Removing painted registration numbers

[Ajax]

I was given an inflatable dinghy that was abandoned at a sailing club. The owner has passed away. I'll be getting some paperwork so that I can list the boat as abandoned and legally title it in my name.

The boat has registration numbers from another state painted on it using that black, Hypalon-compatible paint. I'm sure my reg. numbers will be different. Is there a way to get that stuff off without damaging the inflatable hull tubes?

If the black paint can't safely be removed, is there a white Hypalon-compatible paint? I could paint a white block over the old reg. numbers, and then paint new numbers in black on the white block.

Any other ideas I'm missing?

 

[Anomaly2]

Warning: this may not work on hypalon..... But EasyOff oven cleaner works well to remove painted numbers from OTHER surfaces.

I'd suggest trying EasyOff on somebody else's zodiac first...

 

[GCADDY]

Do the white block. You will always se he shadow of the old numbers if you try to remove them. The hypalon under the numbers has been protected from the UV light and will look different

 

[SloopJonB]

Warning: this may not work on hypalon..... But EasyOff oven cleaner works well to remove painted numbers from OTHER surfaces.

I'd suggest trying EasyOff on somebody else's zodiac first...

Only works on sign paint. If they are "regular" paint it won't touch them.

 

[Ajax]

Well I'll be, West Marine's website says it's water-based.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--inflatable-boat-lettering-numbering-stencil-kits--P010_301_001_502

Maybe this won't be so difficult after all.

 

[Not My Real Name]

I was given an inflatable dinghy that was abandoned at a sailing club. The owner has passed away. I'll be getting some paperwork so that I can list the boat as abandoned and legally title it in my name.

The boat has registration numbers from another state painted on it using that black, Hypalon-compatible paint. I'm sure my reg. numbers will be different. Is there a way to get that stuff off without damaging the inflatable hull tubes?

If the black paint can't safely be removed, is there a white Hypalon-compatible paint? I could paint a white block over the old reg. numbers, and then paint new numbers in black on the white block.

Any other ideas I'm missing?

In my experience with most dinghy paints for marking numbers...just use it for a few months. The paint will rub right off in no time.

 

[Mrleft8]

Leave it registered to the dead guy. That;ll give it a certain "Don't fuck with me, I've already killed once" attitude, and no one will steal it, or crowd it at dock.....

 

[Marcjsmith]

What about using an abrasive scotch Britt type pad on a drill and rub it off...

 

[RedRyder]

Warning: this may not work on hypalon..... But EasyOff oven cleaner works well to remove painted numbers from OTHER surfaces.

I'd suggest trying EasyOff on somebody else's zodiac first...

Only works on sign paint. If they are "regular" paint it won't touch them.

Depends on what you mean by "regular" paint - EasyOff removed the painted name/hailing port from my gel coat quite nicely last summer. Only remnants were that there was less UV wear of the gel coat under the painted areas! Need to get one of those Makita digital buffers and some good compound before we launch this year.

 

[Kirwan]

My rubber dink had glued on numbers, and even with the stickers gone, the ghost of the numbers remained. It took a while with glue solvent and elbow grease to clean it off.

Now I have the problem of trying to register a craig's list buy without title or bill of sale. (bought the OB that way too).

For the OP, another possible solution is to glue a blank piece of rubber over the old numbers. It's not the material, but the glue that gets spendy.

 

[irazu]

This is sort of related. What does everyone do for the coast guard numbers on a documented boat. It's supposed to be some permanent marking/indication on the boat. It makes sense for a big commercial boat, but not so much for a smaller sailboat, 35 ft in my case. The previous owner had some numbers in a bilge area varnished over or something. They're peeling off at this point. Not sure what the right thing to do is. Maybe it doesn't matter since I'm not a vessel for hire and will not likely get inspected ?

 

[IStream]

I wouldn't count on that. Here's the reg:

"The official number assigned to documented vessels, preceded by the abbreviation "NO." must be marked in block-type Arabic numerals at least three inches high on some clearly visible interior structural part of the hull. The number must be permanently affixed so that alteration, removal, or replacement would be obvious and cause some scarring or damage to the surrounding hull area."

 

[Shenanigan77]

My doc. numbers are routed into a wooden plate that's epoxied to the hull.

 

[py26129]

Mine are on the panel separating the two halves of the anchor locker

 

[Ajax]

Mine are on a thin, plastic panel in the cockpit locker in large type.

 

[RedRyder]

My doc. numbers are routed into a wooden plate that's epoxied to the hull.

Ditto. Mine are even fancy with black paint in the routed numbers.

 

[py26129]

You got the deluxe package ;-)