removing varnish from fiberglass

[Steve]

i am trying to get the old boat all pretty'd up so i can sell it and by a mac 26x. the previous owner slopped varnish over all the wood onboard and in the process got it all over my deck. the west mareine guys told me to use acetone to get it off. that doesn't work very well at all. any suggestions?

 

[Timm Miller]

Sanding

Box in the areas with masking tape and wet sand them down......once they go away......buff it back up rubbing compound then polishing compound. You may be able to lightly scrape them off with a sharp scraper.......just don't drink too much coffee before hand and take your time.

 

[Steve]

it's on non skid

can't sand it because it's on a non-skid surface part of the deck. any other suggestions?

 

[Timm Miller]

Non skid

That does pose a problem......can you hand pick it out with something or does it cover too much of an area? Makes you want to slap the previous owner on the back of the head.

 

[Timm Miller]

Varnish

Why not talk to someone at a real paint store and find out what type of remover you would need to get rid of it and how would it react with fiberglass?

 

[MArk]

Gelcoat-safe varnish remover

Steve,If the stuff on the link below works as advertized...I've never used them myself.Happy sails *_/),MArk

 

[Steve]

thanx

thanks for all the replies. I did ask a few different paint store people and they just kind of shrugged their shoulders. one of my other boater friends said to try a nylon brush with rubbing compound. if the weather cooperates, i'll give that a try. and yea, definitely makes me wanna slap the previous owner. i don't have a lot of patience with people who do things the easy way rather than the right way. i'll let you know what works as soon as i figure it out.