How do I get old lettering off my boat?

[Sailorstan]

I have slaved all winter gettin my boat ready for sailing tis spring. She is ready now. New spars, new riggig, rewired wth dual battery switch,new mast lighting/wind indicator/radio ant, cushions cleaned, and we have a new name for our boat. The previous owner had named the baot "flower days". I just don't get it.That has got to be the stupidest name for .......well anything, let alone a boat. So... I procurred the libations and a copy of the ceremony that must be peformed, and set about removing the stick-on letters the previous owner used........three weeks later I am still tryig to get the letters off. I started using a metal razor blade scrapper, but that didn't work and I actually gouged the gelcoat a little trying. Then I tried a hair drier and a plastic scrapper. That was not so good either, just a little more sloppy, but the lettering still defies me. I tried nail polish remover.Nope. I tried WD-40 and let it soak overight. No help.
Is there a way short of sanding to get these old letters off? I checked the forum and only found people asking how to remove the discoloring under the lettering....Heck I wish I could get to that stage of the problem.I will just paint over the discolored part with the new name ! But for now I am just making a mess with te old letters.
HELP !!!

[mrron_tx]

Hi Stan : I hope the po didn't use those block letters from Home depot etc , they are brutal to get off. My po used them on the aluminum trailer to put His name..... I tried all the things You have , and wound up using a wire cup on My drill motor to get through the top part of the stickers , and then the WD40 helped remove the goop. Of course You don't want to use a wire cup on the gelcoat..... maybe some medium or fine sandpaper will get through it. Best of luck Flower days eh Ron. Dauntless.

[kmclemore]

Two things to try....

First, try something stronger than a hair dryer. I've used a heat gun very successfully in the past to remove decals. You can buy a cheap but usable one at Harbor Freight. But be careful when using it - these things get REALLY HOT and can actually damage the gel coat (and your hand if you grab it wrong!). Warm the decals just to the point where it is too hot to touch and they should then be easy to remove with a scraper (use a plastic or wood one to avoid damage to the gel). Work on a small area at a time, don't try to boil the ocean in one go.

If that doesn't work (though I'm pretty sure it will), try using something stronger than nail polish remover. MEK (methyl-ethyl ketone) is usually used as the solvent for rubber glues and will work well in seeping under the edges and loosening the decal adhesive. Like with the heat gun, there are significant cautions here... first, MEK is a cancer causing agent, so use nitrile or neoprene gloves and use it only in a *very* well ventilated area... second, it's flammable so avoid any ignition sources. Apply the MEK to a small area at at time, let it soak into the edges and lift them up... then put a little more on the exposed glued area and let that soak and then remove it further, continuing this process until the decal comes off. MEK will not damage your gel coat, but it *will* damage other painted or plastic surfaces, so don't be dribbling it all over.

Good luck!

[Russ]

Flower days? What the?

Did you have to cover it with a burlap sack to get the boat home?

Flower days!

[taime1]

The easiest way to remove old lettering is to get one of these: http://www.amazon.com/3M-Stripe-Wheel-M ... B00063VT0G

I recently got one and it works very well. Takes almost everything off in very little time. You do have to finish up with soapy water or Googone or something similar.

[Sailorstan]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments and the new ideas.
Yea.....flower days......it takes all kinds of folks to make this world interesting......just wish it wasn't causing me pain rght now !!

[Steve K]

Find a local auto paint and body supply shop and get a can of decal remover (comes in a spray can). This is industrial strength stuff and works. My D boat had ugly red, orange and yellow stripes, running the length of the boat (about 5 inches wide altogether), right under the boot stripe,i when I bought it. (this got me about a thousand bucks off the asking price though )
Be sure to talk to them about using it on Gel Coat/fiberglass. Then also try it on a small spot, just to be sure.

I used almost two cans. Spray it on in sections, let it sit a few minutes then scrape with a putty knife, that isn't too sharp, or better, see if it will peel, without scraping. If you're very careful, you won't scratch the finish. The residual goo can then be cleaned off with some Acetone and rags.

Most of these products will soften the Gel Coat, if you leave them on the surface too long, so work in small areas, until you get a feel of how long it can stay on the surface before it softens the finish. And mask around, particularly below the area you are working on as runs down the sides of the hull will show later. (they will eventually yellow back out though).

Hope this helped
Best Breezes,
Steve K.

[JohnCFI]

I used a heat gun (if they are vinyl). Trick is to heat enough to soften the adhesive, but not so much the vinyl becomes to weak to pull away.

Good luck with the renaming ceremony, I felt the need to involve the whole family, a BBQ and a lot of Rum. I am certain old Neptune was quite happy with the share he got.....

[mrron_tx]

The more I think about it..... I've decided that " Flower Days" was named By Someone's little girl or granddaughter .... Mainly because I remembered My granddaughter call's My dinghy " Sunflower " and then got mad because I won't put it on the sides like Dauntless I finally told Her the dinghy was too small to have the name on the sides ..... and She bought it Sure hope God forgives little white lies Ron.

[foursail]

Never tried to get stick on letters off the hull. When I got the boat I needed to change the hailing port. It was painted on. I tried acetone and others. The ony way I got it off was scotch brite pad and easy off. This now turned the gelcoat yellow. A little white vinegar brough it back to white again.

[sirlandsalot]

I just went through this on mine.......after many attempts of various products,
the best thing was a heat gun and a plastic scraper. Being VERY careful to not heat and burn the boat. It was easy, took 5 minutes each side. Then I used stuff called "GOO BE GONE" or something like that for the gum left over.

took 15 minutes all together and didn't wre3ck anything, however spent a few hours trying other ideas's......

David

[dcaldarona]

Check out my blog about restoring a 85 Mac 25. I hope it's educational and helpful to folks that have questions. Notalotayacht | Restoring a 1985 MacGregor 25
https://notalotayacht.wordpress.com/