Conference unifix::sailing

A vague memory comes to mind ...... DuPont, who brings us better living 
through chemistry (or is that some other company?), may make a solvent for 
removing hardened masking tape. Try inquiring at an automobile body shop 
supply place (found in better Yellow Pages everywhere). 

By the way, 3M makes a masking tape, gray in color, that is supposedly
removable for up to 30 days. Somewhat more expensive than regular
masking tape. I haven't left it in the sun more than a couple of days,
but it did come off easily. This stuff is available at many marine 
stores. 

    Apply vegetable oil to saturate old tape then take it of with your
    finger nails. Works sliker than owls shit.

    Yeah, that 3M tape is great stuff.  We used it when painting our
    bottom last year, and left it on for about 2 weeks till all bottom
    work was done.  Came off like freshly applied.  It's a little stretchy
    too, so you can follow the contours of your bottom better with it.
    
    Forget the name of it, but it was pretty easy to find.
    
    ... Bob
    

    If you leave your boat uncovered it may come off by the end of the
    week with all the rain we've been having.  Otherwise, it'll weather
    off by the time you haul out in the fall.
    
    The 3M stuff is called 3M Fine Line and is used by auto body shops
    because it doesn't leak the way paper tape does.  In quantity from
    Jamestown it's not that expensive.  Definitely the way to go for
    any boat painting.
    
    My neighbor at the boatyard used paper packing tape to paint his
    waterline last year.  He couldn't get any of it off before launching.
    Around August or so the last of it finally washed off.
    
    - gene

    I've heard that gasoline will take it off.
    Tom
    

re .5: 

>>>    I've heard that gasoline will take it off.
    
Perhaps it will, but at GREAT risk to your life, well-being, and boat.
Never, ever use gasoline for a cleaning solvent. See the Woodworking and
Tools Notesfile for an account of a young boy who died of burns when 
gasoline being used as a solvent was ignited by a quite distant spark.

Acetone (sold as a polyester resin solvent) will definitely take off the 
dried tape adhesive.  Just keep it away from any painted surfaces.  If you 
can't get the bulk of the tape itself off, then acetone may not be so easy 
to use.

If you choose the vegetable oil trick, which does work but takes a long 
time, one trick to make removing the gooey oil-saturated tape easier is to 
take an old putty knife, grind the outside blade corners into a rounded 
shape so they can't scratch the gelcoat.   (BTW, the veg oil technique is a 
great way to remove adhesive labels from relatively soft plastic surfaces 
without damaging them; it does take some time for the oil to work as a 
solvent, though.)

J.

re .4: 

3M Fine Line tape and the weather resistant masking tape are two 
different tapes. Fine Line is pale green and is a somewhat stretchy 
plastic-like tape. The weather resistant masking tape is dark gray and 
about as (un)stretchable as conventional masking tape. I don't know how 
long Fine Line tape can be left in sunlight before it becomes difficult 
to remove. 

    I noticed over the weekend that the labeling on a can of
    WD-40 recommends its use to remove adhesive labels, etc.
    It might work on masking tape, though I haven't tried it.

    	- Lee