# Cleaning name off Hyside Boat



## OregonRafter (Jan 30, 2013)

I had to do the same to a Hyside with white hypalon paint on the side for the outfitters logo. I used Toluene and some sort of scraper. Nothing sharp that would puncture the boat. What worked best was toluene on a rag. I would wet the paint with toluene, let it sit for maybe 30 seconds, then rewet with toluene. It would usually take several applications. I was just wetting the paint with the rag, not scrubbing. After a few applications the paint starts to soften and you could start to scrape it. As soon as the paint starts to dry out you'll need to rewet with toluene, which happens often because the toluene dries out quickly. If you can work out of direct sunlight the toluene wont dry off as fast. Be sure to wear a respirator and gloves. That stuff is nasty. 

I know what you are saying about the chemicals cleaning up the raft just by where your working. Don't sweat that too much. I used Inflatable Boat Cleaner to clean up the rest of the raft, then fresh 303 everywhere, and it blended well enough.

It took me several tedious days to get it all off. In the end it was a total pain, but it worked. If I had it to do over again I would have seriously considered just gluing a patch over the company logo to cover it.


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## Ajax09 (Oct 8, 2013)

And the "paint" coming off isnt a big deal either? I use a scrubby like you would use to wash dishes and the whole thing turns blue.


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## OregonRafter (Jan 30, 2013)

We must be on a different page. The "paint" I'm referring to is the outfitters logo I was trying to remove. If you are scrubbing and getting blue your taking off boat rubber. The toluene softens the rubber too. I wouldn't go crazy trying to scrub it off. Like I was saying I only used a toluene soaked rag to wet the logo paint and soften it up. Then lightly and very carefully used a scraper to get the logo paint up.


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## Ajax09 (Oct 8, 2013)

Copy that. I was referring to the pigment of the boat coming off.


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

Leave it on the boat and let the outfitter that was so too lazy to remove it suffer any consequences if you're seen running stretches that they run. It's your boat, their problem.


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## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

I had the same problem with an old River Runners boat. I painted over it after I noticed it was doing damage to the fabric by trying to remove it. Inland Marine - Inflatable Boat Repair Products


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## Ajax09 (Oct 8, 2013)

@randaddy, I like your thinking but I live in another state that the outfitter. 

@caverdan, thanks for the suggestion, I will be sure to check into that.


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## maschwee61 (Apr 11, 2014)

I used an old hand held hair dryer to help soften up the logo lettering. It was slightly faster; no matter what you do it's a tedious, annoying process, best spread out over a week or so. 

The place I bought my raft from made sure to mention that I should take it off, if not immediately, at least at some point...might have something to do with outfitter permitting and liability.


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## Ajax09 (Oct 8, 2013)

Thanks for the suggestions. I believe in Colorado it is not a problem to run a raft that was previously named by an outfitter, although I could be wrong.


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## mikepart (Jul 7, 2009)

What did they use to put the lettering on the boat? Can you post pictures? Has the tolulene or acetone had any effect of the lettering, or just on the boat material? 

You should be very careful with the tolulene. It can damage your boat. I believe that over use of tolulene can even promote future delamination of the hypalon from the base fabric. What would be ideal would be a solvent that attacks the lettering paint but not the boat. Have you tried MEK? Also, hypalon is fairly resistant to heat, but many paints are not. You should try a heat gun, being careful not to go crazy and burn the hypalon (don't try this on a PVC boat).

If the logo was painted on with a quality urethane coating and proper primer, it is probably on for good. In this case it would need to be sanded off or covered up, but you could try heat as urethane is a thermoplastic.

On a side note, my raft has a massive urethane logo on it, and I just roll with it. Someday I might cover it up with new system 6 urethane.


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## Ajax09 (Oct 8, 2013)

I can post pictures tonight. The paint or whatever they used is on there very good. The toluene did have some affect on the lettering that you will see in pictures. I understand that this is a tedious process but I dont believe it should be as hard as it has been. I have actually stopped trying to get it off until I got some "professional" opinions. This is my first boat however, my roomate has been around boats for quite sometime. He used acetone on his Riken Hyp. boat and everything worked fine. 

PS. The lettering is actually raised up kind of like a decal. I wouldnt classify it as really paint as I would say its more of a sticker kind of material.


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## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

Heat gun and a scraper are good advice if it's Hypalon. Make sure to keep it moving and on low. I too have an old 1200 watt hair dryer that seems to be the perfect tempature to soften boat glue. I like using phenolic to make scrapers with. Sanding it down a little might help get through the hard outer surface, but be very careful you don't get down to the fabric or your in trouble. 

