example do you need to grind off the diamond pattern back to a flat surface? and if so can you fix the treadmaster direct to the ground surface? and what glue is best, the standard adhesive or the epoxy? All advice gratefully recieved.

Regards

Mick Legg

[johnc]

I have to say, that I have only fitted treasdmaster onto plywood floor sections in a previous boat so not directly related to your proposed work, however I have some thoughts that may or may not help.

1. A fellow berth holder recently replaced very very worn Treadmaster on his Fisher and I am sure he sent cardboard templates to Treadmaster to get the material cut to exact size

2. I would suggest sanding down the diamond patern to obtain a flat surface as I feel you will have to remove the paint. However, I would be a bit concerned that by grinding down the diamond patern, you may expose the glass fibres so I would look at sealing the surface to prevent moisture uptake.

3. Choice of sealing concoction. Options are lay up resin, gel resin, flowcoat resin and epoxy but you need to check the compatibility and stickability of your choice of adhesive.

4. As to adhesives, there is a posting on Practical Boat Owner on this topic.

www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?151421-fixing-down-treadmaster

[oceandancer]

Hi John,
Thanks for that, I am of the same opinon re sanding down the diamond panels and thanks for that link, very helpful.

Regards

MICK