Favorite Painter's Tape

Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
Getting ready to haul out for bottom paint & compound/wax of top sides.
What's your favorite brand of tape for sharp paint lines, minimal bleed, & ease of removal?
 

Ward H

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Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
Scotch Blue. Seals well, comes off easy up to a couple of days. I even use it to mark dock lines, halyard and reefing lines. Lasts most of the season.
 
Feb 21, 2008
408
Hunter 33 Metedeconk River
I was just at the Atlantic City Show and asked the Interlux rep the same question. His non committal answer was to check the tape manufacturers spec sheet and make sure the adhesive on the tape was not affected by solvents. Same goes for the roller's nap. He added the rollers sold a marine outlet like WM should have tape and roller that meet that spec but I would check with the manufacturers.
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
This is something that I neglected to make note of on my last haul out. Seems that the tape I used last time left too much adhesive residue and I had to go back and remove it with solvent. Thinking about using Frog tape; however I've never tried it in the past.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
3M Scotch tape. There are other brands and they work, however, I've found the Scotch brand easier to remove after a few days than the others.

If you want really sharp lines, 3M makes Fine Line tape. You can find it at an auto parts store, an auto paint supplier, and of course Amazon.
 
Feb 14, 2014
7,399
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
Thinking about using Frog tape
:plus:
I keep ≈1" Frog Tape in its sealed container aboard. Remove it slowly, since tearing is easy. I used the Purple Scotch brand as well, but it "drys" out. Frog tape has its own sealed container. I have had my roll for 2 years now.

I also use it to temporarily bind parts for gluing repairs. Several wraps are very strong.
Jim...

PS: I also use as "label tape" for marking the contents of a storage box.
 
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Nov 26, 2012
1,653
Hunter 34 Berkeley
Frog Tape is the best. The glue is thick and gooey so it fills in all the nooks and crannies along the edge that the paint can seep into to give a nice clean edge.
 
Feb 10, 2004
3,917
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
The 3M green Fine Line tape is excellent for tight edges and curves. It is expensive- about $9-10 for a 3/4" roll. For the last few years I have used the 3M Blue with nearly identical results except that it doesn't wrap around curves as well. But it is half the price of the Green Fine Line. Both remove easily, but I apply the morning of painting and remove a few hours afterwards.
 
Oct 2, 2008
3,807
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
Blue masking tape for same day removal, green for several day projects.

All U Get
 
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DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
I’ve used the 3M blue and the Frog tape. The blue is good, but I have found that the Frog tapeleaves a much cleaner line, and no bleeeding along the edge. In either case, I mask, paint, then remove the tape the same day.
 
Jan 13, 2009
391
J Boat 92 78 Sandusky
Bleed through on the edges, especially with high solvent bottom paints like VC17, can be a problem. Frog tape sucks for that application and Scotch blue tape not much better. A boat painter showed me a trick. He uses 3/4" 3M Super 33+ electrical tape to lay down the line where the bottom paint and gelcoat meet. He then overlaps that with 1-1/2" 3M blue painters tape. Super 33+ stretches nicely along curves and leaves a sharp edge with no bleed through.
 

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
I use VC17 and have not had a problem with bleed through. Its important to be sure that the tape is tight to the hull. I use a typical bondo spreader to flatten the tape.
 
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Oct 10, 2011
619
Tartan 34C Toms River, New Jersey
I use VC17 and have not had a problem with bleed through. Its important to be sure that the tape is tight to the hull. I use a typical bondo spreader to flatten the tape.
That is the biggest problem. The tape has to be flattened against the hull, and removed the same day as you stated.:plus:
 
Aug 28, 2015
190
Oday 28 St Joseph, MI
Most of the tapes mentioned will work fine if the edge is burnished hard with a cloth prior to painting. You don’t have to wait long to remove the tape either, just an hour or so.
 

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
Most of the tapes mentioned will work fine if the edge is burnished hard with a cloth prior to painting. You don’t have to wait long to remove the tape either, just an hour or so.
You don’t have to wait that long. With VC17 you can launch in 20 minutes.
That also helps when its time to launch. The marina people bring the boat to the launch area, leave it hang in the slings, then go on break. While they are gone, I paint the cradle pad locations and the bottom of the keel if its not sitting on the ground . On return, the boat gets launched.