Things I have learned today

Socks

Member
Jan 7, 2019
45
Boat Info
1983 Sea Ray 270 Sundancer.
Engines
Twin 5.0L (305 ci) Mercruisers
As the task of buffing and polishing my boat is winding down, I have learn I don't like the job!! I have now moved on to stripping. In just my 2nd day of stripping I have learned 3 things:

1. Stripping isn't as easy as it looks.
2. it's hard to make a straight line go in a curved direction.
3. I suck at stripping

I have added a picture of the progress so far. I would say it's not too bad given the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing. However, I am the only one that has to be satisfied with the out come. There are a few flaws if you look close enough. I'll just shoot anyone that tries to get that close :)

My wife told me if I don't clean up my mess, she's going to hire someone to do it! I ask her, if she's going to hire someone, why didn't she just hire someone to strip the boat and save us both a lot of work. What she told me I could do with the boat -- is physically impossible :)

I did put the name of the boat on the transom --- I think it's quite appropriate.
stripping1.jpg
Heart Attack (2).jpg
 
Need a bright sunny day so we can see that shine and send you accolades!!! Can’t tell anything about the stripe bit as we would say in the car world it is a good twenty footer so far!
 
tiara in the snow 01.JPG
As the task of buffing and polishing my boat is winding down, I have learn I don't like the job!! I have now moved on to stripping. In just my 2nd day of stripping I have learned 3 things:

1. Stripping isn't as easy as it looks.
2. it's hard to make a straight line go in a curved direction.
3. I suck at stripping

I have added a picture of the progress so far. I would say it's not too bad given the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing. However, I am the only one that has to be satisfied with the out come. There are a few flaws if you look close enough. I'll just shoot anyone that tries to get that close :)

My wife told me if I don't clean up my mess, she's going to hire someone to do it! I ask her, if she's going to hire someone, why didn't she just hire someone to strip the boat and save us both a lot of work. What she told me I could do with the boat -- is physically impossible :)

I did put the name of the boat on the transom --- I think it's quite appropriate.View attachment 66255 View attachment 66256
Some of the secrets to putting stripes on a boat are to:have two people who have done a boat before; cut the stripe to a length greater than what you need; use lots of Windex so you can get things right and make adjustments; pull the backing tape off as you go; use a sharp razor blade to make your cuts; make the cuts on a wooden tongue depresser and not one the gel coat; and let the boat sit in the sun for 8-12 hours to cure. Also, never stretch the tape when doing the install. If you stretch it, it will fail prematurely.
 
Dancer, that is all very good advise. Except for the part about having 2 experienced people, I did pretty much as you outlined. On the longer spans, I used masking tape to hold the stripping in line so i could work with it. This is my 1st stripping job on a boat, but I've worked with decals and pin stripping. I didn't say I was good at it, but I understand the process :)

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
I have now moved on to stripping. In just my 2nd day of stripping I have learned 3 things:

1. Stripping isn't as easy as it looks.
2. it's hard to make a straight line go in a curved direction
3. I suck at stripping

I have added a picture of the progress so far. I would say it's not too bad given the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing. However, I am the only one that has to be satisfied with the out come. There are a few flaws if you look close enough. I'll just shoot anyone that tries to get that close :)

My wife told me if I don't clean up my mess, she's going to hire someone to do it! I ask her, if she's going to hire someone, why didn't she just hire someone to strip the boat and save us both a lot of work. What she told me I could do with the boat -- is physically impossible :)
View attachment 66255 View attachment 66256
I can't help but smile. I know you are talking about striping, but it's really funny if you read it as stripping.
 
tiara in the snow 01.JPG
Dancer, that is all very good advise. Except for the part about having 2 experienced people, I did pretty much as you outlined. On the longer spans, I used masking tape to hold the stripping in line so i could work with it. This is my 1st stripping job on a boat, but I've worked with decals and pin stripping. I didn't say I was good at it, but I understand the process :)

Thanks for the suggestions.
Having two people and a slippery surface makes getting the position a lot easier. Your adjustments can be made on one end or the other by a person pulling tape up or down to achieve the correct position in increments of several feet at a time without having to place the tape and then back up with it in position to see if it's in the right spot. Making small adjustments can result in a ragged look. Two experienced people working together minimizes that problem. The work is not all that difficult once you get the hang of it.
 
yobub, I didn't notice that until now :) ==== But i will say, at my age, even stripping isn't as easy as it looks :) --- I was going to correct it, but can't find "Edit" --- Plus it would make your comment not make sense ---- so I'll just leave it. :)
 
View attachment 66258
Some of the secrets to putting stripes on a boat are to:have two people who have done a boat before; cut the stripe to a length greater than what you need; use lots of Windex so you can get things right and make adjustments; pull the backing tape off as you go; use a sharp razor blade to make your cuts; make the cuts on a wooden tongue depresser and not one the gel coat; and let the boat sit in the sun for 8-12 hours to cure. Also, never stretch the tape when doing the install. If you stretch it, it will fail prematurely.

The first secret is the only important one, and one which I will modify, slightly;

have two people who have done a boat before, and pay them to do it.
 
yobub, I didn't notice that until now :) ==== But i will say, at my age, even stripping isn't as easy as it looks :) --- I was going to correct it, but can't find "Edit" --- Plus it would make your comment not make sense ---- so I'll just leave it. :)

Yep, "stripping"is not as easy as it once was, but when you get there it's as good as it ever was...

MM
 
tiara in the snow 01.JPG
I think some SRs may have at one time been built at a factory in Indiana where women did a lot of the stripe installations. The dealer who sold me my first SR (1979 Express) told me he watched the build process at that plant. Apparently, two experienced workers could install the water line stripes in about two minutes.
 
I know what you mean about the striping I did my 77 Sundancer 240 srv a month ago and it was a bit challenging in some of the spots. The waterline stripes were easy as I had the lines from the old ones to follow and they still ended up a little wavy. I did my own design on the top and side ones and it turned out ok except I ran out of the red tape 5 feet short of finishing and had to order more. I noticed when doing some taping for a new cover yesterday that a stripe of 1/8" red had come loose so I will fix that in a couple days. I think you did a great job for a first timer.
 
I learned that stripping and running around the block naked is not tolerated much in my neighborhood.
 
As the task of buffing and polishing my boat is winding down, I have learn I don't like the job!! I have now moved on to stripping. In just my 2nd day of stripping I have learned 3 things:

1. Stripping isn't as easy as it looks.
2. it's hard to make a straight line go in a curved direction.
3. I suck at stripping

I have added a picture of the progress so far. I would say it's not too bad given the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing. However, I am the only one that has to be satisfied with the out come. There are a few flaws if you look close enough. I'll just shoot anyone that tries to get that close :)

My wife told me if I don't clean up my mess, she's going to hire someone to do it! I ask her, if she's going to hire someone, why didn't she just hire someone to strip the boat and save us both a lot of work. What she told me I could do with the boat -- is physically impossible :)

I did put the name of the boat on the transom --- I think it's quite appropriate.View attachment 66255 View attachment 66256
 

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