Sail Life - Gelplane vs Marine Shaver Pro - which is best? DIY sailboat refit 

Marine shaver. Not for facial use.

I like how you say you're in middle of a 'somewhat extensive refit' He means he's rebuilding the entire boat folks.

Happy to be one of the 3% of woman loving your videos

"If I buy another boat that needs to have gelcoat, barrier coat, or laminate removed..." Don't. You. Dare. I want to see Mads set sail! :)

You make my sunday night! Thanks from Switzerland.

The Gel Plane is beast, I wish I had one when I did my osmosis job. I too went with a belt sander, but I only have a 22 ft hull which was also inverted. I did use a 8.9 oz layer of new glass cloth on the bottom with epoxy. I didn't actually remove any old laminate, just old paint and the gelcoat but it is surprising how thick all that is. The new glass layer effectively replaces the lost thickness of gelcoat and is the 'real' barrier coat since it is all epoxy. I still used Interlux Interprotect 2000E as a barrier coat, but I didn't have to worry too much about film thickness total and in a sense it was mostly acting as the primer for the anti-foul paint which was hot-coated over the last coat of Interprotect.

I love new tools! The Gelplane is amazing, I didn't even know it existed, thank you Mads. I hope you are feeling better. Thank you for another fantastic video :)

The GelShaver is sick!! Can’t wait for next week’s glorious sanding marathon!! Always makes my Sunday a great day. 👍😀😜

I love your channel 👍 In this tempo we are glad to see an other two years of diy videos. Keep up the good work. 👍

Mads, your channel is really inspiring. I took a sailing class with my daughter to get her into this type of activity. She didn't take to it, but it still inspired me to buy my own boat. I'll finally be on the water this year!

I really enjoy watching your videos. thank you very much for making the time and doing them for us. From the USA

What an enjoyable intorduction to gel-stripping. Cannot wait to view some of your other videos. Thanks!

I wait every Sunday for your videos, and now my parents (independently) do the same . Keep up the good work !

I look forward to your videos with anticipation.

Another GREAT video. I am becoming a sailboat repair expert watching you. That GelPlane is bada$$. You my friend are not afraid of doing what needs to be done !!! Keep up the great work. I hope you feel better soon.

Good informative video. Thanks. The plane looks fast and sort of easy but not as easy as watching someone else do it.

I enjoy the details you provide, always a learning experience for me. Thank you.

If you had a correct dimensioned shop vac for the gel planer, you would probably have a lot less falling on the ground. Considering the extremely much larger diameter it expects, it makes sense.

That looks really satisfying to do

Do take care! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

"Somewhat extensive refit" 1:55 Somewhat the understatement of the century me thinks ! 🙌🙌 Another very informative vlog. Thanks Mads. PS when you do finish it would be nice to know cost spent, time in man hours etc and finally when she is finished, you should invite us all along for the wetting! I want to see her, bilges and all LOL 🤣!

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Very informative Mad's A few years ago we saw a guy in out boat yard using a Hitachi wood planer stripping back. It appeared to work fine in the areas with less detail. Ant & Cid x

Wow, The gelplane really gets the job done. Also I'm looking for a good dictionary of Danish swear words for this summer when you release the videos about removal of the foam filler in the bilges. Thanks again for a great video.

Always enjoy you videos!

Take care my friend. Rest heal and take advantage of National Health Care. I’m with you in spirit! Thanks for posting.....superior effort considering everything.

Great video, I had a lot of questions about what to use, not anymore. Thanks.