I know some guides on the Ark that use to have to put duct tape over the company logo in order to borrow them for private trips. Not sure the exact reason, but I personally would do something with it as I really don't like talking with rangers in that perspective. Good luck.


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## Whitewater Worthy Equip (Dec 11, 2013)

You will have to grind the logo off. A barrel sander on a 
Dremel tool works well. Patients and diligence is required. You can also get a tool designed for auto body work at napa and use discs of scotch bright pads that will go in to a die grinder or drill. Applying Toulene to the pad helps but ALWAYS use gloves when handling toulene as it is a known carcinogenic.


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## OregonRafter (Jan 30, 2013)

Whitewater Worthy Equip said:


> You will have to grind the logo off. A barrel sander on a
> Dremel tool works well. Patients and diligence is required. You can also get a tool designed for auto body work at napa and use discs of scotch bright pads that will go in to a die grinder or drill. Applying Toulene to the pad helps but ALWAYS use gloves when handling toulene as it is a known carcinogenic.


I've used a paint stripper for a drill like this for lots of raft repairs. 

Paint and rust stripper

Mechanical action like this works great for removing old glue and prepping surfaces to attach a new D ring, foot cone, or patch. I can't imagine using any mechanical action to remove paint. I'm sure it would take the painted logo off, along with quite a bit of the base hypalon. And because it is done by hand it would be really uneven, and even uglier then just leaving the logo on. No way I'd use mechanical action on anything I wasn't planning on patching over. Maybe you have a steadier hand then me.


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## OregonRafter (Jan 30, 2013)

caverdan said:


> Heat gun and a scraper are good advice if it's Hypalon. Make sure to keep it moving and on low. I too have an old 1200 watt hair dryer that seems to be the perfect tempature to soften boat glue. I like using phenolic to make scrapers with. Sanding it down a little might help get through the hard outer surface, but be very careful you don't get down to the fabric or your in trouble.


I tried the heat and scrapper routine on my old Hyside. It worked ok but found wetting the paint with toluene and the scrapper to work faster. Maybe I should say more effective, not faster, because there was nothing fast about the process. LOL. Who knows what kind of logo paint, though. Maybe different paints are easier with heat. My boat was a Hyside from the 90's. Although I found heat slower for paint removal, heat worked great for removing old patches, D Rings, and foot cones. 



caverdan said:


> I know some guides on the Ark that use to have to put duct tape over the company logo in order to borrow them for private trips. Not sure the exact reason, but I personally would do something with it as I really don't like talking with rangers in that perspective. Good luck.


I'd bet covering up the logo for guides borrowing boats, or after selling a raft are a request by the company only. To start it is bad PR to a rafting company if a private raft trip is a bunch of total hacks or jerks floating down the river in a raft with the companies name on it. Further, if those privates wrap a raft and leave it in the middle of the river with the companies name still on it I know exactly who the authorities are going to call first. 

That being said if a raft company sells a raft and doesn't remove or cover up their name and they get some bad PR, it is their own fault and they get what they deserve. It they are worried about it they should take care of their logo before they sell a raft. I agree with you, though, Carverdan. I'd rather remove or cover up a logo then to have to deal with running an old company name on my raft.


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

I did this on an old hyside. The raft co ground off some of the letters with an orbital sander with coarse sandpaper. It was kind of a mess, ground through the blue in many places and into the fabric, no leaks though. I had to cover their work with patches (rub guards). What they didn't do, I did with finer sandpaper, 150 I think, took my time with a light touch and after a some wipe downs with toulene, 303 and some time you couldn't tell they were there. 

Light pressure, orbital sander and patience and you'll be very happy. Heavy pressure, and no patience = no bueno.


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

On permitted rivers the managing entity will require a commercial outfitter name be removed or covered up on a private boat. I bought a maravia from ROCKY MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES and just used a urethane paint the color of the raft and painted over some of the lettering, leaving me with: ROCKY. NAD S. It was the best I could come up with.


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## Ajax09 (Oct 8, 2013)

Thanks for all the great advice. I did not know that Toluene was so potent, I guess I should start wearing gloves. 

There is nothing "subtle" about the way that I work with hand tools so I will probably stay away from the grinders and what not. I will probably end up going with a urethane paint and just call it good. I would just tape over it, but I am going to be using this boat as a fishing boat through an outfitter and I'm sure they would like for it to look somewhat professional. 

The way I see it, if a company sells a boat they should take the name off of it or they are liable. I work for a company that sells their work trucks all the time and they take every single thing off the truck that could be recognized that it came from said company.


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## Ajax09 (Oct 8, 2013)

PS. Too busy shoveling the 10" of snow off of my deck last night to post pictures. I will post them because this logo is pretty impressive.


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