Hull Blisters in 1985 Beneteau 37

[minaret]

Originally Posted by sneuman

Blisters are over-rated. It's time we all (buyers, sellers and long-time owners) got over 'em. A nuissance, yes, but except in extreme cases, not much more.

My $.02

The problem is that extreme cases develop out of minor cases. An ounce of prevention better than a pound of cure and all that...

[Idylles15.5]

Listen if the boat has just a few blisters I agree it's not a big deal, and yes an epoxy barrier coat will do the trick. From reader what was said about the boat, these are palm size blisters, or maybe even de lam of the layers in the hull. A good survey done with a moisture meter will let you know what is really going on. I realize everyone has their own opinion, but it's so easy to spend someone elses money. Trust me this is what I do and when the market is so saturated with boats on the cheap why buy into a problem you may have to chase for the lifetime of the boat. I live in a pretty affluent area, where a lot of the Wall St, boys live and believe me a lot of people are hurting. The first thing to go is the big unecessary toy. Then the summer house, then the club membership. Remember these are toys to them barely used. Usually sitting on the mooring in front of the yacht club or tied up at the slip where they mostly sat on it and drank. Buy one of these. Practically new and some people really need to get out of the toy they can no longer afford. No need to buy a 25 to 30 year old boat where everything is tired from the motor to the electric, rigging and so on. Thats all I have to say, and I'm sure you will hear a lot of advice to the contrary, but it's your money. Tread wisely

[colemj]

Originally Posted by sneuman

Blisters are over-rated. It's time we all (buyers, sellers and long-time owners) got over 'em. A nuissance, yes, but except in extreme cases, not much more.

My $.02

Would you buy a severely blistered boat? Or even a moderately blistered one? Without negotiating the price down?

I agree that blisters are almost never a structural issue, but when it comes to selling and buying, it will always be a deal buster and negotiating point. Particularly since not all boats blister...

Mark

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by colemj

Would you buy a severely blistered boat? Or even a moderately blistered one? Without negotiating the price down?

I agree that blisters are almost never a structural issue, but when it comes to selling and buying, it will always be a deal buster and negotiating point. Particularly since not all boats blister...

Mark

Without negotiating the price down? No, I wouldn't. If I were buying another boat, I would (as I have in the past) use any tactic available to negotiate the price down.

But, that's not the same as saying I'd let the prospect of blisters frighten the bejeezez out of me.

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by minaret

The problem is that extreme cases develop out of minor cases. An ounce of prevention better than a pound of cure and all that...

Agreed. But I think there's cure and there's "blister management". The latter is, as I say, a nuissance, but especially in a 30-something year-old boat (i.e., the ones that tend to have blister problems) does it really make sense to peel, dry for umpteen months, barrier coat, etc. etc.? ...

Or (if they aren't absolutely horrible) pop 'em like pimples, dry them a bit, slap on a bit of barrier, paint over. That approach often produces an acceptable (if perhaps not permanent) fix and really only adds a day or two at the most on the periodic anti-fouling haulout.

[bstreep]

Originally Posted by sneuman

Agreed. But I think there's cure and there's "blister management". The latter is, as I say, a nuissance, but especially in a 30-something year-old boat (i.e., the ones that tend to have blister problems) does it really make sense to peel, dry for umpteen months, barrier coat, etc. etc.? ...

Or (if they aren't absolutely horrible) pop 'em like pimples, dry them a bit, slap on a bit of barrier, paint over. That approach often produces an acceptable (if perhaps not permanent) fix and really only adds a day or two at the most on the periodic anti-fouling haulout.

OK, twice in 24 hours. Another PERFECT POST. And, we almost never agree on politics...

[minaret]

Originally Posted by sneuman

Agreed. But I think there's cure and there's "blister management". The latter is, as I say, a nuissance, but especially in a 30-something year-old boat (i.e., the ones that tend to have blister problems) does it really make sense to peel, dry for umpteen months, barrier coat, etc. etc.? ...

