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Gel Coat vs. Green Scrubber: FML


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So I removed some stickers above the rub rail (annoying) and they were cheapy stickers which left alot of residue. I soaked them with goo be gone and then scrubbed them off with minimal effort. Fast forward to the next day after the glass cleaner had dried and my heart sinks when I see the massive mistake I have made... Any idea if polishing will fix this or do I need to go full bore wetsanding?

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I've fixed that level of swirls in the past with compounding and polishing. In general start with the least cut (liquid plus pad) you have on test spots, and increase it until you get good results.  Then go to town.  Gelcoat specific marine polishes more often than not start out as a compound and then break down as you work the material into finer polishes so it's pretty close to a one step polish.  A wool pad is pretty popular to use.

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Let them sit in the sun for a while, get some goo gone and start peeling.  I've used 3M non scratching pads to get some stuff off mine and they didn't leave a scratch.  

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Well you should start peeling them first.  If they are warm they should come off, then use the goo gone to take care of the glue.  Are you taking stickers off or an emblem?

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I just removed some stickers off a friends boat.  I used a hair dryer but it was slow going.  I borrowed a heat gun and it made the process a lot easier.  I used goo gone to get the remaining glue off.  As for the scratches I have a dual action polisher and used a heavy cutting compound and as @ibelonginprison mentioned the gel-coat was too tough for my DA to get rid of the scratches caused by the 1500 grit sand paper I used to clean a few areas.  Next time I might try working the area from 1500 to 2000 and finish with 3000.  I am thinking at that point the DA polisher should manage to work the rest out.

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31 minutes ago, WhiteWaterWeb said:

So question for everyone then - if I did want to remove stickers what is the best recommended way to do this?

Thanks in advance!

3M adhesive remover after you peel them off.  Works with a paper towel and no scrubbing

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50 minutes ago, WhiteWaterWeb said:

So question for everyone then - if I did want to remove stickers what is the best recommended way to do this?

Thanks in advance!

A plastic scraper you can find at Walmart for dishes works great, otherwise a credit card to get them started...light head gun action helps too.  As others have, finish up with goo gone or any other adhesive remover.  A little polish afterwards helps too.

20 minutes ago, riot138 said:

I just removed some stickers off a friends boat.  I used a hair dryer but it was slow going.  I borrowed a heat gun and it made the process a lot easier.  I used goo gone to get the remaining glue off.  As for the scratches I have a dual action polisher and used a heavy cutting compound and as @ibelonginprison mentioned the gel-coat was too tough for my DA to get rid of the scratches caused by the 1500 grit sand paper I used to clean a few areas.  Next time I might try working the area from 1500 to 2000 and finish with 3000.  I am thinking at that point the DA polisher should manage to work the rest out.

What type of pad were you using?  A wool pad prior to using foam helps when in the "cutting" realm of the process.

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21 minutes ago, formulaben said:

A plastic scraper you can find at Walmart for dishes works great, otherwise a credit card to get them started...light head gun action helps too.  As others have, finish up with goo gone or any other adhesive remover.  A little polish afterwards helps too.

What type of pad were you using?  A wool pad prior to using foam helps when in the "cutting" realm of the process.

I was using an orange pad Hex-Logic Medium-Heavy Cutting pad.  Thanks for the tip I will have to buy a wool pad.

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Wool pad, heavy compound, then foam pad with a lighter polish - and that should come right out.
(and be shinier than the rest of the boat, so you might as well plan a full detail!) :D

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