CAUTION-PeelAway DOES damage Whaler Gelcoat!

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Author Topic:   CAUTION-PeelAway DOES damage Whaler Gelcoat!

george nagy posted 03-26-2003 01:57 PM ET (US)
I have recently used "peelaway" on my outrage to remove layers of bottom paint and it DID damage the gelcoat. I tested a small area near the water line first and it did NOT show signs of damage, however it wasn't that effective in removing the paint either.
The test patch was removed only after 5 hrs so I did two larger areas on either side of the bow and left it sit overnight. For those who are not familiar with the process it uses a paper covering to keep it moist.
After I removed the paper and began to scrape I noticed that some of the gelcoat had begun to peel with the paint. Certainly I DID stop using the product immediately and since found that scraping with an ordinary scraper works better.
I complained to the company and after sending photos to them they were inclined to tell me that they had one other case reported to them and it was a Whaler. I'm hoping that NO person here uses this product.
I am going to pursue this further and was wondering if anyone here has had a similar problem? If anyone has please e-mail me.
Thanks and PLEASE DO NOT USE PEELAWAY ON YOUR WHALER!
Bigshot posted 03-26-2003 02:25 PM ET (US)
George....about a year ago somebody here claimed the same thing....I believe peelaway paid to have it fixed.
whalernut posted 03-26-2003 04:37 PM ET (US)
I wonder if there is any heat on Peelaway to either discontinue their product or change the solution ingredients? A bad image because of a faulty product will put them out of business, I know I wouldn`t use their stuff, is there another viable product out there that isn`t so dmaging to the gelcoat? Jack.
Buzzorouter posted 03-26-2003 05:03 PM ET (US)
George, Thanks for the heads up. I was planning to strip my bottom paint soon. What is our next option?
T Party posted 03-26-2003 05:23 PM ET (US)
George - Point of clarification - you used Peel-Away Marine Strip? I just checked their website and it seems that there are several Peel-Away products for different applications. Was it the marine product that hurt your gelcoat? If so, you should definitely ask them to repair the damage - it's advertised as safe for gelcoat right there on the website.
Thanks for the heads-up. I have used Peel-away with great success on several home-repair/restoration projects and have never had a problem.
Pat Mac posted 03-26-2003 05:44 PM ET (US)
I am about to try Easy-off and a scrubbing pad on my transom. Hope I don't do any damage....
Pat
gansett posted 03-26-2003 06:29 PM ET (US)
I have used Peelaway on an old Nauset and if I left it on for more than 2 hours, it caused pockmarks in gelcoat in a few areas. If I limited the application to 2 hours our less, there was no damage. I will continue to use it... carefully. My only complaint is that its really messy and its presented as a mess-less product.
RMS posted 03-27-2003 09:39 AM ET (US)
Several years ago, PowerBoat Reports did a test of bottom-paint removers, and Peel Away came out #1. Based on that, I bought some Peel Away and was planning on using it this spring. T Party has a good point, there is more than one version of Peel Away. I bought the non-marine version, assuming the marine version difference was only price. Sounds like we need more information. George, thanks for giving us the results of your experience, and please keep us updated. Thanks, Bob
TheBigTurnout posted 03-27-2003 09:54 AM ET (US)
This may be a silly question...but I'll ask anyway. How do you guys go about removing the bottom paint from your boats? That is, how do you effectively get at the bottom of your boat....on your trailer or do you put it up on a rack of some sort?
Buzzorouter posted 03-27-2003 03:43 PM ET (US)
Peelaway has a Marine PeelawayII product for boats with an epoxy underfinish. Isn't gelcoat or fiberglass resin much like an epoxy (ie two part resin)? Would the peelaway II be better?
doobee posted 04-06-2003 08:59 PM ET (US)
In my previous life at West Marine, I sold hundreds of gallons of Peel Away, and had only one negative comment. A friend of mine applied it too thin. The result was it held fast like glue and could not be peeled off. Moral of the story, always "adhere" to the directions.
I am not aware of anything about Whaler gelcoat/resin that would cause Peelaway to perform differently. Perhaps the problem stems from pre existing gelcoat blisters that were not visible, or gelcoat applied too thin?
Just because a resin is 2 part, does not mean it's epoxy. Most boat hulls are made with polyester resins. PeelawayII is for boats which have had an epoxy barrier coat applied to the hull.
mustang7nh posted 04-07-2003 07:50 AM ET (US)
I'm not sure how many layers of bottom paint you are removing, but I'm taking mine off my had scraping. I've got about 12-14 layers on there and it is slow and painstaking but once you develop the right touch it chips away. However, the previous bald spots that have only one or two layers don't chip and flake off. Hence, I supposed the chemical stripper would be necessary.
