Kate, following on from Clifford's post, we did replace all the vinyls on Indianna in May 2017 just after buying her. Hutsons made the new vinyls from the original artwork and we were able to buy twin-stripes for the topsides and triple-stripes for the cabin sides. We were also able to purchase all the logos such as '275s', 'LiftKeel', and 'Parker'.
We had no previous experience of replacing vinyls but found a wealth of good advice on various u-tube clips. Difficult areas were removing all the original vinyls without damaging the gelcoat and getting the new stripes straight when applying. For the former, we used a hot-air blower (hair-dryer might be hot enough) and a plastic scraper. Part-way through the job we bought a bottle of 'sticky-stuff remover' for £4 from our local hardware shop and it did a great job of softening the old adhesive for subsequent scraping. Another tool we came across that was very useful - but must be used with extreme care not to overheat the gelcoat - was called a 'whizzy wheel' used with an electric drill and supplied by
www.decalstickerremover.com .
Although the gelcoat under the decals will be a different shade from the remainder of the surrounding area, due to sun bleaching, it shouldn't be a problem as long as the replacement vinyls go back in the same location.
Although nerve-wracking applying the new stripes in trying to make sure they would be as straight as possible, by far the hardest job was removing all the old material without damaging the gelcoat. Section's of stripes had obviously been replaced at times in the past and these were very easy to remove with gentle heat applied to soften the adhesive but most of the remainder was obviously original and very tedious to remove.
If you'd like to discuss further please don't hesitate to phone - details in the yearbook.
Paul Gray (Indianna)