JohnAbercrombie
Paddler
Is there a good way to remove this when it gets banged up or it intended to be effectively permanent? Hair dryer or heat gun heat softening to peel off? I bought a nice used kayak this summer and it has packing tape used for this-- nowhere near as durable and I might replace it during its winter hiatus in the basement.
A search on "Removing Paint Protection Film" will provide lots of hints - basically just peel off, perhaps aided by some heat.
For the packing film, I'd try a plastic scraper, with some help from a hair dryer or heat gun.
Something like the 'plastic razor blades' that are sold at autobody places or LeeValley will work:
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=53612&cat=1,43456,43407,53612
I've used a sharpened piece of plexiglass to scrape foam padding from under kayak decks, so you could try something like that - though I think you could scratch gelcoat with a plexi scraper if you were too aggressive.
There are also 'erasers' that are made for taking off vinyl logos and tape/adhesives- the 'real thing' is very expensive: Vinyl Zapper. My local sign guy who makes logos for me mentioned it. A search will bring up some nifty videos of the tool at work.
I saw a knockoff at Princess Auto a few months ago. A local sign place might have one and be willing to use it on your boat (for a price).
I'd try to get the majority of the tape off the boat before using any solvents. I think the only ones I use that aren't on Dave's list are naptha (lighter fluid or Coleman fuel) and contact cement cleaner. Probably the basement is not the best place to use solvents, especially if you have pilot lights in your gas appliances.