Tape on 1994 Hunter 42 passage window

[searching 4 paradise]

I really messed up. I had a leaking window on our 42 Hunter Passage 1994. Since I was in Central America and had no other options, I put clear thick plastic over the window and then put duct tape over it to stop the water from coming inside the boat. In Guatemala I had no other choice. Now the sun has dry rotted the tape and it is coming off in strips and so I tried to pull it off. It split and tore. Now the clear plastic is stuck to the dark tinted window. It's one of the larger forward windows on the starbard side that is angled and has a small window in the middle that opens.

First, is the material acrylic in 1994? Is there anything that will clean the tape off the fiberglass and last, how can I get the plastic that is kind of melted on the window off? I know, I should have done something else about this but a lot of water was coming inside the boat and I was by myself. I'm just a girl...what do I know? Any instructions or expert advise would be appreciated. We are about to make a crossing and I have to fix this quick!

 

[Steve Dion]

If you can get some of this it may be worth a try.

http://www.janilink.com/product_info.php?products_id=4874

Just purchase some today for a local Napa Automotive store $12/qt. Not available in California. Very soon you will only be able to purchase water in California. Everything else will be outlawed.

 

[searching 4 paradise]

I'm in Roatan, they don't have stuff like that here. I need to know what material the windows are made of...do you know?

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

acrylic. At least my 93 windows are.
Be careful with solvents like acetone which will damage the window. If it was mine, I'd try Progressively finer abrasives starting with maybe 100 grit which will scratch but can be polished out with wet sanding and a finer grit. I'd try it on a small sec first to perfect the technique or preferably get a scrap piece of acrylic.

 

[searching 4 paradise]

Thanks. I'll look into both suggestions. I tried the acetone on the fiberglass and it did a pretty good job. My better half said just get the adhesive off from the where the sun baked the old duct tape and then put more after it's clean and that should get us back to the states. We plan to replace these four large windows when we get to the US. We just need to keep the water out of the boat while we make the passage from Roatan to Texas. He said he didn't care about the plastic being stuck on the windows since we will replace the windows anyway. Thanks for your help guys!

 

[kloudie1]

Kerosene might be worth a try too.. Careful about the flamibility.. small rag, wipe on then leave the rag over the adhesive with some Saran Wrap covering the outside of the rag to keep the solvent from evaporating. Let it set a while maybe an hour then rub the adhesive off. Gasoline might work but you'd have to be very careful about the heavier-than-air fumes getting inside and igniting.

 

[searching 4 paradise]

Thanks for the idea. We do have kerosene here. I'd be concerned about the gasoline for the reason you stated.