Stripe / decal removal

What's the best and or easiest way to remove the stripes and graphics from a 20 year old boat? I did the search feature and read most of the posts about it. Any suggestions ? This will be my first time attempting this.

3M makes an eraser wheel. It goes in your corded drill.

Hair dryer ... will peel right off if not TOO hot ... go for warm.

Gasolene cuts old glue like magic.

Single Edge Razor Scraper Blades

Any residue left behind, I use Goo Gone. BUT then you have to wash thoroughly with hot soapy water.

Bear - photos will always help the gallery help you.
you did not mention if the graphics are on bare metal or a painted surface.
are you going to prep and repaint the boat after the graphics removal ?
there is no "one method fits all" projects. some are easy, some are quite difficult.

20 year old paint and graphics can be a challenge for the novice indeed.
when I was asked to remove graphics in my sign shop, I would start with
the least aggressive method, such as the rubber eraser wheel, hard plastic
squeegee and the hair dryer then onto the more aggressive higher heat with sharper tools.
Be prepared for some elbow grease to be involved.
this stuff just does not fall off by itself in a neat and orderly fashion.
clean up the adhesive residue with whatever you have on hand.
Goo-Gone, acetone, lacquer thinner, etc. (in small areas at a time).
use common sense and extreme caution when using flammable liquids !!!!
sharp instruments such as razor blades, chisels, etc can gouge the metal.
gasoline can explode on you with the smallest spark. common sense and due care will save you a lot of grief.



some Citrus Strippers will work also.

I personally don't like the rubber erasers because:
#1 - they are expensive
#2 - they are very messy
#3 - they wear out quickly

the most challenging job I had of removing vinyl graphics was on 36 old police cars
that had to have all the graphics removed prior to going to auction.



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I'm in the middle of removing the lettering from my sprint boat and it's tedious with the stickers being on the boat for at least 20 years. I'm using a razor blade to remove the sticker rocking/wiggling it back and forth as I follow the sticker. I did gouge the paint in one area a little when I got too aggressive so I slowed down. Then the leftover residue is a combination of 3m General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner then thumbnail to scrape the thicker areas while it's softened, paint thinner, Soft Scrub and Rubbing Compound. If your boat isn't painted, you could use the razor blade after the adhesive cleaner to scrape the thick areas more aggressively. I need to have both garage doors open with the fumes from the adhesive cleaner and thinner and I do get up and walk out every once in a while.

JL8Jeff said:

I'm in the middle of removing the lettering from my sprint boat and it's tedious with the stickers being on the boat for at least 20 years. I'm using a razor blade to remove the sticker rocking/wiggling it back and forth as I follow the sticker. I did gouge the paint in one area a little when I got too aggressive so I slowed down. Then the leftover residue is a combination of 3m General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner then thumbnail to scrape the thicker areas while it's softened, paint thinner, Soft Scrub and Rubbing Compound. If your boat isn't painted, you could use the razor blade after the adhesive cleaner to scrape the thick areas more aggressively. I need to have both garage doors open with the fumes from the adhesive cleaner and thinner and I do get up and walk out every once in a while.

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Bearclaw - I feel your pain. I just finished this task on a boat a bit older than yours and used everything mentioned above other than the 3M Eraser Wheel and if there is an easy way, I didn't find it. My best success came from a heat gun and a fine edged putty knife but even this combo was limited to removing small pieces intact as age left the vinyl very brittle. Go slow or the scratches will show.


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i used a heat gun then used goo be gone to get the glue off.

I forgot I had one of those eraser wheels. I used the razor blade to get the letters(stickers) off and then went back with the eraser wheel which got most of the residue. It's messy but a lot less fumes. I still used a little adhesive cleaner and then the soft scrub and rubbing compound to clean up the edges. The eraser wheel definitely saved me time, effort and fumes so it was worth it.

Ok fellas, here is what I'm up against. I will report back with how I did on removing them. Thanks for all the replies

I think you could use the razor blade at a slight angle to get under the sticker and start to lift it off. Don't get too aggressive or it could scratch into the paint. If you do that and go slowly it should work. You could try some heat but with old dried out stickers like that, I have my doubts it will do much. Then you could use the eraser wheel on the residue. But based on the cracking in the decals, I think it will take time to get the pieces off. I just got done taking all the lettering and decals off my boat. My fingers are sore from slowly pushing the razor blade but it worked well and I didn't do any more damage to the paint other than the initial trial which was too aggressive. Good luck.

You can also use a steamer.

Do yourself a huge favor and buy a vinyl eraser. There is no better way, I promise you.

Where is the best place to get the eraser wheels?

ebay would be the best and quickest.
I have seen them at auto stores such as AutoZone, Discount, etc. maybe NAPA.
the electric drill is preferred over the battery cordless model as to power and not roasting your battery.
again - old vinyl can be very labor intensive.... it does not just fall off by itself unless you use paint remover or a torch.
look at some of the videos on YouTube to see how the wheel works. then you can get some idea of which
model will work best on your project.
keep us in the loop as to your progress.


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I think I bought my wheel at Pep Boys a couple of years ago. Most auto parts stores will probably have it. I didn't even try to use the wheel on the stickers, I used the razor blade to remove the stickers and letters, then came back with the wheel for the residue cleanup.

Granted my boat was raw aluminum, but after trying many different methods i found that a heat gun when used properly will remove old vinyl stickers. I then used a magic eraser with acetone to remove all of the sticker residue. I dont know what it was about the magic eraser but it worked like...... well .... magic. Acetone on a rag wouldnt touch the stuff. Last ditch effort tried one of my ol ladys magic erasers soaked in acetone, and it worked like gang busters. I work in the paint and body field so i had access to eraser wheels. With my scenario it worked to an extent, but it would leave alot of smeared sticker adhesive residue. If using solvents is not an option for you, the eraser wheel method will probably be your best bet. My word of advice though is to buy more of them than you think you will need, because they do wear out very quick. The 3m's are the best, but they are expensive. You can try smart brand, which are less costly, but they wear out much quicker than the 3m's do.

=D>

I use WD-40 and a singe edge razor blade. Looking at your particular decal which is exceptionally sun roasted, I would think a wd-40 soaking, followed by a heat gun, followed by the razor blade is the hot ticket.