Well, for the third season the boat is hauled and we can see how badly our 1980 H27, "Boatwright", blistered on her starboard side. I've been grinding them out in the fall, letting them dry all winter and filling with Marine-Tex every spring. We are not going to have a 1980 boat peeled and rebuilt--the cost would be a fraction of her resale value (her worth, as most of you would agree about your boats, is near priceless). Two questions: 1) Would epoxy with filler be better? 2) Is there a better way to attack this problem? Thanks to all for your help.
- Status
go West System
I completed the repairs to my H30 last fall and used West System and mixed the filler to a PeanutButter consistancy and then sanded off excess. The biggest thing is to go after the blisters agressive. If you do not get it cut out all the way it will come back. A very small say the size of pencil lead needs to be cut open to the size of the dime. GET AGGRESIVE Any left over juice of the blister will cause you more problems. The matt of the glass will "Wick" and if its not dry IT WILL cause problems.
I completed the repairs to my H30 last fall and used West System and mixed the filler to a PeanutButter consistancy and then sanded off excess. The biggest thing is to go after the blisters agressive. If you do not get it cut out all the way it will come back. A very small say the size of pencil lead needs to be cut open to the size of the dime. GET AGGRESIVE Any left over juice of the blister will cause you more problems. The matt of the glass will "Wick" and if its not dry IT WILL cause problems.
After The MarineTex
After you finish the job with the MarineTex, the real fix is to put on one of the epoxy barrier coats. I put Interlux 2000/2001 on an old MacGregor I own many years ago and it completely stopped the blistering problem. You will need to rough sand the bottom down to the gelcoat. Don't be shy, the barrier coat is thick and will cover any deep sanding marks. It will cost some at the beginning but it will stop the blister problem permanently!
After you finish the job with the MarineTex, the real fix is to put on one of the epoxy barrier coats. I put Interlux 2000/2001 on an old MacGregor I own many years ago and it completely stopped the blistering problem. You will need to rough sand the bottom down to the gelcoat. Don't be shy, the barrier coat is thick and will cover any deep sanding marks. It will cost some at the beginning but it will stop the blister problem permanently!
marine tex would be ok, but my experience is
that it is harder to sand and fair. I used west systems epoxy and it was more predictable on kick time (I used fast kick hardener) and sanded much better and was nice to change to different fillers depending on what stage I was at... filling or fairing. Two types of fillers... one structural the other more for fairing.. together work well as a two or three step process. West System Epoxy seems to me the best choice of all. Then maybe consider the barrier coat thing, I did after a 60 day dry out and aggressive attack on blisters. Hope it works for me, but I will let everyone know the out come in 3 years. By the time I got the bottom paint on she looked like a brand new hull. Can't wait to go sailing, its been since July 4th that she has had her sails up. Time is'a gettin short.... the need for speed, well, movement under sail, is here. good luck, and God's speed and blessings.
that it is harder to sand and fair. I used west systems epoxy and it was more predictable on kick time (I used fast kick hardener) and sanded much better and was nice to change to different fillers depending on what stage I was at... filling or fairing. Two types of fillers... one structural the other more for fairing.. together work well as a two or three step process. West System Epoxy seems to me the best choice of all. Then maybe consider the barrier coat thing, I did after a 60 day dry out and aggressive attack on blisters. Hope it works for me, but I will let everyone know the out come in 3 years. By the time I got the bottom paint on she looked like a brand new hull. Can't wait to go sailing, its been since July 4th that she has had her sails up. Time is'a gettin short.... the need for speed, well, movement under sail, is here. good luck, and God's speed and blessings.
why not gelcoat?
I have a '74 H-25 with a really bad set of spider-webs on the starboard side under the shrouds. The easiest fix seems to be to sand it all out a little and trowel in new gelcoat. The hardest part of this, other than the moderation of time and elbow grease, is matching the colour-- there were several degrees of 'white' available back then and all fade. On Warren Luhr's '77 Cherubini 44 he had us bolt the chainplates through the hull and putty up the holes with gelcoat, and I remember the colour did not match and it was a bear of a job fairing it in enough so you could not notice. But as for smoothness and longevity it could not be beat. It is inevitable that dissimilar materials will part company. I say go with the gelcoat. MIx with a little filler (and wax!) and go patiently and gently as with Bondo on a car. JC 2
I have a '74 H-25 with a really bad set of spider-webs on the starboard side under the shrouds. The easiest fix seems to be to sand it all out a little and trowel in new gelcoat. The hardest part of this, other than the moderation of time and elbow grease, is matching the colour-- there were several degrees of 'white' available back then and all fade. On Warren Luhr's '77 Cherubini 44 he had us bolt the chainplates through the hull and putty up the holes with gelcoat, and I remember the colour did not match and it was a bear of a job fairing it in enough so you could not notice. But as for smoothness and longevity it could not be beat. It is inevitable that dissimilar materials will part company. I say go with the gelcoat. MIx with a little filler (and wax!) and go patiently and gently as with Bondo on a car. JC 2
- Status