Have some small gel-coat blisters (from survey report) on the hull and transom. Have an est. to sandblast, 3 coats of barrier, 2 coats of bottom paint for $1159.00. Any blister repairs would be extra. Seems like a very low $ amount to me, any comments, wisdom. Thanks steve
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steve
additional
Blisters are very small to nickle size. Any harm in sailing the summer and getting it done next fall at haulout.
Blisters are very small to nickle size. Any harm in sailing the summer and getting it done next fall at haulout.
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David
Blister price
Yes you can wait to do the job next fall. However it would be nice to open the blisters now in order to dry the hull for awhile before repairs this spring. The price is very good but I would get a price that includes the blister repairs.
Yes you can wait to do the job next fall. However it would be nice to open the blisters now in order to dry the hull for awhile before repairs this spring. The price is very good but I would get a price that includes the blister repairs.
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Jim WIllis
The blister repair costs will be much more
The labor and (especially) the lay days will make the $1100 or whatever seem very small. If possible get the boat somewhere where you can dry out the blisters (after opening and rinsing) preferably for free. Then do the blisters yourself according to the guidelines in Fiberglass Trilogy III (see Gelcoat and Plastics forum, up and to the right). However the barrier coating, and all thant you could still have done becuse of the fumes and mess. Try to dictate the type of coatings and materials used. It could be that the price includes "cheap stuff" Best of Luck Jim Willis
The labor and (especially) the lay days will make the $1100 or whatever seem very small. If possible get the boat somewhere where you can dry out the blisters (after opening and rinsing) preferably for free. Then do the blisters yourself according to the guidelines in Fiberglass Trilogy III (see Gelcoat and Plastics forum, up and to the right). However the barrier coating, and all thant you could still have done becuse of the fumes and mess. Try to dictate the type of coatings and materials used. It could be that the price includes "cheap stuff" Best of Luck Jim Willis
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John Buckham
Blisters...
It may not be necessary to repair all of your blisters, maybe none. Check out www.yachtsurvey.com and see what they say about blisters. A local boat yard here seems to feel more harm is done repairing small blisters, then just letting them go. There does come a point repairs must be done, but small up to nickel size may not require repairs at this time.
It may not be necessary to repair all of your blisters, maybe none. Check out www.yachtsurvey.com and see what they say about blisters. A local boat yard here seems to feel more harm is done repairing small blisters, then just letting them go. There does come a point repairs must be done, but small up to nickel size may not require repairs at this time.
No sense in barrier coating and not repairing!
Steve: Are you purchasing this boat? I see no reason to do a barrier coat if you are not going to repair the blisters. I assume that the boat is on the hard now! My advice is to open all the blisters and let them weep. Flush them out if required and then do the repair job before you do the barrier and bottom paint.
Steve: Are you purchasing this boat? I see no reason to do a barrier coat if you are not going to repair the blisters. I assume that the boat is on the hard now! My advice is to open all the blisters and let them weep. Flush them out if required and then do the repair job before you do the barrier and bottom paint.
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R.W.Landau
Blister problems
Steve, I agree with Steve Dion. No sense in barrier coating if you don't repair the blisters. If you have nickle size blisters, I would repair them. These blisters have an acid in them that will eventually create problems in deeper layers of the fiberglass. It is important to dry them completely and to flush them on a regular basis to remove the acid residue. An air dry could take months. Your best bet may be to sail the summer and pop those blisters next fall and tend to them over the winter and let someone patch and barrier coat in the spring. I would line someone up asap so that you are first on the list for the spring and also get their idea on what they want done prior to them doing the repair work. Blisters are there largest when the boat come out of the water and you will find most of them. If the boat has been on the hard for anylenght of time some blisters my actually dissapear till the next time the boat sets in the water.Just because they dissapear doesn't mean they are ok. Sometimes they dissapear due to lack of moisture. The acid residue is still there. r.w.landau
Steve, I agree with Steve Dion. No sense in barrier coating if you don't repair the blisters. If you have nickle size blisters, I would repair them. These blisters have an acid in them that will eventually create problems in deeper layers of the fiberglass. It is important to dry them completely and to flush them on a regular basis to remove the acid residue. An air dry could take months. Your best bet may be to sail the summer and pop those blisters next fall and tend to them over the winter and let someone patch and barrier coat in the spring. I would line someone up asap so that you are first on the list for the spring and also get their idea on what they want done prior to them doing the repair work. Blisters are there largest when the boat come out of the water and you will find most of them. If the boat has been on the hard for anylenght of time some blisters my actually dissapear till the next time the boat sets in the water.Just because they dissapear doesn't mean they are ok. Sometimes they dissapear due to lack of moisture. The acid residue is still there. r.w.landau
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Doug Margison
If you do it, do it right!
