Re-glue vinyl stripe tape

[SK]

My gas vent leaked out some gasoline last winter and ran down the side of the boat. It must have slowly dripped for some time. I have a two inch vinyl stripe just above the chine. I have noticed that it is starting to come loose where the gasoline saturated it. It is only loose on the edges but I'm afraid it will continue unless I do something soon.

Is there a way to just re-glue the edge down? I'm not sure what kind of adhesive would work for this. I am trying to avoid cutting a section out and re-taping -(big pain). The lifting edge is about 12 inches long, but only about 1/4 inch into the stripe, and it hasn't curled, - yet.

 

[Gregory S]

Need to cut oput the bad section and replace.

 

[BobV1]

If the vinyl tape still has the adhesive on it, you might be able to re-activate it with heat and pressure. Heat the area and try using a small roller or squeegee. If that doesn't work, contact a wholesale distributor of automotive paints and accessories. They supply all the body shops with paint, adhesives, etc., etc.

Ask them if they have any pressure sensitive adhesives for vinyl. It has to be resistant to plasticizer migration, since the plasticizers in the vinyl will migrate into the bondline and turn the adhesive to a sticky mess, if it isn't. Normally, I believe the PSA adhesives that the coaters use have an acrylic base.

Bob