Removing pin stripe, old decals and registration numbers

[Kahi]

I know there has been a few posts on this and other sites regarding the best way to remove old registration numbers, logos and vinyl pin stripes from fiberglass hulls.

I wanted to share some good success that I had on this past project. It is without a doubt labor intensive and time consuming. I tried a number of suggestions ranging from auto shop rubber wheels to grind off the vinyl, heat guns, chemical adhesive removers and all kinds of stuff. Most of what I listed before had a negative result on the hulls gloss or removed more than the vinyl or adhesive.

This is what I finalized as being best for me, and is a humble suggestion for quickly and efficiently removing vinyl decals of all types from non-painted surfaces

Ok...so I started with Goo Gone..not Goo Off...there is a substantial diff and without too much details...Goo Off is too strong and caused hazing and deglossing from my hull...I sprayed the goo gone heavily on the sticker and allowed it to sit in mid day heat for half an hour..the decals, including pin stripes peeled away with ease, although a start on the edge of a few letters with a plastic putty scraper...not metal, not razor blade..both caused microscopic grooves which are permanent.

Once all the vinyl is removed, you will be left with two problems..the remaining adhesive residue and a shadow where the original fiberglass has been protected from uv rays and weather exposure...like an old film print paper exposure...

The remaining adhesive must be removed next, and this is easily done with more Goo Gone and a wd-40 saturation. Allow to sit for 10 minutes and it will begin to dry. At this point spray again with goo gone and wd-40 and break out the plastic scraper. Get a new one without burrs and it will shovel the adhesive and slide down the hull. This process takes the longest and will conclude with all adhesive gone and being wiped clean with a dry rag. Don't use magic eraser..which is amazing product but didn't do much on the hull and might have caused slight haze...not sure if it did or not..

Ok. Finally you are left with the shadow and citrus oil and wd-40 residue. I removed the oils by liberally spraying a good degreaser like Formula 88, which I love for all levels of boat and engine room cleaning.

I removed the shadow by using 3m wax and restorer and applied according to directions to the area. I finally swabbed the waxed area with denatured alcohol to remove any wax residue and then rinsed with fresh water. This last rinse will help adhere your future decal to a clean wax free surface. If you plan on adding stickers/decals right away do this, otherwise leave the wax without the alcohol wipe.

I hope this will help someone down then line.

Kahi
Miami Beach, FL

[bisquit]

Ok...so I started with Goo Gone..not Goo Off...there is a substantial diff and without too much details...goo gone is too strong and caused hazing and deglossing from my hull...I sprayed the goo gone heavily on the sticker and allowed it to sit in mid day heat for half an hour..

Did you mean to say that Goo Off is too strong?

[Kahi]

Did you mean to say that Goo Off is too strong?

Someone is a good reader....edited, thanks for heads up..

[Agitated88]

Very informative thread...thanks for sharing Kahi!

[Robja]

Thanks for sharing Kahi

[FreeBird Sportfishing]

A heat gun also works very well, without chemicals

[Kahi]

A heat gun also works very well, without chemicals

I didn't try a heat gun b/c I was working on the waterline at some points, and I didn't want to heat the fiberglass too much...thanks for the suggestion, might work well if on a dry dock or work rack..KS

[Nauti Natured]

Thanks for your suggestions. This was, hands down, the most annoying part of my boats restoration. I can not even tell you how many different products or how many hours I had in removing the large decals that were on the boat when i got it.