I'm just laying under the trayer with dusk mask and goggles. I've got a 20 year old neighbor who says he's used the chemicals before and offered to do mine (for pay of course), I would let him but I'm nervous about all these gel coat horror stories, and don't want to trust my Whaler to a young person getting 15 bucks an hour.
Smallfrye posted 04-07-2003 10:13 AM ET (US)
Having used Peel Away and most other common brands of stripper, I found spray on oven cleaner to be the best value.( the no smell version is not as good as the old stinky stuff) Removal is easy with a power washer. Just regulate the pressure and spray to peel the stripper and not damage the finish.
skred posted 04-08-2003 08:17 AM ET (US)
Smallfrye is right. I have a container of Peel-Away in the garage, but after reading about Easy-Off on this site, I tried it on my 15. Worked beautifully on my test area, which was the entire transom width - 6 inches high. Sprayed, (original formula stuff), waited 15 minutes, rinsed while lightly scrubbing with a scotchbrite pad, and it's all gone. Did this outside - summer, temp about 75 degrees. A little fine rubbing compound, and it looks like new. If anyone wants a container of peel-away, they can come and get it.
mustang7nh posted 04-08-2003 09:15 AM ET (US)
smallfrye,
I'm curious to how thick the paint is you are removing with oven spray. I like the idea alot, but in many spots I've got probably ten layers of point and its a 1/8 inch thick (or so it seems). Any thoughts how it would hand this stuff?
The former bald patches that just have one layer or two seem to be less effective with scraping and I'd imagine the chemical stripper might work well. Thanks
Smallfrye posted 04-08-2003 09:38 AM ET (US)
An '87 22OR I did last summer was ugly, probably 3 or 4 coats of old paint to remove. This required alowing the first spray coat to set for 30 minutes, pressure wash and dry. After a second application and pressure wash, I still needed to apply a third coat but this required a lite scrubbing with a fiber pad. The epoxy barrier coat was removed with a light coat of stripper, again removed with a pressure washer, I hate to scrape.
This was an extreme case, usually one good spray application, wash and some touch up with a fibre pad will remove all paint.
good luck

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Author	Topic: CAUTION-PeelAway DOES damage Whaler Gelcoat!
george nagy	posted 03-26-2003 01:57 PM ET (US) I have recently used "peelaway" on my outrage to remove layers of bottom paint and it DID damage the gelcoat. I tested a small area near the water line first and it did NOT show signs of damage, however it wasn't that effective in removing the paint either. The test patch was removed only after 5 hrs so I did two larger areas on either side of the bow and left it sit overnight. For those who are not familiar with the process it uses a paper covering to keep it moist. After I removed the paper and began to scrape I noticed that some of the gelcoat had begun to peel with the paint. Certainly I DID stop using the product immediately and since found that scraping with an ordinary scraper works better. I complained to the company and after sending photos to them they were inclined to tell me that they had one other case reported to them and it was a Whaler. I'm hoping that NO person here uses this product. I am going to pursue this further and was wondering if anyone here has had a similar problem? If anyone has please e-mail me. Thanks and PLEASE DO NOT USE PEELAWAY ON YOUR WHALER!
Bigshot	posted 03-26-2003 02:25 PM ET (US) George....about a year ago somebody here claimed the same thing....I believe peelaway paid to have it fixed.
whalernut	posted 03-26-2003 04:37 PM ET (US) I wonder if there is any heat on Peelaway to either discontinue their product or change the solution ingredients? A bad image because of a faulty product will put them out of business, I know I wouldn`t use their stuff, is there another viable product out there that isn`t so dmaging to the gelcoat? Jack.
Buzzorouter	posted 03-26-2003 05:03 PM ET (US) George, Thanks for the heads up. I was planning to strip my bottom paint soon. What is our next option?
T Party	posted 03-26-2003 05:23 PM ET (US) George - Point of clarification - you used Peel-Away Marine Strip? I just checked their website and it seems that there are several Peel-Away products for different applications. Was it the marine product that hurt your gelcoat? If so, you should definitely ask them to repair the damage - it's advertised as safe for gelcoat right there on the website. Thanks for the heads-up. I have used Peel-away with great success on several home-repair/restoration projects and have never had a problem.
