What to do

[crazycarl]

when i was working on the boat last fall, i placed clear packing tape over the holes in the deck where some of the hardware was to keep out the rain.  when winter set in, i put the boat in storage and forgot to remove the tape.

now, as i peel the tape off i'm left with a non-sticky surface that as of yet i haven't found a chemical that will remove it.  not paint thinner. not alcohol. not acetone. not any of the many interlux solvents i have on hand.

i tried buffing it off with 3 different gelcoat restorers.  i even sanded the area.  it helps, but i have to sand quite a bit to see any difference.

tomorrow i'll buy more wet/dry sandpaper and see what it will do.





honestly, between not having the boat in the water for the last 2 years, 5 coats of paint on the hull and it still looks like crap, all the extra boat parts in the basement, garage, and attic, and the fact that every time i start to work on the boat it rains, or i need another person to complete the task, i'm seriously thinking of selling it, take the loss and just sail the little boat.

[Bob23]

Nice artwork....kinda cute...like little faces!
Have you tired denatured alcohol? We have pine trees here at Casa Errico who love to drop their sap on the cars. Denatured alcohol has been the only thing that will touch it.
Bob23

[crazycarl]

yep. alcohol didn't touch it.

it's not sticky or even raised.  it's as if it embedded itself into the gelcoat.

'bout the only caustic solvent i didn't try is PBR, and that's because i'm afraid of what it could do to the integrity of the gelcoat.

after all, look at bob.  he's been drinking that swill for years and he has no integrity!

[Salty19]

Wetsand with 800 grit, then go up in grits from there.  You could try a magic eraser first too (although don't count on it). Keep it away from your brain at all costs, you've erased enough of that already and there isn't much left.

I heard PBR is similar to dish soap so it could be used for the wet sanding process. Bob sure talks like he needs his mouth washed out with soap, so I bet you the rumor that it's almost like soap is not true after all. 

[Bob23]

I was gonna suggest PBR but why waste good beer? How about Goof Off? And I don't mean you can goof off, something you're quite accustomed to doing already, but the Goof Off you buy at Home Cheapo? Have you tried that?  How about WD-40? I mean, geez, somethings got to remove it.
  Eons ago I had to remove masking tape residue from the underside of a skylight that had been baked on by the sun for months. Nothing touched it except for kerocene and then I had to soak the residue for minutes with a saturated rag. But it did work. Try that, you wild and crazy Carl!!
Bob23

[Reighnman]

I had luck with FSR(fiberglass stain remover) and bathroom bleach spray. Wear thick gloves and a nylon scrub pad. Took me several "treatments" to remove the sticker stains left after removing old decals. Let the stuff sit for several minutes.

[BruceW]

Barkeeper's Friend!

[Bob23]

Yes, I am a Barkeepers friend!! Did you try roof tar? Really, I know it sounds so wrong but if you smear roof tar on those spots, wait a week or 2 and when you return: Voila! stains will be gone!!!

[Citroen/Dave]

Do a test patch with lighter fluid.  You might let it soak in for a minute or two before rubbing.

[MacGyver]

xylene might work too, it is acetone brother only its evap rate is a lot longer of a time frame. usually about 3 times as long.

MAc

[jdklaser]

hardline Products makes a product called Sticker OFF.  Good stuff.  Available at West Marine

[crazycarl]

I was gonna suggest PBR but why waste good beer? How about Goof Off? And I don't mean you can goof off, something you're quite accustomed to doing already, but the Goof Off you buy at Home Cheapo?
Bob23

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!!!

congratulations bobert, you gave the winning solution...GOOF OFF!  it worked, and it was sooo easy.

because of your knowledge of how to goof off and be productive about it, i, crazy carl, will buy you a twelve pack of your favorite beer.....PBR! 

yup! you heard me right roberto! 

i will go into a liguor store of my choosing (preferably one far, far from my home) and purchase for you, the king of new jersey, a twelve pack of PBR!

it will be cold and waiting for you at CLR. 

thanks to everyone for their help with this crisis. 

now, i can move on to other important boat tasks....let's see, where did i store that mast 3 years ago....?