Tictoc

Member

Registered: 12 Jun 2016

Posts: 3

To peel ply or not to peel ply?

Looking for a bit of advice...I'm building a Pathfinder and getting to the stage where I need to glass the hull. I was moaning to a boat builder friend of mine about the amount of sanding I was likely to have to do and he suggested using peel ply to achieve a smoother surface that shouldn't require so much sanding and will also prevent dust from landing on the surface whilst wet.  I am definitely up for this but can't find a huge amount of advice online, and none with regards doing the whole hull and the fairly sharp chines on the boat's hull. Does anyone have any experience of using it and how one might do the chines? Thanks in advance!

marriottuk

Member

Registered: 3 Mar 2016

Posts: 4

Re: To peel ply or not to peel ply?

CLC have some info on this - it's suggested but only for flat surfaces.  w w w.clcboats.com/shoptips/epoxy_and_fiberglass/peel-ply-release-fabric.html

Tictoc

Member

Registered: 12 Jun 2016

Posts: 3

Re: To peel ply or not to peel ply?

Thanks marriottuk - I had seen that link and a few others, but my boat building buddy is convinced in can be used for slightly more complicated shapes for which I can find no real guidance.  It may be a case of suck it and see; or I can bite the bullet and get some help, but I had told myself I would try and do it all myself...

Paul

Employee

From: Gatebeck Cumbria

Registered: 4 Aug 2011

Posts: 131

Re: To peel ply or not to peel ply?

Peel ply is excellent for getting a good surface and reducing the amount of sanding that is required.  However,  it is difficult to use on surfaces that are not flat.

If you go around a chine the peel ply will form a tunnel which allows the fabric underneath to form a bubble.  It is also not always easy to see what has happened to the fabric on anything other than flat surfaces which means that it is possible to have some marks and bumps that become permanent.  Overlapping peel ply can also cause a groove or ridge to be formed in the epoxy.

If you are going to use peel ply you should treat it as a way of reducing the amount of sanding rather than removing the necessity to sand. 

Removing peel ply generates a very satisfying ripping sound and, on occasion, what looks like flashes of light.

Tictoc

Member

Registered: 12 Jun 2016

Posts: 3

Re: To peel ply or not to peel ply?

Thanks for the responses - as a bit of feedback I opted to give it a go, I laid 500mm wide peel ply strips vertically over the wetted fabric from the centreboard slot and worked left and right in 500mm strips with a slight overlap.  The peel ply is tricky to apply as the fabric below is wetted out but it seemed to smooth out relatively easily.  I removed the ply the following day, very satisfying feeling and lovely sound as you point out and generally the surface has come out very well.  The chines are spot on, no tunnelling at all, but I do have some wrinkles in the fabric which I guess I will need to sand out before the final coat.  Difficult to know therefore how much time will be saved sanding - but for a first go I was reasonably impressed and now I know how the peel ply reacts I think the second side should go a bit better.  You definitely need a helper to mix resin though, which I did, as you need to be working with wet resin really for the peel ply to adhere properly; I think next time I will wet the fabric and smooth and apply the peel ply as I go instead of wetting out the whole hull and applying the peel ply afterwards.