Removing Getaway Decals

Hi,

I recently bought a 2002 Hobie Getaway. The boat was in great shape, but the decals are faded and cracked and I want to remove them. Also there are rust stains from the hardware.

I discovered Magica Rust Remover on these forums for the rust and I'm going to try that.

Any advice on removing the decals on the polyethylene hulls? Also, whitening/ cleaning the polyethylene hulls to like new?

Thanks in advance.

Nick
Waquoit Bay, Mashpee, MA

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Nick
Waquoit Bay, Mashpee, MA
'02 Getaway
'12 Bennington Pontoon
Two Hulls are Better than One

My neighbor is a graphics guy who does things like bus and truck wraps. He helped me peel the graphics on my Getaway. We used what looks like an straight razor blade but it is made out of plastic. It won't gouge the plastic hulls like a steel razor blade would do. They are available at hardware stores. Just slide the blade under a corner of the vinyl and peel away. Then we used alchohol on a clean rag to remove the mastic that is left over from the graphic.

I've used a bleach solution on my hulls very successfully over the years for removing mold/mildew/stains. In a 5 gallon bucket I pour about a pint or so of bleach and add a couple of gallons of water. Then use a sponge to wash the boat with the solution rinsing with lots of water. My almost 10-year old boat always looks like new after a wash.

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JT Cole
Clermont, FL
'03 Getaway
'05 Wave

Great. Thanks for the help JT. I'll give this a try.

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Nick
Waquoit Bay, Mashpee, MA
'02 Getaway
'12 Bennington Pontoon
Two Hulls are Better than One

The technique noted above worked great for the Hobie decals...but not so much for the old registration numbers.

I used a drill with an "eraser wheel" on my Hobie 16, like this one:
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/3m-adhesive-eraser-wheel-3612/10070229-P

It's made out of the same stuff as the old gummy school erasers. Worked quick, and got all the adhesive too.

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1989 H16
2009 H16 squaretop

Use a pressure washer, it does a at job at removing almost everything, if you don't have one go to a car wash. Slimy grimy or tire white remove stains.

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Buxton
18' T16 Silent Lightning (16' T2 Hybrid)
11' H16 White Lightning
79' H16 Green Lightning