How to put new strips on your boat

[johnjm1234]

I would like information on the correct procedure on putting on new strips on my boat. I have removed the old strips with the 3M wheel. It work fine but there seems to be a little surface left on the boat,:huh: is this some glue from the tape. If so what do I use to remove it. Next, I know you should wash and remove the oxidation from the boat. But how do you do that and what products do you use to do that:huh:, I have a power buffer so what can I use with it. Then do you wax before you put on the strips or after. I a new used boat owner that needs help:smt100 thank you for the help:thumbsup:.

 

[Great Escape]

I just had the stripes removed by a detailer, who then wet sanded, buffed, polished and waxed the entire boat, I might add for a pretty price. After all was said and done there is still a very faint appearance of where the old stripes were located. I undertook the restriping and realized that I was fortunate the old markings were somewhat visible. Howver before restriping I used rubbing alcohol to remove the wax and dust where the new stripes were going to be. I have just finished restriping part of the boat and it looks great. The striping I used was ordered from 3M by one of the local decal/sign companies it is obviously water, gas and oil resistant. I decided to go with black (more of a contrast) as compared with the original silver. By the way, it helps to have a grease pen to mark the areas (mark about every 1' to 1.5')where you are going to place the new striping, keep the new striping pulled tight as you put it on and you will negate and wavy action of the material.
Good luck.

 

[wvsundancer]

you need to get some googone to clean the surface of all remaining glue. you will need to use some type of liquid to apply you new strips check NAPA they have it. I would think the surface under where your old stripes is in good shape and the gel coat should be good. are your new strips the same as you old ones ? if so your gel coat should guide you as to where to apply your new ones. If this is your first time putting strips on take your time and keep pleantly of liquid on your strips during application. work your air bubbles out to the side as you go. let your strips set up for a couple of days before apply any wax. if it were me I would keep the buffer away from the stripes for a month or so.

 

[Great Escape]

I agree with WVSUNDANCER on getting rid of the of adhesive, however I would definitely check out the prepasted stripes should make it alot easier.

 

[Skuza]

The "residue" is probably un-weathered gelcoat that looks like a ridge. In actuality the surrounding area is worn down making it look like there is glue left.
Honestly I would polish the area and leave them off. I know re-installing the waterline stripes is fun as it's a b$#% to get them on straight. Now I can't imagine having to stretch them around the curves of the upper deck AND get them straight.
Our neighbor removed his and eventually liked the way it looked and left them off. I was glad because he wanted me to help put on the new ones!

 

[sbw1]

wvsundancer has the basic approach. I would use acetone to clean up the adhesive because it's faster and leaves a clean, well prepared gel coat to work with. When I owned Sea Rays I put lots of water line stripes on because they were always getting dinged. The faded area does make a good guide for the new stripe. Cut your tape a little on the long side and have a helper. When you are set to go, spray the hull with Windex with no amonia in it. Then peel the back off the tape and work your way from stern to bow. Make sure you keep lots of Windex down before you place the tape. Once you have it in place, go back and move it to the top of the fade line so you are lined up properly. Trim the ends with a fresh razor blade but do not start on the gel coat. Start just barely inside the tape and quit before get to the gel coat. Gently lift the tape and trim the outside edges away from the gel coat. If you do not do this you will end up with a razor cut in the gel that is visible. Use a steel rule to ensure a crisp cut at both ends. Once you are in place and trim, use a credit card to smooth out all bubbles. Use a razor corner to prick any bubbles that will not go away with the credit card. Let your boat sit in a location where it will get several hours of full sun on both sides of the hull. After a day or two you will need a heat gun to remove the stripes. Make sure that you do not stretch the tape at anytime during the application. It will fail where it was stretched. That's about it. A real easy job with some practice.

