In order to remove an existing vinyl decal without damaging your boat's gel coat you'll need a hair dryer and a plastic ice scraper. Do not use a metal scraper!!
Set the dryer to the lowest heat setting. Slowly move the nozzle of the hair dryer back and forth about 15 cm. from the decal.
As soon as the vinyl gets warm, gently lifting one edge of the vinyl. Take your time. The heat softens the vinyl, but if too much heat is applied, the vinyl will melt and leave a scorch mark on the gel coat.
To remove any old adhesive left on the surface, use any good adhesive remover, such as Goo Gone from a hardware store.
Once the decal is completely removed, you will likely notice the gel coat is a different colour where it has protected the hull. You may need to "polish" the area to even out the color of the gel coat. Use any good quality rubbing compound and clean off completely.
DO NOT WAX. In fact, you may need to wipe the area down with mineral spirits or solvent to remove any remaining grease or wax, which could prevent the new decal adhesive from bonding properly.
You are now ready to apply your new boat name!
STREETGLO BOAT LETTERING
Engineer Grade Retro Reflective Vinyl
Use 10% discount code: "boat10"
Since the days of sailing ships, it has been considered bad luck to change the name of the boat. If you do rename the boat, you must have a de-naming ceremony.
One method involves writing the current boat name on a piece of paper, placing the folded paper in a wooden box, then burning the box. Then you throw the ashes into the sea.