c & c blisters

DeniseO30 · Oct 17, 2009

Very rare that blisters are so bad you need a total peel. My boat had maybe a hundred or so at the water line, when we sanded the whole bottom they pretty much were just in the top of the gelcoat. a few dozen were deep enough to break out and filll, none were wet or full of moisture. my boats an 82 I'm sure yours isnt' that bad. but you are getting surveyed right?

Maine Sail · Oct 17, 2009

nroach said:
I've been looking at a '91 C&C 34+. Great boat in great condition, except....
I am told that there are small blisters below the water line which are theoretically caused by this boat being moved from the salt to fresh about 5 years ago. I've been told that they could be only cosmetic or they could be deeper in the gel or the laminates.Everyone has a different idea about the cause and seriousness. Some say it would be a full peel fix and some say that they wouldn't think that they are any problem. There is no question that they do affect the saleability of the boat and theus the price.
Anybody have any experience with this problem and any ideas?

With blisters it's tough to know until you get in there. One other area you will want to pay good attention to is the hulls core below the water line. About 6-7 years ago I was looking at some C&C's, three different boats, each of them had serious moisture issues in the hull below the waterline. The repairs on these boats would have run nearly as much as the asking price. Obviously I did not buy any of the three..

There are lots of used boats out there. I would continue looking for one that does not, or may not, require major repairs. Blister repair, done right, can get expensive. If not attended to it will only continue to worsen. You also need to think of future re-sale..

Barnacle Bill · Oct 17, 2009

Well, one way of determining if you have a serious problem or not is to have a qualified person take a moisture meter reading of your hull to see if there are elevated levels of moisture. If you have some blisters, but the moisture content is not alarming, then no sense spending a lot of money. If you have lots of moisture content, then you might want to pass on the boat (if you are thinking of buying it) or modify the price accordingly to account for the cost of a blister job. It has been documented that a 30 foot boat with a bad blister problem can add 1,000 lbs of water weight. Sanding blisters, as one person suggested, might get rid of them visually, but blister problems are in the gelcoat and have to be opened up to dry and then a series of epoxy applications must be done on a dry hull to provide an adequate barrier coat so this does not happen again.

RUSHIN · Oct 25, 2009

Had similar situation occur last month while looking at a new boat...walked away from it after owner refused to counter with acceptable acknowledgement of the problem. This boat would likely cost 7.5-10K for a complete peel, resin filler,faring and new bottom paint done in a quality way at a reputable yard. I would simply low ball (subtracting the items that arent up to standard ie sails etc and the value of new bottom work from the asking price) the broker/owner and see what he does...if he doesnt acknowledge it in a meaningful way then run in the other direction as the other gentleman have coached. You dont want to buy someone elses problem...

Michael Cotton · Nov 1, 2009

We bought a 1990 C&C 37+ with blisters. It cost 9K for a complete peel, repair, buildup & paint. The 9K was reflected in our purchase price. In searching for a repair facility, everyone would do the job, but only one would guarantee it. Osprey marine in Deale Md. specializes in blister jobs. I highly recommend them.
Michael Cotton

zeehag · Nov 1, 2009

i had blisters on my 1978 islander 26 , i was given an estimate of 23k to hull tek the boat hull--peel and re place with layers of glass and epoxy yada yada----i didnt do that---i fillled each one after drying the hull and saved over 18k---i was also advised that blisters are over rated---that they are NOT gonnas sink the boat nor are they going to cause any performance deficit...therefore just leave them alone. go figger. the person who told me that is a yacht builder and another is a surveyor--go figger......if they tunnel or have holes in center of them, then fix'em. otherwise--let them be--they WILL happen. thank th eEPA for that one..seriously.

c & c blisters

nroach

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DeniseO30

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Maine Sail

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Barnacle Bill

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RUSHIN

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Michael Cotton

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zeehag

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