 

[Dasch Boat]

I learned this the hard way, a lot of striping especially metalic colors have a clear protective layer on the surface. After you have set the tape stripe you need to remove the clear portion by starting at one of the corner edges and peeling it off. I missed this and after a season or two the stripes all had cracks on the surface as the clear layer has zero tolerance to UV rays. I had to remove it all and start from scratch.

 

[sappington]

I did the job on a 200 overnighter. removed the old stripes with a heat gun then goof off for the remaining glue.I used a pencil and marked the old stripes before i removed them,when applying dont pull to tight or youll stretch the tape,but do try to do 3 or 4 feet at a time to keep it straight

 

[PMC]

Removing stripes: +1 on using a heat-gun. I got into a great rhythm of heating and pulling in one continuous line. Apply heat to roughly 1 foot ahead and pull away. Adjust the heat time to where you can peel the stripe, leaving no glue behind. It goes very quick...

Cleanup (old glue): I found acetone works best, and leaves the gelcoat in great shape.

Stripe ghosting: Between many years of sun and exposure to the elements, this is going to happen. My fix was to find a stripe slightly oversized. My original was 1 7/8" - I used 2" Make sure to cover both edges, and never have to worry again.

Application: I'm sure there are many techniques, but I'll only apply with soapy water and a squeegee. You can layout and position nice and even without having a gust of wind ruin your day... Make sure to remove all water to the top and bottom edges. If after the stripe dries, and you still have a bubble (air), the heat gun can help.

 

[JVM225]

I removed my boot stripes this year and replaced them. The last time I did it was three years ago. I changed to different colors this time.
The boat was still up on blocks with the port side facing east. I got there at about 9:00 AM, and the sun had warmed the stripe on that side enough to make removal easy. There was just a trace of adhesive in certain spots when I was done. I used an adhesive remover to clean off these traces. I used to use a 3M product, but it's no longer available around here so the guy in the hardware store sold me a $10 bottle of Sentinel 747 Adhesive remover. It worked great!
I started to do the starboard side with a heat gun, but found the gun was seperating the vinyl from the adhesive, leaving behind a mess. I found other chores to do for the day, and revisited it in mid afternoon after the sun had a few hours to hit that side of the boat. The old tape came off now as easy as it had on the other side.
I used Meguiar's Oxidation remover and polish (seperate days) on the hull after the tape was off so the new stuff would have a nice clean flat surface to stick to.
Do not apply wax until after the new tape is installed.
Wipe down the area where the new tape is to be installed with alcohol to remove anything that might be left on the surface.
Spray the area where the new tape is to be installed with a soapy water solution.
Apply tape from the rear of the boat, and work your way forward. Use an assistant to follow you along with a squeegee laying the tape flat. The soapy water will make it easier to work with the new tape and move it around a bit.
Remove the transparent protective film, if any, from the tape.

 

[sbw1]

After doing stripes for years and now with never having to do them (Tiara gel coats the boot stripe), I think I would Imron the stripe if I had a SR knowing what I do now. Redoing stripes adds a good two days to getting a boat prepped for launch. It also comes after you are tired from polishing and waxing. I'd paint the sucker on and be done with it. I rubbbed out and waxed my boat Saturday and it was launched Monday. It's making Aquafresh ice in the icemaker now and tomorrow it will be ready to go with new freshwater in the potable water system. Turned the satelite radio system on today also. If I had been dinking around with stripes, as I did almost every year prior to 2004, I'd probably still be on the hard at the boat yard.

 

[johnjm1234]

thank you for all the help johnjm1234

 

[fatcatone549]

Hi I Just removed old strips,picked up new ones from dealer. After applying them is that it or does the clear film have to be removed? how long do I wait to remove clear film thanks Dave

 

[Molson]

I remove the clear film right away, then go back over it with my hands. If you leave the clear film too long it will stick and be almost impossible to remove.

 

[alwhite00]

I re-striped mine last year and it turned out great, Not that big a deal to get them straight, Just take your time. I put mine on before the wax.

LK