Options for 1,000s of blisters in a 1984 Sloop

[Randall Schmidt]

I have a 1984 O'Day 28 I purchased a few years ago after a survey. I've discovered many more challenges than the survey revealed. My $10,000 boat has cost me close to 4X that amount so far and I'm at another fork in the road with a big decision to make.

I had the boat soda blasted revealing thousands of blisters and cracks. According to my contractor (who was going to epoxy and bottom paint) the bottom is reading very high on the moisture meter. His recommendation is to peel off two layers from the bottom and then to build it back up with better fiberglass cloth and resin before applying epoxy, barrier coats and ablative paint. This is a $5,000 job on top of the cost of soda blasting that I've already paid for. He says it will make the bottom stronger and lighter. Others warn me that he is trying to sell me an unneeded peel job.

I realize making this investment is spending money I'll never come near recovering when I sell the boat. Of course I've already passed that point with my other repairs and improvements (new roller furler, traveler, rub-rails, toe rails, eyebrows, slider railers on the cabin top, stove, auto-helm, navigation GPS chartplotter, standing and running rigging, lights, cockpit rebuild as the core was rotting, VHF, forward hatch, tranny rebuild, replaced most motor parts, batteries, battery charger). We still have moisture readings in the topside of the bow area and cabin top but readings are not that high and there is no sagging. This is a problem still to solve. (I need to get my own meter, any tips on a good affordable one?)

We sail the Chesapeake Bay and plan for an ICW trip south to the gulf side of Florida then open water cut across the Gulf of Mexico to Apalachicola or Mobile Bay. We have a retirement home on the ICW off Mobile Bay with a boat lift. Our plan has been to stick with this boat though our retirement "go-go" years - the so-called last boat.

Still some friends and our surveyor advise against sinking another 5 grand into this boat. The option that reduces the cost seems to be to sand off more of the bumps and blisters, fill in the holes with fairing compound then apply epoxy layers, barrier coat and ablative paint. This also means letting the boat sit on the hard longer waiting for it to dry out more. It possibly/probably means no more sailing this year which could be my last year to sail the Chesapeake. Hiring the same guy to do this work will reduce the cost but I've not obtained his alternative cost estimate yet. I just retired so I have time to do this myself but am a complete rookie at this stuff and am challenged with caring for 2 puppies and have an hour and a half one-way drive across the DC metro area to get to the boat while dodging rush hour.

I'm looking for advice. Painter tells me the bottom is about to start coming apart in a couple years if not dealt with. (I'd hate to have a major bottom leak while cutting across the Gulf.) He says the boat was likely in the water a long time without chances on the hard to dry out. That was a new revelation to me as I recall my father's 1980 Newport 30 was always in the water and he did not suffer severe blisters after having the boat about 25 years. What is different though he bought that boat new and my boat was already 30 years old when I bought it.

 

[jssailem]

I feel your pain. It is a hard decision. A quick search for O’Day 28’s developed 6 boats with prices ranging from 9,500 to 16,500 in about the same year. Some of what you did to the boat electronics and engine work was deferred maintenance or up grades. The labor on a boat is part of the experience for some, for others a nightmare.

That said, do you labor on the hull or not would be based on if the boat is the one I love for the type of sailing you intend. There are some who are willing to shave the hull, let it dry, add new glass and epoxy, bottom paint and have a boat that will be there’s for 20 years. It is a delema. The other way is to let the boat dry, grind out the blisters as long as the blisters are not into the fiberglass mat, epoxy patch the big ones, seal the patches with a barrier coat, bottom paint and go sailing. I took the later approach this past winter. Took 3 months. Was it worth it? Time will tell.
And only you can judge.

 

[jssailem]

@Randall Schmidt I did and i commented.

 

[Randall Schmidt]

thanks, I see

 

[Randall Schmidt]

You think the dry out time would be the same? I'm thinking if is peeled off that should greatly accelerate the dry out time as the bottom is more fully exposed

 

[jssailem]

Your question do how much time requires an understanding of the damage.
Boats of this age, your is an 84 mine is a 74, that sit in water can form blisters. It is a thing associated with bottom paint jobs and original manufacturing techniques.
Each hull is different. The path to take has no clear answer.

You need to assess the amonunt of water damage to the hull. A moisture meter is not a guarantee of accurate information. You need a hammer and to tap the hull (percussion test) to determine the extent of the damage.

