Replacing Hull Stripe

[Jerry Nevins]

Hi Everyone,

I became the owner of this 2002 Hunter 356 this summer and she just got hauled in Mystic, CT for the winter. Does any one have advice on removing and replacing the hull stripe? I plan on replacing the Hunter and 356 decal too... I know both are available from the Hunter parts store... Mostly wondering about the difficulty of removing the old stripe?

Thanks,

Jerry

 

[Sailgunner]

Don't know about yours but this site did not have the correct size for my stripe. Probably a little heat would help with removal.

 

[duality]

on my catalina, i used a wall paper steamer to warm it up as i went. made pretty quick work of it.
mike

 

[jssailem]

To remove most stripes, which are vinyl, a hair dryer or heat gun on LOW works to lift (or mostly lift) the stripe and allows the boat worker to peel it off. Most of the time there will be a shadow or line left. You may want to keep that shadow so that you can place the new line in the same place, or you may choose to buff the old line free and start with a clean slate locating the line where you choose. Care in getting the right line dimension is important as the old line may have shrunk or stretched.

 

[Jerry Nevins]

Thanks JSsailem, duality and sailgunner... heat seems to be the consensus .... Thanks for the input...

Jerry

 

[Jim_H42]

I've also been successful removing stipes with a straight edge razor held at the correct angle so it doesn't gouge the gelcoat.

For re-installing the strip - I build a jig that hung from the toe rail to hold the tape at a constant distance. Good luck

 

[Jerry Nevins]

Thanks Jim...!

 

[daviddp]

Heat is by far the quick and easy way to remove the old stripe, heat and a plastic putty knife once the glue softens. I have done 3 boats in the past 10 years, graphics, numbers and stripes. I do like Jsailem idea of leaving the ghost in place to help with the alignment.

 

[Jerry Nevins]

Thanks David. Plastic seems important to avoid scratches too... Jerry

 

[daviddp]

Keep the heat away from the plastic putty knife so it doesn't "melt" the tip, it will round over with use from residual heat, I just run it over 80 grip paper on a flat surface to true it up (sharpen) again for use. zero scratches.

 

[Secret sail]

I drew a line at the top of the old stripe with a pencil. Made it easier to aligne the new stripe.
I bought 3 x 10meter rolls in grey 2cm vinyl from a local specialiste.
He delivered 6 rolls

 

[dmax]

When applying the new tape, fill a spray bottle with water and say a teaspoon of laundry detergent. Spray it on the hull as you apply the tape - you will now be able to move the tape around easily to align it with your pencil line until the mixtures dries. Once it dries, the tape will be all set.

 

[Jerry Nevins]

I very much appreciate all of the advice!

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

When applying the new tape, fill a spray bottle with water and say a teaspoon of laundry detergent. Spray it on the hull as you apply the tape - you will now be able to move the tape around easily to align it with your pencil line until the mixtures dries. Once it dries, the tape will be all set.

You only need about 4 drops of detergent in a quart size spray bottle.

 

[dmax]

You only need about 4 drops of detergent in a quart size spray bottle.

Thanks - I got the spray bottle tip from you captain, I have only used the brute force "dip the tape in a bucket" method myself

 

[Jake N Eggs]

When applying the new tape, fill a spray bottle with water and say a teaspoon of laundry detergent. Spray it on the hull as you apply the tape - you will now be able to move the tape around easily to align it with your pencil line until the mixtures dries. Once it dries, the tape will be all set.

Windshield washer antifeeze also works well. Use a plastic body filler spreader to squeeze the antifreeze out.

 

[LawsonL]

if you use a steel razor blade, the professional tip is to round off the 90° corners of the single edge blade so that they can not dig in. Also, holding the blade at an angle to the direction of travel, (think plowing snow to the side), will easily scythe the old vinyl from the surface below with no damage to the fiberglass.

 

[Jerry Nevins]

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Knotallthere]

I did the exact same thing on my 2002 Hunter 356. I used a rubber wheel however to remove the old stripes. I highly recommend this method over using razor blade or heat; a little acetone did a nice job to remove the old adhesive. I had a professional restipe the boat after I got it prepped, turned out fantastic.

 

[Jerry Nevins]

Thanks knotallthere... I was wondering about the rubber wheel... would this one do the job? (Amazon)