Swim platform repair

[feeez]

Last season I had to replace and relocate the swim platform end of the davits from my dinghy. This left behind holes (which I filled) and residual adhesive. My buddy that helped me with the job figured that the leftover adhesive would be 3M 4200 or 5200. This year I want to clean this up as best as I can. I have read that some patience and acetone or denatured alcohol might soften this stuff up to be able to remove it.

Your opinions and suggestions as always are welcome

Thanks
Fraser

[SplashyLady]

You can clean 4200 or 5200 up with some effort. Start with some scrape work - use a sharp tool to scrape as much off as you can. Use something pointed (think ice pick) to clean the valleys on the nonskid surface. The give it a spray of GooGone and let is sit a while. The GooGone will help release the sealant from the surface. Use a stiff brush to get the adhesive off - this works in most cases.

Also, did you fill the holes with epoxy before using the caulk/sealant? If not, my advice would be to re-drill out the holes, put some backing tape on the underside, and fill the holes with epoxy. Once the epoxy cures you can finish the topside to match. Caulk by itself does not work well to seal holes drilled through, and that can lead to water intrusion into the core and eventually cause the core to fail.