Is there a trick on removing dried pine pitch from my hull without destroying the finish? I have tried mineral spirits and GooGone. Neither have touched the pitch.

quote HighPlainsDrifter: "
Is there a trick on removing dried pine pitch from my hull without destroying the finish? I have tried mineral spirits and GooGone. Neither have touched the pitch."

Acetone is my go-to chemical for removing paint. That's what I'd try. What kind of finish is on your boat? It won't damage epoxy, gel coat, or vinyl ester resin (used in most production boats) but it might remove the varnish if you've put any on.

Alan

Alan, I have 6 coats of Flagship spar varnish on my Merlin. I know I can't maintain a mirror finish on this canoe forever, but I think I will avoid acetone.

I had a few isolated spots/drops at one point, and I was able to just kind of chip them off after the canoe had been in a freezing cold garage for a couple of months. This was coming off of a clear gel-coat, though, so I'm not sure it would do you a whole lot of good on varnish or if you have a lot of pine pitch. Maybe its worth a shot to play around with temperature a little bit before doing anything more drastic. Heat it up and hit it with the spirits again?

Good luck!

When all else fails, Google it. I did and found that Murphy's Oil Soap has been used on varnished surfaces. The recommendation was to let the product sit on the pitch for 15 minutes. I also read that WD-40 works.

I am still looking for a response from someone who has cleaned a varnished wood canoe.

WD-40 will do the trick, wont harm finish.
I have used it on my varnished strip canoes.
CB

Thanks CB