I am looking at buying a 1988 Irwin 38, but it has numberous blisters into the fiber glass. Is this a common problem with Irwins, and did Irwin use fire proof fiberglass, which has proven to absorb water. Thanks for any information.
Blisters
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Since no one has had much to say on this I'll offer my 2 cents. Blisters happen to fiberglass boats that are kept in the water for long periods, not just Irwins. Blisters are caused by water seepage into the hull material and can be a major project to fix depending on the extent of blistering. If you do buy a boat with blisters you will want to bargain the price down to reflect the cost of the repair (several thousand U$). I do not believe that there is any kind of fiberglass that is fire proof. It will all eventually burn at a high enough temperature. There is a lot of information on the web on this subject. I suggest you do a search on 'boat hull blisters' for more information. Here is one link describing the repair process: http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/hullblisterrep_sezg.htm Good luck.
I must agree with Caleb, mostly. Blisters are just a fact of life with fiberglass boats. Not all boats blister. Boats from all manufacturers blister. It is not a particular problem with Irwins, any more than it is with any other manufacturer. I think that boats in the northern areas, that come out of the water every winter and have a chance to dry out probably blister less than those in the south that stay in the water year round. Don Pascoe has some pretty good information on his site, as do other surveyors. Barrier coats help, according to some, and are probably worth the money to apply. But if you already have the blister problem, it is expensive to fix. The only way to be sure is to pull the boat, and have a look. It is then easy to tell.
You're confusing...
the fireproof resin used on early production Valiants witht the general problems faced by ALL foberglass boats before vinylester resins began to be used (in the late 90's as I recall). An epoxy barrier coat treatment will forestall any blistering on older hulls that don't have them or have been repaired. Unless I was getting a BIG discount to cover a complete drying out/peel and resurface AND I had the time to spare...I would walk away from any boat with extensive blistering (even if non structural). There are too many good boats out there to be stuck with someone else's problems unless you like that sort of thing. A complete bottom job on an Irwin38 will be closer to $10-15k than 2K!
the fireproof resin used on early production Valiants witht the general problems faced by ALL foberglass boats before vinylester resins began to be used (in the late 90's as I recall). An epoxy barrier coat treatment will forestall any blistering on older hulls that don't have them or have been repaired. Unless I was getting a BIG discount to cover a complete drying out/peel and resurface AND I had the time to spare...I would walk away from any boat with extensive blistering (even if non structural). There are too many good boats out there to be stuck with someone else's problems unless you like that sort of thing. A complete bottom job on an Irwin38 will be closer to $10-15k than 2K!
It probably costs a lot less to do in Mexico
especially on labor costs (if you are not doing it yourself and who really wants to?). I am sure that it costs more to have this job done here in the NY area. The price of the boat is only the entry fee for a club with potentially very high dues.
especially on labor costs (if you are not doing it yourself and who really wants to?). I am sure that it costs more to have this job done here in the NY area. The price of the boat is only the entry fee for a club with potentially very high dues.
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