Pat Mac	posted 03-26-2003 05:44 PM ET (US) I am about to try Easy-off and a scrubbing pad on my transom. Hope I don't do any damage.... Pat
gansett	posted 03-26-2003 06:29 PM ET (US) I have used Peelaway on an old Nauset and if I left it on for more than 2 hours, it caused pockmarks in gelcoat in a few areas. If I limited the application to 2 hours our less, there was no damage. I will continue to use it... carefully. My only complaint is that its really messy and its presented as a mess-less product.
RMS	posted 03-27-2003 09:39 AM ET (US) Several years ago, PowerBoat Reports did a test of bottom-paint removers, and Peel Away came out #1. Based on that, I bought some Peel Away and was planning on using it this spring. T Party has a good point, there is more than one version of Peel Away. I bought the non-marine version, assuming the marine version difference was only price. Sounds like we need more information. George, thanks for giving us the results of your experience, and please keep us updated. Thanks, Bob
TheBigTurnout	posted 03-27-2003 09:54 AM ET (US) This may be a silly question...but I'll ask anyway. How do you guys go about removing the bottom paint from your boats? That is, how do you effectively get at the bottom of your boat....on your trailer or do you put it up on a rack of some sort?
Buzzorouter	posted 03-27-2003 03:43 PM ET (US) Peelaway has a Marine PeelawayII product for boats with an epoxy underfinish. Isn't gelcoat or fiberglass resin much like an epoxy (ie two part resin)? Would the peelaway II be better?
doobee	posted 04-06-2003 08:59 PM ET (US) In my previous life at West Marine, I sold hundreds of gallons of Peel Away, and had only one negative comment. A friend of mine applied it too thin. The result was it held fast like glue and could not be peeled off. Moral of the story, always "adhere" to the directions. I am not aware of anything about Whaler gelcoat/resin that would cause Peelaway to perform differently. Perhaps the problem stems from pre existing gelcoat blisters that were not visible, or gelcoat applied too thin? Just because a resin is 2 part, does not mean it's epoxy. Most boat hulls are made with polyester resins. PeelawayII is for boats which have had an epoxy barrier coat applied to the hull.
mustang7nh	posted 04-07-2003 07:50 AM ET (US) I'm not sure how many layers of bottom paint you are removing, but I'm taking mine off my had scraping. I've got about 12-14 layers on there and it is slow and painstaking but once you develop the right touch it chips away. However, the previous bald spots that have only one or two layers don't chip and flake off. Hence, I supposed the chemical stripper would be necessary. I'm just laying under the trayer with dusk mask and goggles. I've got a 20 year old neighbor who says he's used the chemicals before and offered to do mine (for pay of course), I would let him but I'm nervous about all these gel coat horror stories, and don't want to trust my Whaler to a young person getting 15 bucks an hour.
Smallfrye	posted 04-07-2003 10:13 AM ET (US) Having used Peel Away and most other common brands of stripper, I found spray on oven cleaner to be the best value.( the no smell version is not as good as the old stinky stuff) Removal is easy with a power washer. Just regulate the pressure and spray to peel the stripper and not damage the finish.
skred	posted 04-08-2003 08:17 AM ET (US) Smallfrye is right. I have a container of Peel-Away in the garage, but after reading about Easy-Off on this site, I tried it on my 15. Worked beautifully on my test area, which was the entire transom width - 6 inches high. Sprayed, (original formula stuff), waited 15 minutes, rinsed while lightly scrubbing with a scotchbrite pad, and it's all gone. Did this outside - summer, temp about 75 degrees. A little fine rubbing compound, and it looks like new. If anyone wants a container of peel-away, they can come and get it.
mustang7nh	posted 04-08-2003 09:15 AM ET (US) smallfrye, I'm curious to how thick the paint is you are removing with oven spray. I like the idea alot, but in many spots I've got probably ten layers of point and its a 1/8 inch thick (or so it seems). Any thoughts how it would hand this stuff? The former bald patches that just have one layer or two seem to be less effective with scraping and I'd imagine the chemical stripper might work well. Thanks
Smallfrye	posted 04-08-2003 09:38 AM ET (US) An '87 22OR I did last summer was ugly, probably 3 or 4 coats of old paint to remove. This required alowing the first spray coat to set for 30 minutes, pressure wash and dry. After a second application and pressure wash, I still needed to apply a third coat but this required a lite scrubbing with a fiber pad. The epoxy barrier coat was removed with a light coat of stripper, again removed with a pressure washer, I hate to scrape. This was an extreme case, usually one good spray application, wash and some touch up with a fibre pad will remove all paint. good luck