Removing old boat stickers

  • bigdog10
    Waterloo, Iowa
    Posts: 351
    December 18, 2003 at 3:49 am #1232399

    Bought a used fiberglass boat. It came with plenty of used stickers and numbers. The annual registration and original identification type of stuff. They all need to come off. Anyone have a good way of getting these off the boat without causing damage to the fiberglass? Short of peeling them off one thousandth of an inch at a time time with my fingernails I am lost.

    Thanks for your help.

    bam_bam
    Badger, MN- not too far from the big pond!
    Posts: 88
    December 18, 2003 at 3:56 am #285501

    you can try a few methods: get a hair dryer outta the wife’s stash, and heat them up, and using a blade from a utility knife you should be able to scrape them off,
    or you can get some goo gone and soak them…or if you want to spend the money 3-m makes a product designed to remove decals from automotive paint…but its about 30-40 bucks for a half gallon can

    derek_johnston
    On the water- Minnesota
    Posts: 5022
    December 18, 2003 at 3:57 am #285502

    Quote:

    Anyone have a good way of getting these off the boat without causing damage to the fiberglass? Short of peeling them off one thousandth of an inch at a time time with my fingernails I am lost.

    Been there done that

    A hairdryer and a product called goo-gone. Most walmarts have it.

    derek_johnston
    On the water- Minnesota
    Posts: 5022
    December 18, 2003 at 3:58 am #285503

    Guess me and Marcus posted at the same time.

    wade_kuehl
    Northwest Iowa
    Posts: 6167
    December 18, 2003 at 3:58 am #285504

    Ditto on the Goo Gone.

    bigweav
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    Posts: 182
    December 18, 2003 at 6:44 pm #285565

    Always used a hair dryer and single edge razor blade.

    jon_jordan
    St. Paul, Mn
    Posts: 10908
    December 18, 2003 at 6:52 pm #285566

    The hair dryer trick should work. Be carefull with the Goo Gone or any other chemical on the fiberglass. Test an area of the hull that is hard to see and make sure the stuff does not discolor/fade or wash out the color or cloud the clear coat.

    Jon J.

    Dave Koonce
    Moderator
    Prairie du Chien Wi.
    Posts: 6946
    December 18, 2003 at 8:45 pm #285577

    I’ve used Goo Gone on my fiberglass boat and it worked great,,,

    But !!

    Like Jon said , always be carefull and try it in an inconspicuous spot !!

    jon_jordan
    St. Paul, Mn
    Posts: 10908
    December 18, 2003 at 9:38 pm #285588

    And speaking of stickers…. Time to check your boat registration sticker and get a new one if it expiring at the end of the year. Just picked mine up today at the DNR.

    Man, these things are big and ugly. (Blaze Orange will look terrific on my boat…) Hope they stick better than the old style!
    J.

    bigdog10
    Waterloo, Iowa
    Posts: 351
    December 19, 2003 at 2:46 am #285675

    Thanks to all those that replied. I know about the goo gone but did not know what it would do to fiberglass. None of you sounded over confident that it would not harm the finish on a fiberglass boat. That is why I threw the question out there. The hair dryer thing had been considered.

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    December 20, 2003 at 12:51 am #285869

    Give the ol WD-40 a try first…if it doesn’t take the sticker off…it will make your boat go faster AND it atracts fish…can’t go wrong

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