Community Forums

toadog · 03-30-2012, 04:57 PM

I think you were lucky, I have tried the razor blade on mine and some would come off . If I was not careful I could scratch the gel coat. I wonder if a little heat would help.

Retiredblade · 03-31-2012, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toadog

I think you were lucky, I have tried the razor blade on mine and some would come off . If I was not careful I could scratch the gel coat. I wonder if a little heat would help.

Doing it the way I do, you have to have heat, the hot June-July sun beating down is the only heat that I have needed. Your right, you have to be careful with the razor, has to be held at the right angle and flat.

toadog · 03-31-2012, 08:50 PM

Sold me I will try it this summer on a hot day, if my DW will let me out of some home projects.

kerrbe · 05-20-2012, 07:21 PM

Well it took a while but the graphics are 90% removed. I am having someone else come out tommorow and buff it out. I still need to remove the strip along the top, but it will have to wait until we are at the point of putting on new graphics. Pics below also show new doors, still have one more to go on the passenger side. It should be ready this week.

There is a before picture also. You can kind of tell the old graphics were cracked. Also that black stripe the ran around above the doors, well we finally figured out what was going on with it. We had never seen another NRV with that stripe, when we started taking it off there were cracks under it on every door. So we think someone put that stuff on to cover them so no one would see them. The only reason we every started doing this remodel is we were in a hail storm last year and about every 5 inches where the hail hit there was a hole in the black stripping so we decided to remove it.

toadog · 05-20-2012, 10:38 PM

Looking good, Now I have to hold off for a few mouths for some home projects.

clyon51 · 05-21-2012, 04:56 AM

Thanks for the update kerrbe. Here's an update on the power washer idea someone talked about earlier.

When we got home I hooked my 2500 psi PW up to hot water and went after the "Dolphin" on the front engine hatch. After 30min and running out of hot water, I got most of the "Dol" off. Some parts wouldn't come off and of course all adhesive remained. I would have to say this myth is busted.

My '99 spent it's entire life in Fl baking. Perhaps with a higher pressure washer on a newer rig may work better, just isn't going to work on mine.

Re-doing our interior right now. When that's finished and it warms up a bit here, I'll start on the exterior.

Ragman · 05-24-2012, 07:14 AM

We are planning to have our Tradewinds painted this next winter in the lower Rio Grande Valley (Texas) Next winter. Our friend had his Islander painted last year and turned out beautiful. Talking to the painter. He warned me not to use Vinyl – Off or any product like that for it will cause Fisheye when he paints it. Has anyone had a problem like this?

mbkufahl · 08-10-2012, 09:23 PM

Where did you find the Vinyl Off?

clyon51 · 08-11-2012, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbkufahl

Where did you find the Vinyl Off?

Here's their website. A lot of hype about the product and I have my doubts how effective it is on 13 yo baked on graphics, but sure sounds good. Anyway, click on Distributors to find one near you. Or you can buy it right there online.

http://crystaltek.us.com/crystaltek-vinyl-off.htm

kerrbe · 08-11-2012, 10:29 PM

Vinyl off help take mine off and my MH is 14 years old. I still used the heat gun and razor blade, but it took all the adhesive off. I had tried lots of different products and it was the only one that worked. I could have just used the vinly off but I was trying to save money.

Retiredblade · 08-12-2012, 04:42 AM

Well, I am done! I finished restripping my Islander. all except the very top 1" strip up near the roof rain gutter, that one is not bad but I will replace it.
I used a gallon of Acetone, putting it in a windex spray bottle and I use a lot of single edged razor blades. The graphics on the rear, I took off a few years ago, I hated it, it looked like a drunken sailor took a paint brush and made back and forth passes with it during a storm at sea, what was the designer thinking when they put it on? I replaced it with a design of my own. The water is three shades of blue with two green water plants growing in it with a pink flamingo standing on one leg with the sun setting and reflections from the sun on the water. Turned out very well, will have to post pics

kerrbe · 08-12-2012, 08:13 AM

Yes please post pictures, where did you get the grahics from?

Retiredblade · 08-13-2012, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerrbe

Yes please post pictures, where did you get the grahics from?

I tried and tried, I can't seem to do it, perhaps you can help, I keep getting a error says it is to big 2.24 needs to be under 2.0

Retiredblade · 08-13-2012, 06:30 AM

Hope this works! I ordered three rolls of 15" X 10 yds of vinyl from on line, then after doing the sides I need additional colors but had to order from another company's website because I couldn't order less than 15" x 10 Yds. So I order 5 colors and I wish I had used the second company's product because I believe their vinyl was superior to the first company's vinyl.