Remove old painted name from hull

BreakAwayFL · #1 05-09-2012

Hello all,

I'm ready to remove the old name from the boat. Unfortunately (for me), it was painted on, and I'm trying to make sure I am removing it in the best way.

What I had decided on was this:

Wash/Scrub the stern with a heavy duty cleaner that should strip any wax remaining
Slowly and gently sand with 1000 grit paper with a random orbital sander until most of the lettering is gone
Do the same with 1600 grit until the remainder is removed
same grit to rest of stern
Polish
Apply Vinyl lettering
Wax
Next week, wax again

Does this sound right, or am I out of whack here?

Also, is the 1000 grit too coarse and the 1600 grit fine enough?

Thanks for any input!

Silvio · #2 05-09-2012

If it is painted on top of gellcoat easy off oven cleaner is a real quick and simple way to remove painted names etc. Spray the easy off cleaner on, let it sit for 10 -15 minutes, wipe off with paper towels. Repeat if anything remains, rinse. Done. No sanding needed. Sometimes easy off will leave a yellow haze behind that can neutralized with vinegar or you can wait a day or two and it will go away on its own.

BreakAwayFL · #3 05-09-2012

Really?

Really really?

I'll be trying this Saturday. If this works, I'll have a bottle of rum in your hands post haste!

PalmettoSailor · #4 05-09-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by BreakAwayFL

Really?

Really really?

I'll be trying this Saturday. If this works, I'll have a bottle of rum in your hands post haste!

Yeah not so really in my experience. Our first boat had a painted on name and we tried EZ-Off along with several forms of paint remover. We eventually got it OFF, but it was anything but EZ.

The key to avoid tennis (paint removal) elbow is to let the chemical do its job and not get in too big a hurry. Apply, wait, wipe and repeat. Be generous with whatever you choose.

RichH · #5 05-09-2012

Spray on Easy Off, cover with saran wrap, let sit/soak ... then wipe off. May need to repeat, etc .

Barquito · #6 05-09-2012

I sanded my transom rather aggresively (going to paint anyway), and still had shadow of name. Might depend a lot on the materials and techniques used to apply the painted name.

rmeador · #7 05-09-2012

I took the painted name off mine with some orange-based paint remover I bought at Home Depot. I believe it was intended to remove graffiti. It took several applications, and waiting about 15 mins after each application, but the paint came off with a scraper after that. I then compounded and polished the entire transom. There is a slight ghost of the old name just because the gelcoat under there wasn't weathered as much, but it's really unnoticable unless you know to look for it.

BreakAwayFL · #8 05-09-2012

I thought about paint remover (makes sense right?) but was concerned about taking off the gel along with it. (might be a dumb newbie statement, but there you go)

Unless anyone has better ideas, I am going to try the Easy-Off method first, since it seems less aggressive. After that I'll try the orange based remover. I don't have a ton of faith in it since the name on my boat is 40 years old, but I'll give it a shot!

rmeador · #9 05-09-2012

I was also afraid of taking the gel coat off, and I think when I left the paint remover on there for a really long time, it might have softened the gel coat a little, but it's now been a year and shows no adverse effects. I'd just try to work quickly once it's soaked for a while, and wash it off really well.

Silvio · #10 05-09-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by BreakAwayFL

I thought about paint remover (makes sense right?) but was concerned about taking off the gel along with it. (might be a dumb newbie statement, but there you go)

Unless anyone has better ideas, I am going to try the Easy-Off method first, since it seems less aggressive. After that I'll try the orange based remover. I don't have a ton of faith in it since the name on my boat is 40 years old, but I'll give it a shot!

Worked well for me. Name had been painted on for 8 years and was in good shape. I did it as I laid out above on a miserably hot summer day in Florida. Let the Easy off work and don't get in too much of a hurry. On mine it initially left a yellowish shadow, but that was gone with no intervention in a couple of days. Others have told me that vinegar will remove the yellow immediately.

I also use Easy off to remove old decals from the gellcoat, off in seconds with no residue and no need for heat.

good luck!