Osmotic Blistering

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Dave Stewart

I am new to sailing and have recently made an offer on a 1985 Catalina 36. The marine survey notes 400-500 Osmotic Blisters and 10-12 2-inch blisters. I have been advised that I only need to repair the 2-inch blisters. However I am concerned with that advice... should I be concerned with the 400-500 Osmotic Blisters? If so what are my options?
 
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Al Perkins

10 foot poll

It appears no one has responded to your query...must be the perverbial 10 foot pole syndrom ! I am not going to attempt an answer that is best left to boat repair experts . However , we had a complete epoxy redo on our C30 with a lot less blisters (and smaller) and we still get some small pimples coming back year affter year.Wishing you fair winds and smooth saes.
 
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Hugh

Complicated issue

Should you be concerned? Absolutely. What to do? That is a complicated answer. Blistering is a highly debatable subject. It sounds like you have a lot of blistering. You can have gel coat layer problems, and/or deeper problems that extend into the laminate. The latter can lead to more serious trouble over time. It sounds like this has been going on a long time. You can do many things to repair, from grinding out and resealing individual blisters each year, to peeling the whole hull and putting on a barrier coat. You may be ready for the latter. If you haven't already, get a professional opinion or two. The full fix is expensive. Don't let anyone tell you this isn't a real issue, it indicates water intrusion into your hull, with possible delamination. And even if its just cosmetic, racers will tell you that those bumps will cost you some real speed - something consider if you race, or if you plan to cruise long distances. (You'd be suprised what an extra 1/2-1 knot will get you on an all day cruise). I hope you are still in negotiations for the boat. (BTW a full peel, dry, barrier coat, and repaint can cost $6-10K depending on where you get it done). Let us know what happens-
 
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john bonner

worth the effort to repair

this worked very well on a 75 o day, which sat in the water for 3 years without maintenance and when we blasted the beard off the bottom, we found hundreds of blisters, etc. we ground the area around each blister to the gel coat removing any loose gel coat from the site, filled the spaces with a 3m filler for below the water line, faired it all out and put 2 coats of good epoxy on and while the last coat of epoxy was slightly sticky put on the first coat of bottom paint. for 2 years, no problems with blisters. research the products you want to use well. good luck
 
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