Blisters - To Repair or not to repair.....

ggrizzard · May 6, 2023

Repair them. They will only get worse and cost more over time.

stickinthemud57 · May 6, 2023

ggrizzard said:
Repair them. They will only get worse and cost more over time.

+1

Sailfanatic · May 6, 2023

Crusty Ol Salt said:
I have been finding quotes like this in other sailing forums.

I guess I disagree about blisters. They are usually at the surface. If you are not racing and looking for a polished bottom who cares about blisters. Most boats have some. You will get growth on the bottom that slows you way more. I only use VC 17. No paint build up. No peeling. No sanding. Easy! I personall6 would not fix blisters unless I was hard-core racing."

I had a friend who did is bottom last fall and did the same thing.

I thought it was the right thing to repair all blisters, is this true or not?

Most boats do not have blisters. Most of those few that did, the blisters have been repaired, epoxy-coated and you cant tell the problem ever existed. A boat with obvious blisters is a rare case and in need of a new owner.

JohnKeating · May 6, 2023

I don't know how many boats have blisters, or how much they slow you down, or the best way to fix them.
But this is my experience:
I bought my Ericson 27 from Petaluma Sea Scouts, as is. No guarantee.
The deceased hadn't used it in 10-15 years. Family lived in FL, didn't want the old gal. She had a Volvo MD7A saildrive, which started. That lured me. No survey, and my first sailboat.
I dove the boat and scraped the hull, then crossed the San Pablo Bay and up to Napa Marina for a haulout. After the pressure wash it looked great.
Later that day, and the next, the blisters started to appear.It was awful. I was distraught.
Kelly, one of the many helpful people at the marina, told me: All boats that live in the water have blisters. Fix the big ones. Apply Interlux 2000E epoxy primer. Paint bottom. and resplash. I had lots of pimples. One big one that was six inches in diameter, down to the lead, maybe 3/4" thick. Fixed.
Next haulout: 3 years later there were some blisters, but the primer apparently was worth the cost. This haulout I resealed the saildrive oil seals, and worked on the rudder shaft.

jssailem · May 6, 2023

My boat lives in the briny waters of our Port of Everett Marina 24/7/365. I had her Hauled Jan 2018.
Here bottom had blisters. They looked like this.

When sanding the larger ones the bottom looked like a patchwork quilt.

Siting on the hard the moisture drained. The excavated blisters were faired with thickened epoxy. Then sanded fair.
Painted over with a barrier coat and then bottom paint.
Ready to splash in March 2018.

Jump 5 years forward to Feb 2023 and I again hauled the boat. Bottom had similar boat acne blisters.

After sanding the blue bottom paint and dishing out the more noticeable blisters

The offending acne was again filled with thickened epoxy and covered with 2 coats of barrier paint.
Then any remaining rough spots were sanded and 2 coats of bottom paint were applied.

A pleasing sight, smoothed bottom and boat splashed. Ready for another few years of cruising.

If I only had a motor, then that is another thread.

Mac Smith · May 8, 2023

I've never heard of a boat sinking because of blisters, and been sailing 24 years.
I had only 2 on one boat I owned, and left them alone.
Yet another boat was covered in blisters and I repaired every one of them.
You could wait and do it after the season, at least that's my thought.

Blisters - To Repair or not to repair.....

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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