Do The Waterline Stripe The Correct Way, Or Wrong Another Year?

[GaryMayo]

Last year, we painted the bottom of the sailboat with the proper paint, but the waterline stripe paint was backordered.

I ordered it a second time, from a second source, and that failed also.

I really wanted my sailboat on the lake, and the only holdup was that missing waterline stripe. I did not want to wait another day, let alone a week or more.

What did I do? I went to a box store and purchased two rolls of Husker Football Duct Tape, what else? Lol

Mind you, nothing on my sailboat was bright red, the sailboat is two tone blue & white. Because of the sports theme in a lake just outside the shadow of the Husker Stadium, it did not look too bad.

Now the good news, and the bad news. The good news is the tape stayed on all boating season, without a hint of letting go.

The bad news? It was not UV rated tape, and the tape only looked great about a month. The last month of the season, it looked all washed out and white. All the color was gone, including the Husker logos.

More bad news, as we removed the boat from the lake and cleaned her up, I discovered the tape and the gelcoat are now best friends, and will not let go.

So, do I blast the tape off, somehow, in the least destructive way possible (suggestions please! !!) Or do I give in, and find UV rated tape? It really looked pretty good till the sun cooked the tape.

[Richard_W]

There must be a way to get it off without using abrasive methods.
Is it brittle, or just stuck really well? Did you try a heat gun?

[GaryMayo]

It comes off like pulling teeth. Heat gun? No, but I will if you think it might help. With a pocket knife, there is no discernable place the tape glue stops and the gelcoat and bottom paint start. Reminds me of masking tape left on a wall too long for a room paint project.

[minaret]

Lol! Use Citrus from 3M or any other good goop remover to clean off the old tape, just spray it on for a few feet, let it sit a few minutes, and scrape it off with something that won't scratch. Then next time use standard vinyl striping. Dirt cheap and way more UV resistant. By the way it's called a boot stripe.

[Johnathon123]

Try Eucalyptus Oil, gets all sticky stuff off virtually anything anywhere without stuffing up the gelcoat. Wipe or spray it (Preferably wipe) let it soak for 15 - 45 mins (keep it wet with oil) scrape off with a smooth spatula.

clean up with soap and water.

Bonus, boat smells like peppermint

[Richard_W]

Anything that softens the glue/goo without affecting the gelcoat should work.

If the citrus, eucalyptus, or mineral spirits do not get enough under the tape to soften the glue, try the heat gun to soften the glue under the tape to pull it. Then use any of the glue/goo removers to clean the residue left.

[perchance]

Try a little Acetone in an out of the way spot to see if that works. Acetone will not affect cured Gelcoat or epoxy.

[Richard_W]

I would be careful with acetone ... it is still a solvent that reacts with gelcoat, epoxy, paints, and all poly based plastics.

Give it enough time and quantity and will do the damage. On the mixed paint/gelcoat surface ... once it starts smearing the paint over the gelcoat you are in deep doo-doo.

[Hydra]

WD-40 works on some types of glue.

Alain

[Redcoat]

Debond will take it off but it is expensive.

[GaryMayo]

Major snowstorm hit after I unwrapped her from storage to start work on that stripe.

Can a stripe be cursed? Lol

[goboatingnow]

you can get aerosol label glue dissolve sprays ,

[David M]

Acetone does not react with cured gelcoat. It is not a good solution though because it evaporates too fast for it to penetrate the tape and weaken the glue. You need some sort of gooey solution that penetrates the tape but will not damage the gelcoat. I know there are gooey paint removers that will not damage gelcoat.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by David M

Acetone does not react with cured gelcoat. It is not a good solution though because it evaporates too fast for it to penetrate the tape and weaken the glue. You need some sort of gooey solution that penetrates the tape but will not damage the gelcoat. I know there are gooey paint removers that will not damage gelcoat.

+1. 3M Citrus comes in a convenient spray can, is non toxic, smells like orange peels, and works really good.