What you are seeing is the outer layer of fiberglass mat that is used to prevent "print through of the underlying fabric to the gel coat. It is non structural. The underlying fabric is structural. If it is white or whitish it means that some of the polyester resin has been leached out of the layup. This causes a marked decrease in strength of that layer of layup. Depending on hoe long you plan on keeping the boat and how hard you intend on using it - high winds and large waves- replacing or covering the area in the water and some what above the waterline would make the boat much stronger. You have had experience with biaxial cloth and epoxy will make the maintenance in the future much easier. Day sailing in sheltered waters would make reinforcement unnecessary In any case the boat shows water damage to the below water line hull structure. The best and really only material below the waterline is epoxy. It is very resistant to water. If you are not going to add back epoxy/glass below the waterline, a good epoxy barrier primer under the antifouling would be appropriate. Sailing Uma covered their boat below the waterline with a epoxy/copper mixture as both barrier and antifouling. Contacting them to see what their long term experience has been would be helpful in making a decision on the choice of direction you decide to go. Looking at older boats that have been restored opened my eyes to the industry of boat manufacturing not knowing about the materials they were using. Agreed that the industry was in the early stages of converting from traditional to plastic and some of the knowledge of the newfangled plastic was not well understood. In any case what you do is your decision. I am only passing on some of my experience to increase your knowledge base. csmale@bak.rr.com

I got absolutely lost in the long weekend and thought today is sunday. But wait, why is there a new Sail Life video? Oh yes, it must be holiday monday. What a super nice surprise! :-) Very interesting comparison of these two machines. Probably I never get to use one of these but the result of the GelPlane is stunning!

Hope you feel better soon!

Thanks mads enjoyed as always, cool tools never seen before and hope i dont have to use them

Mads that was truly excellent. The gel planer, in your hands, did an excellent job. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but it would have been perfect to use much earlier at the antifoul removal stage - and it may have improved the dry out too - oh well how much would we pay exactly for hindsight.😀 You are doing a fantastic job of getting this boat right for you and producing great videos in the process. Thank you 🙏

I liked the teaser about the upcoming video

I used a cheap, extremely ordinary electric handheld wood planer to shave the outer layer my (GRP) hull back in the days. Worked like a feat, except that I burned through a set of brushes for the motor.

Was about to go out and work on my project truck... NM Sail Life is up ill go out later lol

Wow wow wow. Big Big beautiful boat. The drone shot really shows the size of it compared to the other boats in the marina. Congrats. Will love to hear what you have to say about the good and bad parts of buying.

I've never found a place in the States to rent one, so you're lucky. I had to pay a guy to Gelplane the bottom on my second boat (30'). Took off bottom paint, a "sort of" barrier coat, gel coat and a thin layer of chop strand in one swoop. He worked about 7 hours, but it was smooth, with barely any ridges. I think it's a practice thing. I applaud your attempt. Keep up the good work, take care of your "flu".

Great vid. Thanks.

Hope you feel better real soon.

I can see how the Makita Gelplane would be preferred for contours over the MarineShaver. The business end of the shaver is reminiscent of a milling head, which is ideal for flat surfaces....only there are very few truly flat surfaces on a sail boat. It was great to see these devices in use side by side. Spiffy job.

You’re the best Mads 👍🏽

Nice review of tools I did not know existed.

Very impressive Mads, the gel planer is amazing . I've seen many boats shaved by pros and always thought it was too much for an amateur . So glad you showed how it's not and glad I am too old to do it any more! By the way keep that fresh laminate out of the sun UV will degrade it and make it change color effecting you opinion of what you see! Cheers Warren .

Good luck with Ava. You think she brings out the best in you. Do you bring out the best in her? If that happens you got magic!

Absolutely fabulous to get such an on-camera test of the Gelplane and marine shaver. I was extremely impressed at just how fast and easy the Gelplane was. I wonder why the minimum rental period of these two tools is so different? It seems strange that the tool that is faster to use has a minimum of 4 days rental period. After 4 days you could probably shred your entire hull into a huge mountain of fiberglass fluff.

Interesting tools. I didn't even know they existed. Glad you could rent um and not buy um. Surely meant for professional use. Feel better. Adios desde Barcelona!