When I pulled my boat, for the first time since buying it, the blisters were evident. They were in the gelcoat. The fiberglass layer was not involved. I chose the patch approach. Factors were depth of blisters, condition of hull, costs. There was another boat in the yard. It had been there for 2 months. The owner was in the middle of stripping the gelcoat to the fiberglass. Repairing the fiberglass then regelcoating the boat. 3 months later the boat was still in the yard.

I have some links saved I’ll find them and send you a message.

 

[dlochner]

Randall, there are several ways to skin this cat.

Removing the gelcoat and some of the underlying glass, laying up new glass, and barrier coat is one way, and an expensive way.

Another is to remove all the gelcoat and leave the glass intact and then apply new gel coat and a barrier coat.

And yet another is to spot repair all the blisters.

All of these methods will repair the hull, which one you choose is really dependent on the value of the boat to you, your budget, and the intended use of the boat.

 

[jssailem]

@Randall Schmidt so here are the links I used to help me with my decision.

1. The most thorough info I found was from Dave Pascoe...Boat Hull Blisters : Failed Blister Repairs by David Pascoe, Marine Surveyor
2. Practical Boat owner was helpful... DIY Osmosis Repair - Practical Boat Owner
3. and the standard most read work... Gelcoat Blister Repair - BoatUS Magazine

West Systems produced a detailed "How to". https://www.westsystem.com/wp-content/uploads/Gelcoat-Blisters-Diagnosis-Repair-and-Prevention.pdf
And archives of projects at https://epoxyworks.com/?s=blisters

These should get you started building the knowledge needed to address the issue.

 

[BigEasy]

Randall,
Have a surveyor “sound” the hull to check for delaminations. If the blisters are small, it’s likely that this boat pox is only between the gelcoat and chopped strand layers without affecting the strength of the hull. If the problem is deeper and delamination is present the integrity of the hull is compromised and it would need to be repaired with a total peel, drying out with heated vacuum pads, filling/fairing, and epoxy coating. So, if there is no delamination present, sail the boat this summer & bring it to your new home, keep it out of the water on your lift, and save the cost of repairing. As long as you keep it out of the water the problem should not progress. Doing a total bottom job is a lengthy & expensive process with no guarantee that the pox will not reoccur. Once the hull is peeled, it really needs to be dried with an external heat source; letting it sit on the hard for a few months will not dry it adequately, resulting in failure of repair. I learned this the hard way. My hunter 33.5 had boat pox; my surveyor told me it could be repaired. The yard peeled it and let it sit for 5 months to air dry. After it was barrier coated, the repair lasted 2 years before the pox returned.

 

[thinwater]

The options, from my point of view:

• Gain a deep set of DIYs skills and learn to like working on boats. Many do.
  
• Buy newer used boats. 10-15 years can still be good values without the headaches. You will get a better resale price, so it may actually cost no more. I've bought relatively expensive multihulls, and I have ALWAYS gotten my purchase price back, 10 years later. None were project boats.
  
• Buy a smaller boat. I just downsized in part for this reason. I like working on boats, and my new-to-me boat is not simple, but the projects are lighter because they are smaller. Less stress. Dream smaller.

And never buy a project. Just the materials usually cost more than another, better used boat will cost.

 

[higgs]

Here is how I see it. You have 40k into a boat that is only worth 10K or so. That 30k is gone, but it may have been worth it to you to make the boat into what you wanted. All of us pour a lot of money into our boats that we will never realize when we resell. That is the nature of the beast. One cannot put a dollar amount on enjoyment. At this point you have a boat you like, set up the way you want. In its present state, what would you be able to get for it if you sell? 10k? You would still need to buy another boat and then go through the expense, and time, of making it into the boat you want. Another 20k or, easily, more. You are almost there with the O'Day. Yes, you should not have sunk the money into this boat, but you did, so just enjoy it. That is what money is for. At this point another 5k should give you the boat that will see you through your retirement. That is probably less expenditure than it would take to unload the boat, buy a newer one, and then add the equipment you want. This is my take after a lot of wine tonight.

 

[higgs]

Oh-lest I forget. I would bring a surveyor in as has been suggested.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

Here is 1000’s of blisters on a boat (not mine)

 

[jssailem]

Would you say there were a plethora of blisters?

 

[Mark Maulden]

Higgs drinks good wine..

 

[jibes138]

The boat has sailed with hidden blisters unknown about until soda blasting and didn't sink. If you plan to keep the boat nothing stopping you from using it without the investment in repairs. Four options seem to exist 1) sell it as is, giving someone else the headache 2) fix it, 3) do nothing and sail it, 4) chop it up and throw it in a dumpster. if cost is an issue option 3 seems reasonable.