Removing stickers

[Deb]

Has anyone ever tried the method of soaking the stickers with WD 40?
Deb

[romei]

I have, but never on a gel coat boat.  Only on a metal pontoon boat.  I've found that the best thing for removing stickers is heat and patience.  For heat...use a hair dryer.

I'm sure wd-40 would help if the heat isn't enough to do the job on it's own, but I'd try goo-gone or an automotive bug and tar remover or something like that first.  No matter what you use, you'll want to clean the gelcoat very good after you remove the old stickers to restore the area to the same quality finish as the rest of the boat.

Patience is the key here.  It can take some time and patience.

[roland cobine]

 you might try some stuff called goo be gone----i used it on my daughters pontiac to remove some striping

[Potcake boy]

Deb,
That sounds like an interesting approach though I've never thought of it myself - WD 40 is very good at what it does - penetrate.
If you are talking about stickers on the boat, I once used (at the suggestion of a boat yard worker) Easy Off oven cleaner to remove name painted on transom. It worked very well and caused no damage to boat. I'm confident it would work well on vinyl stickers as well but have no idea what the effect may be on galvanized finish if you are referring to your trailer. If it's your trailer, I'd think it should be safe to use heat to soften the adhesive and peel them off. A hair dryer or even a propane torch with a flame spreader.
Sounds like you're doing a lot of fix up tasks, makes getting up early worth it, doesn't it?

The value of anything in life is established by the effort we put forth to obtain or achieve it (IMHO). You've already added value beyond the "market value" to your CP, you are making her yours.

Ron

P.S.
If you are coming to Florida to sail you should certainly wait till winter season is here, it has been kind of crappy weather for a sailing vacation, and there a more waves on the the way to Florida at this time. Winter time here is about as close to ideal for sailing as I have ever experienced.

[Deb]

I used the WD 40...I sprayed (being most careful to not allow dripping) and waited a bit over an hour then used a small  old wore down metal paint scraper and with gentle ease it all came off smoothly.  A bit of persuasion and steady gliding.   Layers of stickers took reapplying and all worked well.  At last few I didn't even use the hair dyer and one single layered sticker pulled off in entirety.  The suntan is interesting and will be obvious for awhile but oh well.  Now I'm off to clean it well and put my mark on her.
Getting windy..need to hurry.
And PotcakeBoy..Phewy on the weather.....I'm comin!!!!!!!!
I'll be back....went 7 times one year! 

[Potcake boy]

Deb,
Those sound like the words of a diehard sailor - good for you.
There are a couple of systems cooking up in the Atlantic right now. When are you planning your trip to Florida?
Here is a nice link to stay update with storm activity: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/

Ron

[Deb]

Ron, Thanks so much for the weather site...really nice,  is it 94 & 95 you've got your sights on for upcoming disturbances that may bother my plans...Sept 2 - 11.  Don't worry ...I am still a novice and will take no chances.
Deb

[Potcake boy]

Deb,
At this point it appears that #94 is the most likely candidate to find Florida in it's path, maybe some time next week. However, it seems that about all you can do about hurricanes is watch, wait, and prepare. Since I have been necessarily more aware of them one thing I've learned is that they are very unpredictable in their path and intensity.
So don't put off a trip because of that threat, just be prepared to make some changes in your plans if necessary.
Safe trip and enjoy your sail.
Ron

[hobnob]

I "debadged" my boat with the WD-40 and hair dryer technique.  That gets the major stuff off.  For a scraper, try using the body work plastic applicators (for Bondo and the like) from any auto parts store.  After I got the vinyl removed, I used Goo Gone (or Oops!) to remove the remaining adhesive.  Worked like a charm.

[Rick Klages]

I have, but never on a gel coat boat.  Only on a metal pontoon boat.  I've found that the best thing for removing stickers is heat and patience.  For heat...use a hair dryer.

I'm sure wd-40 would help if the heat isn't enough to do the job on it's own, but I'd try goo-gone or an automotive bug and tar remover or something like that first.  No matter what you use, you'll want to clean the gelcoat very good after you remove the old stickers to restore the area to the same quality finish as the rest of the boat.

Patience is the key here.  It can take some time and patience.

No gel coat on a Compac!

[Craig Weis]

Sure Deb, I have always used a heat paint stripping gun and even a pretty hot hail blower to heat the sticker to 'just being hot enough to touch' that would be 160 deg F. Once warmed up a corner of the sticker can be lifted a bit and slowly and with heat still being applied the entire sticker can be lifted.
Then clean up the glue left behind with any old automotive polishing/cleaning compound, cleaning because you want the petroleum distillates to work on the petroleum based glue used to stick the sticker down,
Like substances dissolve like substances.
That's the only way I can get my old USPS courtesy vessel check sticker off and the new one on without piling year on top of year. skip.