For a deep sump in the bilge, build a little teak "rack" that can be raised and lowered manually. At the bottom of the rack attach a small (~500 gal/hr) automatic bilge pump, and starting a foot or so above that (an area that should always stay dry, barring anything catastrophic) the rack can hold your favorite adult beverages. In other words --- wine cellar (aka, storage for flu "medication").

I had looked at the Gelplane a year ago when looking at a catamaran that would need hulls planned. It was very expensive and as an alternative I investigated the Metabo Paint Peeler. Can be purchased at around $300 US at constructiontoolwarehouse website and would need some modifications but certainly worth a look for DIYers. I did not end up buying catamaran as it was destroyed on the hard in St Maarten by IRMA.

I have no idea how Cro-magnon Man evolved without duct tape. Really enjoy your videos and you have a new subscriber.

If in any way possible, I would recommend to lay on the new laminated surface to at least the unsufficiently wetted/bubbly brighter parts with vacuum. We had best (re-)saturation results with looong hardeners, not too much temperature and a sharply evacuated area. We didn't use a Gelplane to open the surface, though, but usually blasted with differing media to completely open the blisters and otherwise just to remove painted layers and Gelcoat.

Mads ! save what the gelplane removed ! you can add it to epoxy in the future to thicken ! that way you save a little cash !

outstanding as always....

I remember years ago we used to use a power plane that we modified for gel coat removal...........Considering what they sell for now i wish i had patented it lol.But if you're resourceful you can in fact make your own.

I'd be curious what the moisture meter would say in the spots you've planed...

Just got caught up on all the videos! I am absolutely loving the channel. I am waiting for the ultimate boat DIY satisfaction of the tasks moving across the kanban board, but maybe that is too private for public viewing ;-)

Get well Mads. Thnks for sharing! 😊⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵😊👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Gel plane is ace, no competition and seeing the cutting systems it seems pretty clear it was going to be best. As you say if only you had used this way back. Good work as usual and get over that drip us man flu.

nice review :D

Hope you feel better soon. Have you reached the point that we can call your boat the Ship of Thesues? Really enjoy your content.

That gel shaver was amazing, I wish I had that when I was sanding the hull of our old boat decades ago. My father gave me one of those Makitas that fits in your palm and just stuck me under there with it. No masks or respirators either.

We will be going through exactly the same work as you later on in the year, once we've moved our Trident Warrior to a slightly warmer climate this spring. After watching all of your videos covering your osmosis work (good job by the way, very inspiring stuff!) would you say that in hindsight, you would of been better off to have started off with the gelplaner, got all the gel goat etc off down to the level you wanted, and then applied your heat mat system after that? Appreciate the feedback and we are avid followers of your channel. Keep up the great content, Mads.

Hi great info, on the bottom machine planers. Do you think that it would be practical to use the tools to seriously remove bottom paint

Great video as always Mads, love all the great tips for getting different jobs done. Love the gelplane, hubby wants one now 👍

The gel planner looks like ( seeing the blade) a standard hand held planner. If so it mine would do the same job and cost almost nothing, except it doesn’t have to words gel coat on it. With it, I can take off very thin pieces of wood and I would bet gel coat. Thoughts?

Hey Mads, get well soon :D how do you take the spread on the ground..? run around with your vacuum? I suppose it's a tad tricky on loose stones to use a broom...

I'm suggesting you use more than one layer of fiberglass cloth to resurface your hull. And that the final layer be a light weight per square yard/meter tightly woven example. You'll have less print-through for the gel-coat --a smoother coat requiring less final finishing. Like 3oz. E.

Yep the yelplaner is the tool ! 😉

Get well, my Viking friend!

Have you thought about doing a fibre glass course or some training with a boatyard.

Liking the gel plane. I’m wondering, would a standard electric wood plane do a VERY similar job?... a hell of a lot cheaper....

