Removing old vinyl. Letters

[tbodine88]

When I found my new boat she was parked in the yard facing west so the Portside had a lot of sun and the starboard side not so much

I am trying to remove the old lettering since I put the boat in a new state and I need to put on new boat numbers.
I got some Goo Gone From Home Depot which doesn't seem to have any effect on the letters my daughter was able to get the Portside letters off just fine using a heat gun and a razor blade.

The starboard side letters are recalcitrant in a hard to remove I tried acetone I use the goo gone i have use the heat gun. The letters. Are gone but the adhesive remains. Hard use of the razor or any abrasive sponge damages the gell coat.

I am open to any suggestions for his how to get this done thanks

[Jammer]

Heat gun

[two-rocks]

3M adhesive eraser wheel.

Goes in a drill, a gem of an invention.

[GreenWave]

find some citrus based goo remover. Many name brands out there.

[capt jgw]

You may find that the gelcoat has receded around the letters leaving them standing proud maybe 1/64". Between that and any fading the old letters may still be visible even with the vinyl and glue gone. Wet sanding and polishing will fix that.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by two-rocks

3M adhesive eraser wheel.

Goes in a drill, a gem of an invention.

This. Followed by compounding and buffing.

Just removed all the pin stripe and the old Hunter logo's off my '07. Breeze with the eraser wheel.

[Sunsetrider]

Heat gun. Failing having a heat gun - hair dryer. Don't bother with the other goo, not needed except maybe to remove leftover adhesive.

[SRQsailor]

Might Try WD 40, plus heat gun on low

[pmclachlan]

Ask your local sign shop for some old adhesive remover.
It’s powerful stuff but won’t hurt your gelcoat. . Needs gloves but gets the job done ✅

[frankv1205]

Just did mine
Heat Gun and a plastic razor blade scrapper came right off

[pmclachlan]

Yes this stuff is only for really old baked on glue that won’t come off with a heat gun.

[Sailon1]

Second for the eraser wheel-I removed old vinyl lettering and graphics with this.
Amazon is a convenient source.

[sail sfbay]

Ditto heat gun. I have successfully used Rapid Remover Vinyl Letter Remover AND AlbaChem Vinyl Letter Removing (VLR) Solvent No. 1020 WITHOUT a heat gun.

https://www.amazon.com/Remover-Spray.../dp/B01MSFD50H

https://www.amazon.com/AlbaChem-Viny...0406036&sr=8-3

[adjo]

WD40 should do the job.
It removes masking tape that has been left too long very effectively.

[keepondancin]

3m makes a adhesive remover which may work. I used some 3M masking tape one time that I left on for 6 days. Paper came off but adhesive didn't. Adhesive remover didn't touch it. Called 3M for tech support, they said the only thing after that was sanding it off. Finally got it off a year later after the sun was on it for a year.