Decorative bands on hull.

[Sybarite]

The boat's out of the water for a facelift. The "Feeling" bands have been on the boat for about 25 years and are rather the worse for wear.

Is there any easy way to remove them or can one paint on top of them (probably not...)?

 

[30boat]

If they're vinyl, gentle and I mean gentle, heat from a heat gun wil allow you to peel or scrape them off.I don't know how paint sticks to vinyl but probably not very well.If they're painted on you'll have to abrade them(not easy without scratching the white gelcoat) before repainting.

 

[Noahsdad]

+1 for heat gun.
Got mine off quite easily and they had been baked on by 28 years of Portuguese sun.
Just a gentle waft mind!

 

[Rigger Mortice]

They are vinyl. As 30boat says warm air, a very sharp wide chisel, and a lot of patience. When they come off you will then have to decide what to do about the witness mark. Oxalic acid will help clean up the surrounding gel coat. A lot of polishing will also help, but it is quite likely that the mark will still be visible for sometime. Whatever mark remains it will still be an improvement; the Feeling logo and lines are hideous.

 

[Sybarite]

Thanks everybody.

 

[lw395]

Suggest SWMBO's hair dryer, harder to damage the gel than with paint removing heat gun.

 

[Seashoreman]

Suggest SWMBO's hair dryer, harder to damage the gel than with paint removing heat gun.

I agree, a hairdryer is plenty of heat to remove vinyl stickers. Then maybe 'Sticky Stuff Remover' followed by an abrasive polish.

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

+1 for gentle use of heatgun or hairdryer.
He seem's to intend to paint the topsides, so witness marks will be covered, and the whole topsides will have to be abraded anyway.

 

[30boat]

Modern heat guns have electronic temperature control.They can go from lukewarm to 600ºC.A hairdrier is safe but a little too cool.

 

[RichardPerou]

Witness mark?

 

[greggron]

heat gun and acetone for the sticky residue worked for me on a '78 Sadler.

 

[jerram]

Have look on KTL site Dylan has a ytube vid on removing his vinyl from Harmony http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/category/centaur-category/

 

[Rigger Mortice]

Witness mark?

When vinyl strips are put onto new gelcoat and left in place for several years, the gelcoat under them is protected. If the vinyl is then removed it is possible to see where it was as the "fresh" gelcoat stands out against the worn and faded gelcoat the surround it. It isn't necessarily highly visible and can usually only be seen when you view the gelcoat at a low angle......but it is witness to the fact that the vinyl was once there.

Anything that leaves a mark that shouldn't really be there can be said to leave a "witness mark". I suppose you could apply the description to a finger print