Abstract: An apparatus for peeling a layer from a surface, including a nonplanar surface such as the hull of a ship, comprises a rotatable substantially cylindrical support with at least two peeling knives projecting from an outer surface thereof. An annular guiding element surrounds each end of the substantially cylindrical support, and these annular guiding elements have different diameters. Preferably, the peeling knives are spaced unequally around the circumference of the substantially cylindrical support.