Removing rail tape adhesive

[IslandRob]

Ok, so I successfully removed the rail tape on 2 boards.  The tape had begun to peel off in places and that wasn't so good for surfability.  The question is how best to remove the underlying super-sticky adhesive.

For one board, I did it with elbow grease, a partner, and an automotive bug/tar remover and it was a pain in the a#$ and took an hour an a half.  There has to be a better way.  I was thinking acetone/nail polish remover but I thought it would probably not be best for the underlying epoxy/clear coat.   Any suggestions?   

-R

[Evan Lloyd]

You can try Goo Gone.  It works pretty well.  

[Roundhouse]

I am amazed you could pull it off at all. I have a Naish and a C4 and the finish coat comes off with the tape.

[bigdom]

heat with a hair dryer befire taking the tape off

[jsalinas]

sticky bumps or sex wax wax remover is pretty strong.  you try that? you can pick it up at your local surf shop.

Jeff

[DavidJohn]

Eucalyptus oil should work.. and it smells good.. 

DJ

[Takeo]

I've tried acetone.  It loosens up the sticky stuff, but doesn't make it a whole lot easier.  I've also used automotive car polish which again loosens up the goo but doesn't really dissolve it. 

[Reef Rocket]

Mostenbocker's Lift Off..............Ace Hardware..............$2.99.

[Keau]

Goo Gone x2

[Ready2Rip]

WD-40.  No kiddin'

[Van_Island_paddle]

It's gotta be goo gone, anything else won't cut it.....

[aqualicious]

The rail tape on my board had wrinkled and the pockets filled with sand, so it was time to remove the rail tape. I'm sure the solutions posted on this thread are all good, but being lazy, I was going to try whatever was laying around the house first. I used the sun to warm the tape before I removed it, and here are my results with various cleaners/solvents on the adhesive:

Simple Green: No
Orange Oil based cleaner: No
Isopropyl Alchohol: No, made boogery crumbles out of the adhesive but was way too much work.
Nail polish remover: Skipped this because it removed gelcoat on kayaks in the past.
WD40: It would would eventually work, but made a gooey mess that was still too much work for me.
Turpentine: Yes. No impact to finish on my 2009 PSH 10'6" WAA and took only a minute to wipe the adhesive off. I then used the same rag to prep the C4 carbon paddle, and it immediately made the finish sticky. So test before you use turpentine.

[Puamana4me]

I 've been thinking of placing rail tape on one of my subs.

Is this the Rail Tape that Surfco sells (3" x 72" clear) that you guys were removing?

Does it help protect rails ?
How long does it last ?
Was it worth the investment ?

Please give comments.
Thanks !       

[diesel]

Ok, so I successfully removed the rail tape on 2 boards.  The tape had begun to peel off in places and that wasn't so good for surfability.  The question is how best to remove the underlying super-sticky adhesive.

For one board, I did it with elbow grease, a partner, and an automotive bug/tar remover and it was a pain in the a#$ and took an hour an a half.  There has to be a better way.  I was thinking acetone/nail polish remover but I thought it would probably not be best for the underlying epoxy/clear coat.   Any suggestions?   

-R

Maybe you can email surfco.  Theywill probably give you the best advice for removing the adhesive.  If the board is not a painted board, then I would think that acetone should work well.  Don't use acetone or paint thinner if it is a molded and painted board like C4, Naish, PSH, etc.  Just to be sure, you should be able to see the stringer or the foam below with Non-painted boards, then you can use acetone.

[IslandRob]

Done!  I used Goo Gone on the leftover rail tape adhesive (on a C4 sandwich construction board) and it was MUCH easier than bug/tar remover.  Thanks for the tip.  I cleaned off the goo gone with water/soap when I was done and as far as I could tell it didn't damage the board's finish.

FYI, I did heat the tape on one of the boards with a hairdryer before removing it because I was afraid that it would take the clear coat off.  It didn't.  The C4 one had the tape 1/3 peeled off anyways so I just pulled at it without problem.  Maybe I just got lucky.   

I don't know what type of rail tape was applied as they both had the rail tapes on when I bought them.

-R