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04-05-2013, 11:11
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#1
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Presently in Rogersville, Al
Boat: Mainship 36 Dual Cabin
Posts: 695
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Removing old Boat Name
What is the best method for removing old vinyl lettering from fiberglass transom without
damaging the gelcoat?
__________________
Mainship 36 DC - 1986
Retired and Full Time Cruising the Eastern U.S. inland Waterways
www.FreeBoatProjects.com
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04-05-2013, 11:12
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Northeast, USA
Boat: Luders 36
Posts: 237
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Get a gum wheel for your drill. About $12 from Amazon. Takes letters off in seconds.
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04-05-2013, 11:36
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 267
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
Use a heat gun. Work's great.
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04-05-2013, 12:50
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Rocky's Boat Yard
Boat: Tayana V42 - Passages
Posts: 611
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
Quote:
Originally Posted by haw1961
Use a heat gun. Work's great.
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+1
I have heard that EZ-Off oven cleaner works but I have not tried it.
__________________
You can make more money but you can't make more time.
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04-05-2013, 16:19
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#5
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Presently in Rogersville, Al
Boat: Mainship 36 Dual Cabin
Posts: 695
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
Thanks Guys
I will try a heat gun next week and let you know how it works out
__________________
Mainship 36 DC - 1986
Retired and Full Time Cruising the Eastern U.S. inland Waterways
www.FreeBoatProjects.com
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04-05-2013, 16:27
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#6
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cat herder, extreme blacksheep
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: furycame alley , tropics, mexico for now
Boat: 1976 FORMOSA yankee clipper 41
Posts: 18,967
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
acetone worked well on mine.
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04-05-2013, 16:45
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#7
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: near Lake Erie
Boat: 1984 Catalina 22, 2005 Carolina Skiff 24, 1989 BW Outrage 19, BW SS 15
Posts: 546
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
Wagner Model 1220 heat gun is what I would use, I think the 1220 stands for degrees Fahrenheit on the high setting. I would practice on something disposable first.
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05-05-2013, 09:12
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: North Charleston, SC
Boat: Camano Troll
Posts: 5,176
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
The mistake most folks make with a heat gun is not getting the area hot enough and not spreading the heat. Don't just point the gun at the decal, sweep it around for even heat. Once you can lift a corner of the decal, you probably need another minute or two. It should lift easily and take most of the adhesive with it. Remember to keep sweeping, don't hold it in one spot.
Acetone on a rag will take care of any adhesive that remains on the gelcoat.
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05-05-2013, 09:13
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: North Charleston, SC
Boat: Camano Troll
Posts: 5,176
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jman
Get a gum wheel for your drill. About $12 from Amazon. Takes letters off in seconds.
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That's supposed to work really well but I've never tried it.
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05-05-2013, 12:01
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North Carolina, USA
Boat: Big brick box and a '62 Airstream Ambassador. Formerly Pacific Seacraft
Posts: 1,017
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Gum wheel. Avoid the easy off and solvents unless you really need.
Mine had giant letters on each side of the stern (canoe stern) and had been touched up with paint where the vinyl had deteriorated. Unfortunately, the gelcoat under the letters was protected from the sun so you can still see the old name if you look carefully. I don't really care, and I'm not gonna destroy the gelcoat to get it off. I guess the sun will have its way with it over the next couple decades.
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05-05-2013, 13:12
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#11
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Presently in Rogersville, Al
Boat: Mainship 36 Dual Cabin
Posts: 695
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
Thanks All!
I went to my old shop today and brought home the Heat Gun, Gum Wheel, Acetone, Plastic Scrapers and Adhesive Remover.
I am now ready to conquer the world.
I will let you know how easy (optimistic) it went.
__________________
Mainship 36 DC - 1986
Retired and Full Time Cruising the Eastern U.S. inland Waterways
www.FreeBoatProjects.com
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05-05-2013, 14:49
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#12
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: aboard, cruising in Australia
Boat: Sayer 46' Solent rig sloop
Posts: 28,438
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
Cheoah,
There's a product, in Australia called "Polyglo", which will fix up the adjacent gelcoat so the old name won't show, easy to use, lasts about a year. I understand it may be called TSRW here in the US. We used the Polyglo on our first Insatiable, and were quite pleased with it.
Good luck.
__________________
Who scorns the calm has forgotten the storm.
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05-05-2013, 15:03
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North Carolina, USA
Boat: Big brick box and a '62 Airstream Ambassador. Formerly Pacific Seacraft
Posts: 1,017
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate
Cheoah,
There's a product, in Australia called "Polyglo", which will fix up the adjacent gelcoat so the old name won't show, easy to use, lasts about a year. I understand it may be called TSRW here in the US. We used the Polyglo on our first Insatiable, and were quite pleased with it.
Good luck.
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Thanks for the tip, ATC. I have heard of that product, people use it to restore gelcoat and in place of wax if it is the stuff I'm thinking of - Poliglow?
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05-05-2013, 17:10
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#14
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: aboard, cruising in Australia
Boat: Sayer 46' Solent rig sloop
Posts: 28,438
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
Sorry Cheoah, I don't know how to spell it, but "TSRW"" stands for "This Stuff Really Works". Poly Glow? Good luck with it.
__________________
Who scorns the calm has forgotten the storm.
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05-05-2013, 18:00
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: North Charleston, SC
Boat: Camano Troll
Posts: 5,176
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Re: Removing old Boat Name
Poliglow is a band aide to cover up otherwise hopeless gelcoat. The sort of thing that will make the boat look good for a while but needs to be reapplied pretty frequently. If you decide to stop using it you have to use a special product to remove it.
When you remove a decal from gelcoat and see a "shadow", what you are really seeing is gelcoat that has been protected from the sun and weather by the decal while the surrounding gelcoat has deteriorated. There's no way to make the part that was protected by the decal match the rest of the surface, all you can do is to try to restore the entire area to as close to new as possible. Usually this would require wet sanding, followed by rubbing compound, then wax.
Or, you can just leave it alone and it will go away in a few years as the gelcoat ages from exposure.
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