Remove very old vinyl boat numbers

I have a local sign company that makes numbers/stick on vinyl names.....he had some chemical in a spray bottle that made short work of the glue left on the boat after the vinyl came off.

I had taken a name off the boat previously and it was an effort to get it off...
 
I use MEK or acetone.

Heating area with a heat gun before the solvent can help too (although this can make the solvent evaporate more quickly).
 
I prefer not to use MEK or Acetone on the gel coat. Both of those will soften the gel coat. Goo Gone works well, but so does WD 40. Goof off is a little harsher.
 
A hair dryer and plastic scraper with WD40 should be all you need to remove boat numbers. To remove larger decals I use an eraser wheel sold by Amazon $10. It is attached to a variable speed cordless drill. I remove the left over adhesive with WD40 or Goo Off.
 
Salmon Fisher":2jcqckvm said:
The problem I am having is that the ghosted lettering from the old registration is "raised up." It is like the gelcoat underneath the old lettering hasn't "weathered." The gelcoat around where the old lettering was is slightly lower and the old lettering area is proud of the surrounding gelcoat.
I have read to use 600 grit sanding the old lettering down to the existing gelcoat level. Is this advisable?
Thanks everyone.
Click to expand...

The "ghost" letters will gradually fade. A good aggressive compounding and waxing of the boat will help it blend in. I am not a big fan of wet sanding, when you can get buy with a less aggressive compound. I have had that same issue on boats where I have changed the name. After a few months (maybe years in some cases) the old ghost will be gone.
 
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