If you are going to barrier coat your hull it only makes sense to repair the blisters now. Do it right. You must ensure that all blisters are completely opened up and drained and rinsed. It is also very important to ensure the hull is dried down to optimum moisture content of about 13% before doing any filling. If not, the blisters will come back. Plan to have the boat on the hard for at least three months. You may want to have the hull blasted, but doing the blister repair and subsequent barrier coat is easy for an amature as long as you don't mind working with epoxies, and follow the manufacturers instructions closely. My first boat was an old '70 Catalina. I got her for a deeply discounted price because the boat had faily estensive blistering (sever hundred but all under the size of a silver dollar). My son and I took it on as a project. It took us collectively 200 hrs to strip the hull down, repair the blisters, and barrier coat. We starrted in January and let the hull dry until May when we started the filling. We live in BC Canada so not a good time of year to do this, but we protected from the weather with poly and used a dehumidifier to draw moisture out. When we finished the bottom looked like a new boat, and 6 years later when I went to sell her, the bottom was still sound with only a handfull of blisters. As a result we made a bit of a profit on our endeavor which we put toward the purchase of our Hunter. Best wishes and good luck, Doug Margison, SV Mokum II
If you are going to barrier coat your hull it only makes sense to repair the blisters now. Do it right. You must ensure that all blisters are completely opened up and drained and rinsed. It is also very important to ensure the hull is dried down to optimum moisture content of about 13% before doing any filling. If not, the blisters will come back. Plan to have the boat on the hard for at least three months. You may want to have the hull blasted, but doing the blister repair and subsequent barrier coat is easy for an amature as long as you don't mind working with epoxies, and follow the manufacturers instructions closely. My first boat was an old '70 Catalina. I got her for a deeply discounted price because the boat had faily estensive blistering (sever hundred but all under the size of a silver dollar). My son and I took it on as a project. It took us collectively 200 hrs to strip the hull down, repair the blisters, and barrier coat. We starrted in January and let the hull dry until May when we started the filling. We live in BC Canada so not a good time of year to do this, but we protected from the weather with poly and used a dehumidifier to draw moisture out. When we finished the bottom looked like a new boat, and 6 years later when I went to sell her, the bottom was still sound with only a handfull of blisters. As a result we made a bit of a profit on our endeavor which we put toward the purchase of our Hunter. Best wishes and good luck, Doug Margison, SV Mokum II
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Jim A
Your right it's cheap
I got a price of of $2000 for a 21 foot boat. First off you should get 5 coats of barrier and 3 coats of bottom paint. Get the best paint you can. Paint the first coat a different color so when the first two wear off you can see it and it is time to re-paint of touch up! If you love your boat, you would let them sandblast. I hear the paint removing strip work really well. Please let us know what you do!
I got a price of of $2000 for a 21 foot boat. First off you should get 5 coats of barrier and 3 coats of bottom paint. Get the best paint you can. Paint the first coat a different color so when the first two wear off you can see it and it is time to re-paint of touch up! If you love your boat, you would let them sandblast. I hear the paint removing strip work really well. Please let us know what you do!
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Jeff
blisters
If u plan to keep this boat in the water all year I would fix them. My friends dad builds boats (sail) He has told me blisters are over rated. Tom has had boats with blisters for 5 years and had no problems. (His advice to me was watch them if any sign of them getting worse then fix) I have also been told sand blasting is bad for your boat if not done right.
