Peel Away

Brian C. · Post by **Brian C.** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:01 pm

The deck of my boat has been painted many times and needs to be stripped and repainted with non-skid. I was wondering if anyone has ever used the Peel Away paint removal products and, if so, could give me an opinion on whether I should use it or not. The bottle says that it does not harm the fiberglass. Thanks in advance.

Post by **Tim** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:24 pm

I'm not a fan, myself. I've used it in small quantities, and always have found it to be less than impressive. Application requires a thick (like 1/4") layer of the gunk, all covered with paper. You always run out of paper, which means you have to use a substitute like wax paper or some such.

Then, if you don't leave the stripper on long enough, you end up dealing with a messy gunk-fest of partially dissolved paint, wet stripper, and rotted paper. Or, if you leave it on too long, you get a hardened mass that can be very difficult to get off.

Even the name "Peel Away" is a misnomer. It conjures up visions of pulling off the paper to find a neatly-stripped section of boat, with all the old paint conveniently stuck to the paper. Nope--that's not how it tends to work. What you do get is hardened stripper in some areas (where it was applied too thinly), mushy stripper in other areas (where it was too thick), gooey paint, and often lots of remaining paint that the stripper didn't touch.

The reason it is safe for gelcoat is because it is so weak as to be near useless. At least that's my opinion. The only strippers I have used that work are too harsh for fiberglass. With the greatest of care, and the proper neutralizing substance on hand, one can use methylene chloride to strip heavy paint over fiberglass--but I don't recommend it, as it is too easy for it to go too far. Forget I even said it, in fact.

I'm in favor of sanding away the old paint. Dusty, yes. But overall, I have always found this to be a better choice.

If you do go with the Peel-Away, buy the stuff at the home center--not the marine store. Same thing, despite all claims to the contrary--but for lower price. Peel Away is expensive considering how much you need in order for it to have a chance of working. Good sandpaper isn't cheap either , but I've always thought it to be more economical in the long run.

Good luck with your choice. Others may have other opinions on Peel-Away, so consider all voices in your decision and do what seems right for you.

Post by **dasein668** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 7:05 pm

We used Peel-Away when we stripped the bottom. We only had to use it on the concave areas and the rudder as we had good luck getting most of the paint off with the Boat-Chipper-Shredder [sic]. (Tool here.).

Our experience with the Peel-Away was not as dire as Tim reports, though it certainly isn't a miracle product. It will work to remove large amounts of paint if used as per directed, but does leave a large mess, is relatively caustic if it gets on the skin, and requires both patience and some elbow-grease.

That said, we were relatively happy with the product for the use we put it to. We still ended up doing a bit of sanding of those areas, but it was pretty minor compared to what it would have been had we just used the sander.

rshowarth · Post by **rshowarth** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 8:15 am

I used West Marine Peel Away to strip the bottom paint from my Mariner.

It worked well enough although it still required scraping and sanding. The directions said to apply up to 1/8 th inch thick. I would change those direction to say to apply it 1/8th inch thick. The thicker I applied it the easier the paint came off and the cleaner the bottom was after removing the stripper.

westsail42 · Post by **westsail42** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:00 pm

I used it on our Skookum 28 to remove bottom paint years ago. It works but you need to apply it "liberally" in order to get any performance. For bottom paint, I think we applied it double the thickness that was recommended in the instructions. And, you need to cover it with the "sealing" paper to let it work itself into the paint.

With good application, most of the paint should come off with a paint scraper or wide putty knife. Of course, inevitably, there will be some holidays which you will need to sand/grind off.

So, as the previous posters said, it is not a miracle product.

In the case of bottom paint, Peel Away is probably safer than inhaling paint dust, but it took longer than sanding. Especially when you discover areas you didnt apply enough of and you are making trips to the marine store to get more.

We chose to use it because the yard had strict rules about bottom paint grinding. If I need to do it again, I would grind.

cfretz · Post by **cfretz** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 10:39 pm

the biggest benifit to the peel away is the lack of odor and fumes. working in a garage in winter with traditional stripper would be fun but i can think of better ways to kill some braincells.

its messy and it doesnt peel away but scraping it onto a tarp makes for an easy cleanup. get the spray cleaner and the residue will wipe off with water.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 8:27 am

The Navy use to use MEK to remove paint when repainting aircraft. It seemed to work really well, taking the painted surface down to bear metal in just minutes, but it had to be handled carefully. The biggest drawback, assuming you can still get this stuff, would be disposal of the chemical after the job.

Post by **Tim** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 9:45 am

One has to be really careful what strippers they use on fiberglass. Methylene Chloride (i.e. "Zip Strip") will soften and dissolve gelcoat, and MEK, as a thinner/solvent for styrene, would also be a dangerous choice on a polyester boat without great care in its use--not recommended here.

That's the problem with strippers: the ones that work are hazardous, and incompatible with fiberglass, and the ones that are safe to use are slow and often ineffective.

But I agree that the way to make safer strippers like Peel Away and the like more effective is to apply it thickly, and to be patient. These strippers must remain wet in order to work, which is why the thick film is important (and also the annoying paper).

Brian C. · Post by **Brian C.** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 10:51 am

I did use the Peel Away product a few years ago when my question started this thread. I cannot say it is terrible but given the mixed results I had with it and the expense of the product I would not use it again.

If you do choose to use it, test a few small areas first to get a sense of how much you need to apply and how long you leave it on to be most effective. I first followed the directions and had horrible results. When I applied more of the paste than directed and left it on longer than directed, my results improved.