Exorcising Ghost Names
lets you select a color to match your mood, change it whenever you feel like it, or cycle through all the colors for your own light show. Backlighting is by cool-burning, energy-efficient LEDs, custom made for this application. The acrylic backing is engineered for maximum light diffusion to produce even illumination around the letters.
Yacht Graphx provides a template that, according to Berton, makes installing the letters easy: The template shows where to drill the holes and where to place the letters. It’s like a puzzle, he says—you just drop the pieces into place. They’re self-adhesive, so on a flat surface no fastenings are needed; curved surfaces require mechanical fastenings and standoffs. Yacht Graphx provides an installation package with everything you’ll need, including a surge-protected power supply and a remote control. Rasolo says any competent boatyard can install the system.
While some folks say it’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness, I think it’s better to light up your boat name and wait for company to arrive. Calypso, it seems to me, will look good in Mediterranean blue. When you change a boat’s name, the old one sometimes leaves behind a ghost that must be exorcised before the new name’s applied. Here’s how to do it; no mystic powers required.
Painted names can be removed from gelcoat with rubbing compound. Go easy, and try to restrict the compounding to the paint; no sense wearing away perfectly good gelcoat. If you like chemicals, use paint remover; any chandlery sells a gelcoat-safe brand. Either way, removing the name shouldn’t take much effort—it’s a thin layer of paint.
If the name is painted on Awlgrip, varnish, or marine enamel, you’re sniffing a different kettle of fish. Ask your yard manager for advice; you’re probably looking at recoating, so maybe you should just keep the old name.
Vinyl graphics usually peel right off with application of a little heat. A heat gun works best, but a hair dryer may do the trick. Apply the heat carefully so you don’t damage the surface; with luck an edge will lift and you can smoothly pull the old vinyl off. If not, start a corner with a knife or razor blade.
Once the old name is gone, you’ll see its ghost thanks to leftover adhesive and built-up wax; there’s no wax under the name, so what you’re really seeing is clean gelcoat. Use a decal remover to strip the adhesive; the folks at BoatUS recommend Sticker-Off. Put some on a paper towel, wet the surface, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrape it clean with a plastic squeegee. Clean and de-wax the hull before applying the new vinyl. Note: If the gelcoat around the removed lettering has faded from the sun, and compounding doesn’t help, you can either paint the boat or (my choice) buy a new one. You wanted a bigger boat anyway, didn’t you? And you can still use the new vinyl graphics.