Removing Ancient, Cracked Vinyl Striping

[Louis Phillippi]

Last week, I pulled my 1985 Hunter 28.5, "Osprey" to do bottom paint and to remove and replace the old vinyl hull striping. Much has been said on this website about removing vinyl, but not a lot I've seen about removing really brittle and cracked material. After talking with the boatyard workers, I began working with a heat gun and 4" metal putty knife. The really brittle tape will not come off in neat, long strips. You have to fight for each inch. The wide-bladed putty knife will not mark or gouge the gelcoat unless turned on edge.Its rigidity and strength is needed to remove the bad stuff I had to work with.The combination of gun and putty knife worked as efficiently as possible(still labor intensive). Did you know there are 6 separate vinyl stripes plus a logo on each side, each with different reactions to the heat gun?After removal was completed, I used a plastic scrubby mesh ball and "Goof Off" spray to remove residue. Worked like a charm! The removal of the old and replacement with only two wide blue stripes on each side took 10 years off "Osprey's" appearance.

 

[Jerry Smith]

Replaced my stripes also

Louis,I purchased my boat, 1987 Hunter 31 about a year and a half ago. The stripes were badley cracked and peeling. I hired a striping company to remove and replace all of the stripes. It made a world of difference in the appearance. The stripe company used an eraser wheel on a drill motor. This worked wonderfully. It removed the stripe and the residue. I also had cracks in the gel coat under the stripes that were magnified with the shiney new stripes. I had to take them off again and fill the gel coat cracks before restriping. Jerry Smith

 

[Bill O'Donovan]

Try this

A hairdryer with a Gem razor blade works well, but it is equally labor intensive.

 

[Tim Op't Holt]

Goo Gone

I used a product called Goo Gone and a razor scraper with success. After consulting with a striping company, I applied my new stripes by spraying a light application of soapy water on the hull. This allows movement of the stripe into position. No problems with adhearance. The final treatment of the hull was with VertGlas, which has renewed the hull. Apparently, there is a difference with striping material. Two years ago, I used some striping on the cabin that I got from a car striping place. In the sun, it almost completely deteriorated. This time, I got what was represented to be UV resistant striping. It has a 10 year warranty. We'll see!