thru-hulls are something I don't care to leave to chance - sure there are lots of things that will work - you can loosen 5200 with heat or the 3m remover, in the meantime you can eliminate the wear and tear on your brain by having something you know is the ultimate product for the job. When I install something on a boat the last thing I worry about is how hard it will be to get off ...for me the whole idea is for it to stay on.