If u plan to keep this boat in the water all year I would fix them. My friends dad builds boats (sail) He has told me blisters are over rated. Tom has had boats with blisters for 5 years and had no problems. (His advice to me was watch them if any sign of them getting worse then fix) I have also been told sand blasting is bad for your boat if not done right.
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Jim WIllis
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steve
Thanks
The boat by the way is a Catalina 27 tall rig, think the brain was moving faster than my fingers when I typed. I have since gotten 7 more est. They average around $4000 to peel, epoxy, barrier coat the boat. I'll probably offer $3-4000 less for the boat and plan on sailing it for the summer. The blisters are very scattered and hardly noticable. I'll have it hauled for the winter in Sept or so and have it stored and worked on at a yard near my home. They are also gonna put in Bronze thru hauls and seacocks when they do the bottom. I'll consider fixing it myself if the blisters don't get dramatically worse this summer. Thanks for all your imput, keep it coming if you have anything additional. Fair winds and following seas. steve
The boat by the way is a Catalina 27 tall rig, think the brain was moving faster than my fingers when I typed. I have since gotten 7 more est. They average around $4000 to peel, epoxy, barrier coat the boat. I'll probably offer $3-4000 less for the boat and plan on sailing it for the summer. The blisters are very scattered and hardly noticable. I'll have it hauled for the winter in Sept or so and have it stored and worked on at a yard near my home. They are also gonna put in Bronze thru hauls and seacocks when they do the bottom. I'll consider fixing it myself if the blisters don't get dramatically worse this summer. Thanks for all your imput, keep it coming if you have anything additional. Fair winds and following seas. steve
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TC
Careful consideration re: sandblast
I would follow the advice of checking out www.yachtsurvey.com. The site provides a great deal of thoughtful discussion on blisters and their repair. The author advises to never sandblast, and makes a strong point that the "repair" can cause more damage than the blisters if left alone.
I would follow the advice of checking out www.yachtsurvey.com. The site provides a great deal of thoughtful discussion on blisters and their repair. The author advises to never sandblast, and makes a strong point that the "repair" can cause more damage than the blisters if left alone.
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woolworth
elbow grease
proves what a 10dollar can of the best quality woolworth elbow grease will stop. then a couple of waxings of fleetwax every year to finish off.
proves what a 10dollar can of the best quality woolworth elbow grease will stop. then a couple of waxings of fleetwax every year to finish off.
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Tim Leighton
BLISTER REPAIR
Steve: I also agree with Steve Dion and others who recommend you "do it right" and get everything done. The price you quoted also seems VERY low and I'd suspect hidden costs. A friend had it done here a few years ago and his cost was well over $3000 for a 34' boat. If it were me and the boat is on the hard right now, I'd make "temporary" repairs to the blisters you've got, and throw a coat of paint on the bottom. Next fall, when you haul, have the bottom stripped, allow to dry over the winter, and then repair any blisters, barrier coat the bottom, paint and enjoy the sailing. In other words do it right...next haulout. I don't think you've got time remaining this winter/spring for your hull to properly dry. Of course, this is dependent on the amount of moisture in the hull and only your boatyard can advise you there (using a moisture meter). I realize this may sound like a band-aid approach, but in the long run I think you will be happier with the results. Good luck and smooth sailing! Tim Leighton (S/V "Magic")
Steve: I also agree with Steve Dion and others who recommend you "do it right" and get everything done. The price you quoted also seems VERY low and I'd suspect hidden costs. A friend had it done here a few years ago and his cost was well over $3000 for a 34' boat. If it were me and the boat is on the hard right now, I'd make "temporary" repairs to the blisters you've got, and throw a coat of paint on the bottom. Next fall, when you haul, have the bottom stripped, allow to dry over the winter, and then repair any blisters, barrier coat the bottom, paint and enjoy the sailing. In other words do it right...next haulout. I don't think you've got time remaining this winter/spring for your hull to properly dry. Of course, this is dependent on the amount of moisture in the hull and only your boatyard can advise you there (using a moisture meter). I realize this may sound like a band-aid approach, but in the long run I think you will be happier with the results. Good luck and smooth sailing! Tim Leighton (S/V "Magic")
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