Hope your feeling better soon

97% male.That is amazing.I cannot get any female viewers other than my wife to watch my channel.Cant imagine why.Well done Mads

Hello MADS: Great videos but a little short but good. You may want to be thinking of using Kevlar Mat to use of the Bottom of your Sailboat. FIBRE Glast Development Corp may give you a break on price. Also may be thinking on how to turn your Sailboat upsize down. Could be better to do the bottom of the boat before all the weight you going to add . just a thought for you. Kevlar will be stronger for you Sailboat. GOOD LUCK GREG

Thanks for yet another great Sunday video !why don't you do another project simultaneously with your scheduled ones ie. You should start on the rudder and do it over a few videos with small updates during or at the end of each regular video screenings this way you get things ticked off faster

I;'m not clear about this sudden hull reclamation, did you have to dry the hull first as you have now gone down a layer? Also, what about the waterline and the hull above same, how do you make it contiguous??

Two weeks without opening the packages, such self-control! 8-)

Salamtek. Get well soon.

Best thing to do if you need to rent an expensive tool for a long period of time is to purchase it and then sell it once you are completed. Many times you will end up paying very little for the use of the tool compared to renting.

Mads...after the past month, I think it is high time for me to leave my current life and live on my Wellcraft. Even with all the issues she has...I think the maintenance is FAR FAR FAR less than I'm currently paying.

Mads for the surface you planed wasn’t it cheaper and most likely sufficiant enough to use mister angelgrinder with a dust catching like u used earlier?

Boat stuff and nun boat stuff. Whatever floats your boat Mads. I got shown a great advert for bikinis before your video started so I did my duty as a loyal family friendly subscriber and watched it until the end. I don't think they were nuns, but these days...

Question the name Athena was that her name when you bought her or did you name her. Love it

Love that GelPlane. Could've used it when I did my barrier coat. QQ: When are you going to clean up your companionway crib boards? Eew, crusty!!!

Mads--while you still have use of the tools--you should think about taking the fiberglass at least up the the current water line and maybe a few centimeters above it to make sure your taking out the old bad laminate

Get well soon.

Can anyone comment on someone suggesting cement is a good product to fill a deep bilge with? Glassing overtop once cured? Bad idea or workable?

Mads, that is the problem. When to continue removing the laminate? (I posted pictures on your FB post) We kept cutting until the good laminate was exposed. At the back of the hull it got thin enough to push in by hand. There are a few different opinions about this and I still dont know which is correct..... I used vinylester resin for the laminate. I would probably use epoxy now, but never polyester.

Hei. Jeg har en GUY 27 seilbåt jeg gikk over skroget på i fjor sommer. Den var støpt i to halvdeler som var limt sammen. Disse delene var solid og hadde mettet laminat. Utenpå var det lagt på noen lag med laminat som lignet det du hadde bak på båten, (dårlig mettet). I dette laget var det også mange små blemmer med osmose. Jeg brukte en vanlig elektrisk høvel til og fjerne gelcoat og blemmene. Brukte epoxy rett på det dårlige laminatet og den trengte inn i glassfibrene. Det gjenstår se hvor god og varig løsning dette ble. :)

Always like to learn about new tools. Question: Can you use the shavings from this project as thickener for your epoxy? Might save a little money and recycle some waste product. Hi Ava your man needs some chicken soup.

Fun DYI Weekend :-) (Still not first)

Does anyone know if the Makita GelPlaner is available in the US ?

Do you think it would be ok to use the gel plane to remove the barrier coat

I light of how fast the gel plain is to use i would be inclined to shave the entire boat

Ava is smart. Listen to Ava. :)

where in norway are you guys going

did you try the gelplane on flat? after working in the hull, did you do a moisture test

I'm beginning to worry that exposed the hull could be reabsorbing moisture. I'd feel a lot better if you'd put the meter on it again. Also, now that you're shaving the hull how do you measure how thick it is without putting a hole in it?

I would think that the Marine shaver would be cutting what amounts to facets across the curved surfaces of your hull hence the high spot in between passes .

Any news on the rudder mads ? @Sail Life

How did you remove the gelcoat?