Delamination on hull--serious?

[David]

I was waxing the hull on my "new" boat (75 C27) today and noticed a large area (maybe 1 foot by 1 foot) of apparent delamination on port side near the bow. I can push it with my finger and get a popping or oilcanning sound as the gelcoat gives. The spot is centered on some 2 inch square crazing. The surveyor missed this and so did I until I got up close. Now what? Does this require an immediate fix? I note that most articles on delamination focus on decks...Thanks.

 

[Scott May]

Seen this firsthand

My 74 Catalina 27 has the same problem but more than one blister. In almost every blister (sizes ranging from 4"-13") the delamination occured between the heavy roving and the third layer of chopped mat, and mine were still filled with water. I don't believe than there is any major stucture damage on my boat as the hull below the waterline is so thick. My boat is in the drying process as i write this. I will be re-glassing w/ 2 layers of 1.5 oz cloth and using a filler. I believe these blisters were there long before i bought the boat and were ignored. I won't ignore the devolping blisters in the future. Take a look at the site I'm building for my cat 27, I have pictures of my "blisters" www.geocities.com/emofish1

 

[Rodney Kidd]

Impact?

David,Your description sounds like a classic example of impact damage. If the crazing you mention is not an osmotic blister, then the damage was caused by an impact to the hull. The crazing represents the actual impact point, and the surrounding oilcanning is damage to the laminate caused by the impact. The gel coat is crazed at the impact point because it is brittle and will not bend like the laminate. I would give your surveyor a call & get his opinion.Rodney KiddC-38 #297, Flying Bear