How do I remove lettering from rear transom

Ralph vaughn

Member
Nov 14, 2018
259
Atlanta Ga
Boat Info
2007 Sea Ray 290 radar & GPS, triple axle trailer. 2006 Sea Ray 280 radar & GPS & triple axle tlr
Engines
5.0 MPI closed cooling Sea Core engines & Bravo III outdrives
4.3 MPI with alpha outdrives
Just purchased my boat and it has faded blue lettering all across the transom. What is the best way to remove the old boat name and port of origin. Is this a project s newby can tackle?

TIA
 
Just done mine with a heat gun . Heat it a little and peel. I used a razor blade to get it started. Then goo b gone to get the sticky stuff off.
If that fails there is a eraser wheel you put on a drill that will take it off.
Trial and error will tell you which way to go. Don’t rush it just takes a little patience.
 
I'd start with one of the drill-mounted vinyl stripe eraser tools. A name applied when the boat was new will be pretty brittle and heat will be less effective. A razor has a high likelihood of gouging the surface.
 
I'll add - 1.) patience, 2.) a good drink, 3.) patience

I used the plastic razor blades to get mine off. Worked great, zero damage, one thousand individual pieces :)
 
Once you get it removed you might have to do some very light sanding of the gel coat. I had some ghosting when I removed the PO name from the boat...
 
IMG_4230.JPG
You will need to use a sanding block and sand paper to get rid of the old name. That will be quite pronounced with a blue hull once the old vinyl letters are removed using the techniques described above. Acetone on a clean shop rag is a a cheap way to remove the residual glue. Once the fade is gone, use a rotary buffer and wool bonnet with rubbing compounds and finish with a fine polishing material to bring back the mirror like shean. Apply a good wax to protect your work.
 
Seems like lots of reading into the OP’s initial question here?

1. We don’t know if it is vinyl lettering or painted on lettering, he just says it blue and faded.

2. Obviously there are very different removal procedures if it’s painted lettering vs. vinyl/decals.

3. OP never said he had a blue hull, he said he had faded blue lettering.
 
My advice, start with the simple things. I was doing the same after I bought my boat, preparing for the name change. I bought a heat gun, eraser wheel, plastic razors, everything. I ended up being able to just peel most of it off by hand, after starting a corner of it with the plastic razor. Mine was fairly well adhered vinyl, but once started, it came off pretty easily as long as I peeled it perpendicular to the hull and didn't tear the vinyl. I was able to then use the razor to scrape off the little bits that remained.

I did have some ghosting from the old letters, that came off well enough with a round of Buff Magic.
 
To remove transom lettering or boot stripe I have always used a heat gun and a sharp plastic scraper. Apply minimal heat, just enough to soften up a section of the lettering, get under an edge with the plastic scraper, and peel slowly. You can sometimes pull large sections of it off at a time if you do it just right. Compound or minimal sanding with 1000-2000 paper helps with the ghosting.
 
The 3M wheel... You will never fight the mess ever again
 
Even a blow dryer can be a big help. Some 800 grit and paper on a Da sander, and then rubbing compound on a rotary buffer. It's dirty, low tech work. I need to get a better 3M rubber eraser wheel, mine keeps spinning off of the mount.
 
mine keeps spinning off of the mount.
Only work the tool when going in one direction. In one direction the tool will constantly tighten itself, in the other it will loosen itself. I found that out the hard way a long time ago!
 

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