What exactly is osmosis, and how can you fix it once it’s begun to wreak havoc on a boat? This month, we’re highlighting the Gel Peeler Pro — an excellent product for professional and DIY boat repair.

What is osmosis?

Osmosis is what happens when water ‘osmoses’ through the gelcoat on the hull of a boat and finds its way into the substrate underneath, subsequently causing a chemical reaction that creates blisters in the gel. These blisters usually sit below the waterline, and advanced osmosis can cause boat leakage.

To prevent osmosis, it is important to regularly inspect and maintain the gelcoat on your boat's hull to prevent water penetration.

Osmosis repairs can easily put a dent in your wallet to the tune of thousands of dollars.

What’s the fix for osmosis?

Removing the gelcoat on your boat and allowing the hull to dry out is by far the best remedy for osmosis. Though it’s the method of choice for many DIYers, gelcoat removal via sanding is messy and time-consuming, and it often results in a substandard and uneven end product -- all problems that a gel peeler eliminate.

Gelcoat peelers work by stripping the hull at an even and consistent rate, using a curved surface to glide along the contours of your boat (much like the way shaving razors contour to the planes of faces or legs). 

The Gel Peeler Pro

Designed to remove the gelcoat from fibreglass boats as well as to strip layers of damaged fibreglass, the Gel Peeler Pro is the ultimate professional repair tool for dealing with osmosis.

It must be attached to a high-flow vacuum hose, enabling easy waste removal and collection while also protecting the user from the hazardous dust, and its adjustable depth allows you to strip damage from 0 to 1.5mm.

Capable of stripping roughly one square metre of gelcoat every four minutes, the Gel Peeler Pro cuts using four carbide blades, which can be rotated four times to reveal new, sharper cutting edges. Each set is able to perform 20 to 25 square metres of gelcoat stripping.

See the Gel Peeler Pro in action Here

Simple and comfortable to use, this is one of the lightest and most powerful gelcoat removers on the market. Head Here to purchase your own, or Contact Matt for more information.