A beautiful boat to look at and to sail. The boat was built in '84. (not the new 38) However the blister problem is beginning to wear on me. I look at other boats in the marina and wonder why Me! Can anyone give me some hope as to a reasonable cure and cost to repair. Most of the little devils are small (nickel size or smaller). I'm retired with limited funds and sailing this boat is my favorite recreation on the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay.
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Blisters
This is mostly bad but probably not disasterous news. Blisters are caused by the presence of some water soluble material in the hull resin. If you go back in time you realize the energy shocks of '73 and '79 caused lots of suppliers of plastics to rethink their formulations. Unfortunately that included boat manufacturers. Most blisters tend to occur near the surface of the hull and only in very rare instances will they cause structural problems. But you must address them since they'll only get worse with time. This is not a cheap process and basically involves removal and replacement of the fiberglass in the effected area down to where it is solid again. I recommend you try to do this yourself in the off season. Working in fiberglass is not particularly difficult. If you are afraid to get started, go talk to the guys in your local Corvette club. I'm sure they'll point you in the right direction. Having it done professionally is quite expensive as it is labor-intensive. But the good news is you can fix it yourself a little at a time. Best of luck to you!
This is mostly bad but probably not disasterous news. Blisters are caused by the presence of some water soluble material in the hull resin. If you go back in time you realize the energy shocks of '73 and '79 caused lots of suppliers of plastics to rethink their formulations. Unfortunately that included boat manufacturers. Most blisters tend to occur near the surface of the hull and only in very rare instances will they cause structural problems. But you must address them since they'll only get worse with time. This is not a cheap process and basically involves removal and replacement of the fiberglass in the effected area down to where it is solid again. I recommend you try to do this yourself in the off season. Working in fiberglass is not particularly difficult. If you are afraid to get started, go talk to the guys in your local Corvette club. I'm sure they'll point you in the right direction. Having it done professionally is quite expensive as it is labor-intensive. But the good news is you can fix it yourself a little at a time. Best of luck to you!
You think YOU got blisters...not a problem...
I remember reading somewhere..."there is nothing I can not fix with fiberglass!" $500 to "peel" the bottom of my boat (C-27) and a lot of elbow grease sanding out the big blisters and filling them with epoxy and fiberglass, roll a new barrier coat on, then sand, fill and fair and sand, fill and fair...no problem! HAHA! Big job but doable.
I remember reading somewhere..."there is nothing I can not fix with fiberglass!" $500 to "peel" the bottom of my boat (C-27) and a lot of elbow grease sanding out the big blisters and filling them with epoxy and fiberglass, roll a new barrier coat on, then sand, fill and fair and sand, fill and fair...no problem! HAHA! Big job but doable.
Blisters
Greg, how 'bout some more info...how long was the boat in the water, fresh or salt, where was it? Looks like major surgery.
Greg, how 'bout some more info...how long was the boat in the water, fresh or salt, where was it? Looks like major surgery.
A bit more info..
Actually, I bought the boat like that. It was out of water when I bought it. I got it from a couple who had recently bought it themselves and decided not to undertake the repairs. I managed to track down the previous, previous owner (it's an '85 C27 and to the best of my knowledge, I am the 5th owner) and he had bought it in the water, had no idea the last time it was hauled, kept in in Lake Okeechobee in FL (brakish), and never hauled it for the 5 years he had owned it. I guess in other words, its been ridden hard and put away wet for a long time
I had her on the hard for two months. Never really totaled up the cost (I'm scared to) but I'd guess $3G's, including the yard fees, but I had a lot more work to do than just the bottom. Having the bottom peeled was the only part I sub'd out. I did the rest with a bit of help from my brother. Here she is just before being splashed:
Actually, I bought the boat like that. It was out of water when I bought it. I got it from a couple who had recently bought it themselves and decided not to undertake the repairs. I managed to track down the previous, previous owner (it's an '85 C27 and to the best of my knowledge, I am the 5th owner) and he had bought it in the water, had no idea the last time it was hauled, kept in in Lake Okeechobee in FL (brakish), and never hauled it for the 5 years he had owned it. I guess in other words, its been ridden hard and put away wet for a long time
I had her on the hard for two months. Never really totaled up the cost (I'm scared to) but I'd guess $3G's, including the yard fees, but I had a lot more work to do than just the bottom. Having the bottom peeled was the only part I sub'd out. I did the rest with a bit of help from my brother. Here she is just before being splashed:Not a Popular Answer, but....
Okay, here is the real issue that no one talks about... the fact that just because a boat has blisters, does not necessarily mean it has a structural problem. A psychological problem yes, but if the blisters are small, they are only cosmetic and are probably not into the woven glass. The boating industry has been very successful in scaring boat owners into believing that their bottoms should be peeled. If you do the research, you will also find boats with re-peeled bottoms can get blisters again! If you plan to keep the boat for a while, you probably can do nothing for years with no structural damage to the vessel. Just check it IMMEDIATELY after it comes out of the water to see what the blisters are doing. Circle the blister becuase it will fade away as the boat sits. Fix only the ones that get larger than a quarter to prevent penetration into the wovencloth. Unless you do a full bottom peel, you could spend countless hours fixing the very small existing blisters only to have new ones appear in a year or two. (in some cases, once the initial blisters form, no new ones ever form) Remember who benefits from boats with blisters, BOATYARD REPAIR FACILITIES, so of course they are going to sing the dangers. When you go to sell your boat the brokers will tell you, "Oh, we can't give you that price, the bottom has blisters". When you go look at a boat with blisters, the brokers say, "well blisters aren't really a problem their just cosmetic". Do some serious research on the internet regarding the causes, extent and progression of the blisters. You may find you don't really need to do anything than monitor and fix the "problem" blisters. The vast majority of boats that have blisters are cosmetic only. I know this will not be a popular point of view, but what the hey....
Okay, here is the real issue that no one talks about... the fact that just because a boat has blisters, does not necessarily mean it has a structural problem. A psychological problem yes, but if the blisters are small, they are only cosmetic and are probably not into the woven glass. The boating industry has been very successful in scaring boat owners into believing that their bottoms should be peeled. If you do the research, you will also find boats with re-peeled bottoms can get blisters again! If you plan to keep the boat for a while, you probably can do nothing for years with no structural damage to the vessel. Just check it IMMEDIATELY after it comes out of the water to see what the blisters are doing. Circle the blister becuase it will fade away as the boat sits. Fix only the ones that get larger than a quarter to prevent penetration into the wovencloth. Unless you do a full bottom peel, you could spend countless hours fixing the very small existing blisters only to have new ones appear in a year or two. (in some cases, once the initial blisters form, no new ones ever form) Remember who benefits from boats with blisters, BOATYARD REPAIR FACILITIES, so of course they are going to sing the dangers. When you go to sell your boat the brokers will tell you, "Oh, we can't give you that price, the bottom has blisters". When you go look at a boat with blisters, the brokers say, "well blisters aren't really a problem their just cosmetic". Do some serious research on the internet regarding the causes, extent and progression of the blisters. You may find you don't really need to do anything than monitor and fix the "problem" blisters. The vast majority of boats that have blisters are cosmetic only. I know this will not be a popular point of view, but what the hey....
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