blistering Pearsons

[capta]

Good day all,
I was wondering if any of you who own Pearsons have had any problem with blistering.
Last summer our vessel was caught in a large (60,000+ gallon) fuel oil spill in East Providence, RI. For several days we sat in the massive spill, aggravated by improper placement of the containment booms and orders from the USCG not to move our vessel(s) so as not to spread the contamination.
Today I was snorkeling and noticed blisters developing along the waterline. For a fact they were not there when I had a pre-purchase survey done before I bought the boat a couple of years ago.
I can not, at this point, say there is a definite connection, but fuel oil is not a good thing for a polyester vessel to spend any time in.
There are no blisters anywhere else on the hull, above or below the waterline. I have several friends with 530's and none of them has ever heard of a 530 (or any other Pearson) with blistering problems.
Any thoughts?????
Thanks,
Captain Andrew

 

[arf145]

No blistering on our 87 P28-2.

 

[tommays]

It is my understanding that oil can damage the bottom-paint and i would check if that is the case

 

[RichH]

Pearsons of any age were not noted for 'blisters', other than very teeny 'cosmetic' blisters in the matting layer between the gelcoat layer and the roving layer. Even this condition of minor 'cosmetic' blisters disappeared in the early 80s when better resins and techniques became available. The Pearsons were the leading pioneers in fiberglass construction - they were the 'best' among the fiberglass boat builders.

If you're going to file a claim, suggest you hire a (rare) knowledgeable in composite fiberglass construction surveyor, do some destructive 'core sampling' and send these core samples to a 'materials laboratory' who specializes in forensic fiberglass/composite laminate analysis including 'chemical' analysis to determine the cause.
Clinton and Everett Pearson are probably still actively involved in marine fiberglass construction. Its been some time but one of them was recently deeply involved in J-boats and I think the other was involved in fiberglass marine pilings. I suggest you do websearch, locate them and get their opinion on how to proceed if you are proceeding on a claim, etc. - Clinton and/or Everett are not 'common' names so a websearch may be easy. One of them may recommend a 'lab' familiar with their layup schedules, etc. to do the analysis.

Good luck.

 

[capta]

Thanks for the in depth answer. We will certainly follow the course suggested.
The bottom paint, especially around the waterline is certainly corrupted and mostly gone and it will obviously require a complete stripping, barrier coating and repainting. A job we had not expected, nor needed before some idiot cut through a huge pipe running from the ship to the storage tanks while they were pumping!
Again, thanks for the replies, all.
Captain Andrew

 

[RobertLangdirect]

. . .Last summer our vessel was caught in a large (60,000+ gallon) fuel oil spill in East Providence, RI. For several days we sat in the massive spill, aggravated by improper placement of the containment booms and orders from the USCG not to move our vessel(s) so as not to spread the contamination. . . .

Before she was GOOD TRADE, my Pearson was caught in a diesel spill in Charleston SC. The once-in-a-while cup of diesel in a marina fuel area is not a major spill, but in our case, the spill was in fact major and the hull contaminated. The solution was to strip the contaminated paint, barrier coat, and gel coat and rebuild the hull.

Maybe you need to find out who caused the spill and how they are going to restore your boat. You may guess that the petrochemicals have hrt your hull, but in fact, there is presidence (in Charleston) where the insurance company for a ship agreed.

 

[capta]

Thank you very much for that info. Can you give us any more info, like the date, incident # w/ the EPA/ USCG, insurance co, owner at the time or any way to find the case if it went to court.
We know who's responsible & they're trying not to pay. A president will really help.
Thanks again.

 

[higgs]

I would certainly document your situation with dated photos. How big and how prevelant are the blisters?