removing dried varnish from Deck

[smprincipal]

OK so I am sure this exists on this site somewhere but I could not find it. I have a 1985 catalina 25 in which the previous owner did a crappy job in trying to varnish the handrails and cabin entry with the wood on the boat, leaving dripped varnish at the base of the handrails as well as the fiberglass on the entry way. Is there a method to removing the varnish from the fibergalss without damaging the deck?

 

[jrowan]

I'm sure there are a million paint removers & strippers out there that will claim to remove just about anything. The problem with using chemical strippers on old gel coat finishes, is that chalky gel coat acts like a sponge & will absorb all kinds of permanent discoloration from chemicals. So using a stripper can make a small problem like varnish drips into a real eyesore. The stripper such as paint thinner, naptha or mineral spirits will break down the varnish & spread it around as you wipe it on & off.
Personally, I like to remove minor drips or overruns by letting them dry, & then use a small pen knife to gently pry up the varnish layer at the edges & then they easily scrape off. Just be gentle & don't go crazy, since gel coat is rather thin.

 

[newboatowner]

I have removed varnish by using a heat gun very, very carefully. It does work if you do it slowly.