I have a boat that has been in the water at least 10 years possibly 20. On a freshwater lake with higher salinity level. If clean the bottom off, do I run the risk of having to repair it? Is the algae keeping my bottom sealed?
Dirty bottom.
- Thread starter gtg
- Start date
I'm assuming the boat is made with fiberglass. After sitting in the water for 10-20 years, there's a good chance that the boat has blisters on the bottom. If it has a proper barrier coat on it, you might not have any damage. I doubt that algae will seal the bottom. There's only one way to find out for sure. Pull the boat and start scraping.
Algae doesn’t seal it.
After you clean it, you’ll see whatever condition it is in. It’ll be the same as before, just cleaner and youwill be able to see it.
I agree with the others that there is no risk in hauling the boat and removing the algae. At a minimum you’ll probably want to lightly sand and repaint to inhibit future growth. Depending on the condition of the existing paint and gelcoat (whether the paint is peeling or if there are blisters in the gelcoat) you may need to work further before repainting. In any case you won’t be any worse off having hauled it, just maybe more aware of what defects are there.
20 years? Don't touch it! The fiberglass, at this point, has almost certainly been completely replaced by the algae. You will dissolve the hull if you try to clean it. Kidding. You really need to pull the boat out of the water and clean and repaint and fix any blisters. In the meantime clean off the algae in the water. The problem is that, until you repaint it, the algae will regrow on the hull very quickly.
My grandson had a dirty bottom. I had to clean it. Only way to go forward.
Nothing attached, growing on the outside of the hull is stopping water from getting inside the boat. In fact the reason I think it grows there is it is trying to board and sink the boat. Then it can really have a party.
Nothing attached, growing on the outside of the hull is stopping water from getting inside the boat. In fact the reason I think it grows there is it is trying to board and sink the boat. Then it can really have a party.
No. If it were my boat, as recommended by the other posters, haul out and pressure wash the bottom, which should expose any necessary repairs, such as blisters, pockets, etc. If that part checks okay, my next step is to prep the hull for two coats of ablative bottom paint. Prep the hull depends upon whether the hull has ever had bottom paint applied. Different steps apply in either case.
I'm guessing after 20 years it's going to take more than pressure washing!!
A picture of this would be worth a thousand or more words, do you sail this vessel, or does it just sit at the dock?
I'm wondering, after so much neglect, if the boat is even worth the cost of a haul out. 20 years of rain water leaking into the cabin, and how much mold could there be? Could an inboard engine survive that length of time unrun? More questions than answers for sure.
Yes, maybe... depends on the engine. Uncle parked a tractor in the corner of his field. Passed away after an good lief and final illness. 10 years later, his son became caretaker of the family farm. While exploring the large blackberry briar patch in the corner of the field discovered a tractor under all the old growth. Weed whacked a path to the tractor. Stuck a new battery on the tractor. Poured in some diesel, oil and the Perkins engine fired right up. Drove the tractor out of the patch and to the barn. A little maintenance cleaning and the Perkins is ticking away on the farm.
Not always such a success, but maybe...
@gtg
There has been a bit of drift in your question. Images help to give perspective to your question.
Is this the condition of your boat bottom?
This would be extreme...
Thankfully not my boat
There has been a bit of drift in your question. Images help to give perspective to your question.
Is this the condition of your boat bottom?
This would be extreme...
Thankfully not my boat
Yikes! Any reputable yard can clean up that hull quite nicely. I've seen some hulls like that and even worse, but even so a yard has the equipment to deal with it.