Or (if they aren't absolutely horrible) pop 'em like pimples, dry them a bit, slap on a bit of barrier, paint over. That approach often produces an acceptable (if perhaps not permanent) fix and really only adds a day or two at the most on the periodic anti-fouling haulout.

To each their own, but I have seen people get bit by this approach in the boatyard before. They let it go for years and then when they finally do decide it's getting bad enough to pay us to fix it, it's much worse than it was when we first suggested the repair 5-10 years before. Often on these boats we have to peel twice, grind out and glass back up substantial blisters, and relaminate a few layers on the entire bottom to make up the material removed. With fairing, barrier coat, the fact that the job often has to be taken a foot or so above the waterline if it's that bad thus necessitating a repaint of the hull, etc etc, it can cost a fortune. Much cheaper to fix it when the blisters are small at first notice. A quick peel of the gel, a week or so to dry with the hotvac, some grinding and fairing, a barrier coat and bottom paint, and your out the door with the problem solved forever. I've also seen cases where the blisters became so severe that the insurance considered totalling the boat. We're talking dinner plate sized blisters with a quart of water each in them.

[Cheechako]

Minor blisters here and there? I agree with sneuman , dont get excited about it. Palm size...Depth unknown? hmm, walk away... too many boats out there. One of my boats that had this bad of a problem plagued me for years. FIrst time I ground out what I could, (100 blisters?) let them dry for a couple weeks (at yard "overtime" rates) filled and Interlux "epoxy" primered over. then painted. After returning from Mexico after 1.5 years the boat was completely covered with blisters, some 3" x 6". I spent the whole summer fixing that issue, this time the hull was rolled with 2 coats of West System epoxy before the Interlux primer. 1 year later I sold the boat with no apparant issues at survey. But the point is, what do I remember about that boat most? Dust, grinding and the boat yard! If you must buy this boat, have it done right away, wait the time for it to dry as much as possible, use only real Epoxy Resin over the bare bottom, before you put on whatever else you want on there...

[runninglts]

Originally Posted by Idylles15.5

Listen if the boat has just a few blisters I agree it's not a big deal, and yes an epoxy barrier coat will do the trick. From reader what was said about the boat, these are palm size blisters, or maybe even de lam of the layers in the hull. A good survey done with a moisture meter will let you know what is really going on. I realize everyone has their own opinion, but it's so easy to spend someone elses money. Trust me this is what I do and when the market is so saturated with boats on the cheap why buy into a problem you may have to chase for the lifetime of the boat. I live in a pretty affluent area, where a lot of the Wall St, boys live and believe me a lot of people are hurting. The first thing to go is the big unnecessary toy. Then the summer house, then the club membership. Remember these are toys to them barely used. Usually sitting on the mooring in front of the yacht club or tied up at the slip where they mostly sat on it and drank. Buy one of these. Practically new and some people really need to get out of the toy they can no longer afford. No need to buy a 25 to 30 year old boat where everything is tired from the motor to the electric, rigging and so on. Thats all I have to say, and I'm sure you will hear a lot of advice to the contrary, but it's your money. Tread wisely

Idylles15.5 is spot on ... follow his advise ... I am down here in SW FL and scenario is nearly the same ... just substitute Wall St with dream filled, fat nest egg, baby boomer retiree who quickly discovers that only a true and honest passion for boats gets you through the sport's needed physical work and on going expense ... Unless your love is resurrecting tired boats and money is no object, move to the next. From my experience there plenty in great condition out there available for crazy low prices ... of course after you negotiate a bit...

[goboatingnow]

The marine industry is full of people that USED to be in the blister removal business. !!
dave

[lancelot9898]

I would suggest getting a good surveyor to do a laminate profile. I did this last year to determine the extent of the blistering on my boat. Cost was around $200 and well worth it. I had the boat peeled by the yard this past fall and all the rest will be done by me. The blisters were not a safety issue and could have been left alone, but I wanted to correct the issue considering that the boat would not be used for about a year and had a good amount of time to dry out. I'm using the interlux system and found that their website is good for answering the many questions that I had. Doing most of the work yourself will save quite a bit of dollars and also provide you with the confidence that it was done right with the proper prep.