Blisters

[Mac McComish]

I have had my 33 1978 for about 4 years and really love this boat have not had many problems just the ones you would expect for and older boat. When I bought her i noticed small blisters on the aft port side. They look like my bost has the chicken pocks. They havn't grown over the years until this year when i uncovered her from winter storage. I notice another place where they are. It could be that I over looked them from the beginning. the mind slpis a little when you get a little older.Does anyone know what they are and what I should do if anything?ThanksMacS/V THe Rose

 

[Steve Dion]

are you sure they aren't paint blisters?

Mac:Are you sure they are not paint blisters. Scrap off the paint in that area and check. If this is the extent of your blistering I would not worry much about them.If you decide it is time to do something you may want to open all the blisters and rinse them with distilled water. Flush them out every couple of days and then fill them with a suitable product. Sand the area and apply a couple of coats of epoxy barrier coat. Then repaint the bottom or the specific area.

 

[Jeff]

Before you apply anything

to the open blister, be sure you have dried them with 2-3 applications of acetone to remove all traces of moisture. Acetone sucks upH20 like a sponge.Many older boats have blisters; If they are not'spongy' they probably are not a problem. If you can push them in and they feel spongey, it means they are filled with water, and you will need to follow Steves procedure.

 

[bobdilk1]

This is a topic with much variation in thoughts.Some people would recommend a complete stripping of the bottom, months of dry-out time and complete repair with epoxy based sealer.The other school says watch and wait. Small blisters do not effect the structure. Or you can do like I did and open all the blisters, use acetone to dry out. Use epoxy filler to repair. prep the epoxy and rebottom paint.Ya pays your money and see what happens....I will tell you in 3 years how it worked out.Bob

 

[bobdilk1]

Pin Holes

I have the same issue on my 1981 Hunter 25that I just purchasedI think it is caused due to air bubbles in the gelcoat close to the surface.I used a dremel tool to clean out the pin holes and filled with a polyester gelcoat repair. Polyester based repair is best above the waterline due to better UV tolerance. Epoxy does not due well with UV exposure.I will tell you next year how it holds upBob