[Fish-the-5th]

Car Wax Paste by hand, not with buffer will remove it, if you use car Polishing Compound which is more aggressive first, that will take it off more easily but could easily damage the hull gel coat if not careful.

I have used this on multiple fiberglass boats for a racing smooth finish above the water line. The paint you have looks like Gold Leaf paint and may come off with Silver Polish, but only use a paste that is easily controlled.

This method will also work to rejuvenate a poor condition hull.

 

[hnash53]

PO named my boat 'American Pie' with LARGE vinyl lettering on the aft quarter both sides. Had the vinyl lettering removed but the name was still an obvious readable shadow on the gel coat. Seriously listened to the song which grew on me but is something like 8 minutes. Decided there was a reason that I always liked the song. Bit the bullet and had new vinyl done with 'Ms American Pie'.

The color of your boat and the Chinese characters are very striking and memorable and damned good looking. Even if the characters say 'the owner is an ass' would keep them because it looks so good.

LOL... "the owner is an ass." I should tell people that's what it means... should be good for a lot of laughs for awhile.

 

[KurtPH]

The characters mean:

Probably "Local Strongman" or "Nouveau Riche"

From Marjorie... French who speaks Chinese...

Mark

Through some help I found this:
Looks like it might be this?

Tuhao - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[KurtPH]

Through some help I found this:
Looks like it might be this?

Tuhao - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

So I’m not sure you want a boat that tells every Chinese person you are Tacky. Unless he meant Tack-y as in it Tacks! Oh MY GOODNESS! That may be what he wanted!!!🤣🤣🤣

 

[Minnewaska]

Everybody knows the nouveau riche don't buy sailboats, they buy chlorox bottle stinkpots with a "steering wheel", satellite TV and a fully stocked bar on the aft deck.

 

[mickeyrouse]

I’m afraid that removing all of the yellow will remove some amount of the underlying green. At which point you’ll have to figure out what THAT is. One way or the other it seems like a complete paint job is in your future. Or accept that you have a striking graphic.
I am reminded of what Nathaniel Herreshoff said about boat color: “There are only two colors to paint a boat- white or black. And only a damned fool would paint one black.”
I have seen some lovely boats painted flag blue, black, forest green, red- you name it. Your registration numbers imply a Washington home. Having sailed in the San Juan’s a few times, I can appreciate that any way to warm a cabin is welcome. But if you are sailing in warmer climes, that solar-absorbing color really makes an impact.
I think Herreshoff’s take on color is more considered when you think about visibility. Considering how our waterways seem to be increasingly crowded, I think we need all the help we can get. On armchair evenings, I think Day-Glo orange. But The Admiral wouldn’t approve.

 

[MarkofSeaLife]

So I’m not sure you want a boat that tells every Chinese person you are Tacky. Unless he meant Tack-y as in it Tacks! Oh MY GOODNESS! That may be what he wanted!!!🤣🤣🤣

Just don't try to say the Chinese pronunciation on the VHF

 

[hnash53]

Ok... I'm the OP of this thread.
I contacted the previous owner of this Irwin 21 Mini-ton sailboat with the Chinese characters painted on. He said the following:

"It is Chinese and it means "Little Tyrant." As used currently in China, it has a strong implication of someone who thinks too much of themselves. The name is pronounced "Tu hau.""

Given the context of boat naming, the name probably means this boat thinks it's equal to one of the bigger boats... it's a little boat that thinks it's a big boat.
Some of you hinted at this meaning.

Soooo... what am I going to do? Nothing at the moment. Perhaps when I pull the boat out and have it at home, I might do something then.

Thanks for all the input on how... and on what the Chinese characters mean.

Cheers!!

 

[TednRelinda]

View attachment 138428
My boat is an Irwin Mini-ton... 21 footer.
The previous owner stenciled/painted the asian characters onto the hull as seen in the picture. He told me what it meant/said... but it was such a stupid name (to me at least) that I did not store the meaning in my long term memory.
The paint he used for the name is very good paint. It's really stuck on there. I want to get it off somehow... but don't know how other than sanding it off. Oh how I wished he'd used vinyl lettering.
The only thing I've thought of is to sand the characters off and then repaint the area... maybe a wide yellow angled stripe from the shear line to the water line.
Or get a large vinyl decal to cover the sanded area.
Ideas/ Suggestions welcome.

It seems unlikely that you’ll get the name off without damaging the paint underneath.

I think I’d find out what the translation is, interpret it in a way that I liked and try to embrace it.

9

Oh.. one person said to come up with my own name of the boat and then tell others that's what the characters mean. That's a decent idea...until I meet someone who can translate it.

 

[MarkofSeaLife]

Little Tyrant and "Local Strongman" are not too far different.

I wouldnt change the graphics... I would change their meaning. The next person who asks just tell them is means "Hot & Sexy" or whatever

 

[zzmeyer]

Be very careful in renaming the boat. If you are not very careful you will be cursed, which is not good at sea. If you paint over the name, I'm afraid the gods will still see it. One of the important steps in renaming a boat is to remove every trace of the prior name. One problem I see with the current name is how to register it with a marina or governmental agency. My keyboard doesn't have those characters.

 

[Minnewaska]

Unless Mandarin characters are also written out in the Latin/Roman alphabet, most marinas would have no idea it was you, after calling in.

 

[hnash53]

Unless Mandarin characters are also written out in the Latin/Roman alphabet, most marinas would have no idea it was you, after calling in.

Good point...thanks!

 

[Quickstep192]

Is the previous owner able to tell how long the name has been on there? That could be a big factor on how easily it can be removed and how much the name may have protected the paint under it from fading.

I'm still sticking with my original thought that you interpret the name in a way you can embrace. Now that we know more about the translation, I'd go with "means small boat with the soul of a big boat"

-or-

Given The complexities of Chinese text, perhaps you could make subtle changes to the letters and make it say something completely different.

 

[MarkofSeaLife]

I dunno.... "Little Tyrant" kinda has a ring to it. You can almost hear it on the VHF: "This is Little Tyrant, GET OUTTA MY WAY"!

Purrrrfect

 

[Quickstep192]

For what it’s worth, I don’t think it looks bad at all; it certainly blends in with the color scheme. And, I love the green hull.