Blisters
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: General Correct Craft Discussion
Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Discription: Anything Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5242
Printed Date: May-15-2024 at 10:41pm
Topic: Blisters
Posted By: DeepCreekNauti
Subject: Blisters
Date Posted: November-20-2006 at 3:09pm
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Hello everyone,
I have a '86 2001. I have noticed on the hull are these blister like bumps. Not to many about 6 or 7 about the size of a dime. They are either at or below the water line. Any ideas where they come from and more importantly, how to fix them? The boat was only in the water since July. Is this some type of inboard boat STD? |
Replies:
Posted By: Tim D
Date Posted: November-20-2006 at 5:36pm
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It comes from not waxing the hull I guess. Water penetrates the gel coat. Mine is 40 years old and no blisters. A friend of mine has one the same age and he left it in the water a whole summer last year for the first time and it got blisters. ------------- Tim D |
Posted By: scott8370
Date Posted: November-20-2006 at 6:33pm
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Never leave a boat in the water for more than a few days at a time...unless you have bottom paint applied. ------------- Scott |
Posted By: Nautique Mike
Date Posted: November-21-2006 at 8:56am
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Guys-
I think it is called Hydrolisis. Check out West Marines Product (West System Epoxy). If you go to their web site you can download info on how to fix these blisters. Later- NM ------------- Nautique Mike |
Posted By: 81nautique
Date Posted: November-21-2006 at 10:02am
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All boats seem to act to this problem differently, I believe it has a lot to do with the porosity(sp) of the gelcoat and the rate at which the surface allows water to be absorbed. I had 2 inboards (MC's)that spent the whole summer in the water without bottom paint. One lasted 5 summers without a blister and the other blistered after one season.
------------- You can’t change the wind but you can adjust your sails |
Posted By: scott8370
Date Posted: November-21-2006 at 12:06pm
 I can see this post going into several pages talking about alot of tech. stuff....which is cool with me. But the bottom line is, Don't leave your boat in the water without bottom paint.------------- Scott |
Posted By: Tomski
Date Posted: November-21-2006 at 12:35pm
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It's called "osmosis". Older fibregla$$ boats all suffer from it to some extent if left in the water and some even in places that stay damp. Modern resins tend to be far more resistant to it, but I'm not sure that those resins are used on ski boats as they aren't, in general, left in the water.
It's caused by water penetrating the layup and reacting with chemicals in the resin, the blisters are caused by the reaction between the water and the chemicals. Fresh water is worse than salt, according to the tech man from International Paints because it's "thinner" and therefore osmoses more easily. Treatment is by either grinding out the blisters and allowing to dry and then filling with epoxy filler, for minor cases, and for major attacks removing the gelcoat, drying, filling and then coating up with a suitable epoxy paint. There you go, a bit techy, but understandable I hope. Oh, and it's an expensive, dirty and labour intensive job. ------------- Easily Parted From Money |
Posted By: DeepCreekNauti
Date Posted: November-21-2006 at 4:27pm
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Thanks everyone for all the great info. Should this be a priority repair? Also, will the blisters affect the integrity of the hull or is it cosmetic?
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Posted By: Tomski
Date Posted: November-22-2006 at 4:46am
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I suppose eventually they could start to reduce the hull integrity, but they tend to be on the surface of the layup and froce the gel off so they aren't really structural as such.
priority depends on how bad it is and how concerned you are about the look of the bottom of your boat. I guess on a planing craft they will hinder performance to a degree. People tend to think of osmosis treatment as a professional only job, but there's no mystery to it. You need to dry the hull properly so you need a moisture meter to check it. Then you need a warm dry place to fill it and paint it. Time is the major factor for the DIYer rather then skill. ------------- Easily Parted From Money |