Gulfstar 50 Delamination

[FightinGravity]

Hi Fellow Cruisers,

I just finished a survey on a Gulfstar 50 and it showed a large section of delamination on the starboard side front of the keel and going up into the
hull. Pock marks throughout the bottom. At the midsection of the keel and running fore and aft, both sides are delaminated. Improper repair on the port side in the forward quarter area approximately 18 inches below the water line. High moisture with what is believed to be water logged filler.A small area on the port side aft lower end of the keel has water bleeding out of the laminate.

Where accessible for inspection, the hull to deck seam appears to be in good condition with no signs of separation. The hull to deck seam is bolted at 8” centers and fiberglass over with woven roven.


I was provided pictures on a repair done about 2 years ago. Does anybody have a perspective on whether this repair is the issue - it is obviously related.

Here are the pics of the repair work done:







http://imgur.com/bZ6HekC
http://imgur.com/zfDBt9t
http://imgur.com/e4eQw03
http://imgur.com/ItdKFV5
http://imgur.com/hwHLLYJ

[Eleuthera 2014]

Looks like osmosis repair..

If its still delaminated and you are considering Purchase... I'd walk away

GL

[ozsailer]

Hello Finghtin gravity,
if you are seriously considering this boat I highly recommend walking away. Actually I recommend running away at a million miles an hour. We have gone through the process of repairing a delaminated boat. Having viewed the photos it is my opinion from my limited experience that filling delaminated areas with bog is far from the correct method or repair and does not address the issue of why the hull is delaminating in the first place. Without going into the minute detail it is just not worth it financially or emotionally to get repaired. Run away.



Greg H

[FightinGravity]

Originally Posted by Eleuthera 2014

Looks like osmosis repair..

If its still delaminated and you are considering Purchase... I'd walk away

GL

I appreciate your feedback. BTW - Your Amel is my favorite vessel. That being said, I don't have an Amel budget right now

Most boats I have seen surveys from in this era have some hull issues - be it blisters or delamination. I have returned to the buyer asking for 15K for fixes on the hull. I actually would like to know problems from the start and address them instead of them hiding behind barrier coat. From the pictures of the repair, the issue looks to be on the first 2 layers and the solid glass is more than 2" thick. Does this look about accurate? I would grind down to the repairs and have them redone.

Another alternative is from one of my contractors, a former boat builder. He wants to drill a series of holes in all the dull spots, fill it with alcohol to dry it out then fill with resin. He thinks this will compress any cavities.

I plan to out another $100k into the rest of the vessel

[Eleuthera 2014]

Don't even think about a fix... a delaminated hull is a very serious issue.

RUN FORREST RUN! In my opinion of course.

Take the extra $100k and find a good Amel... prices favour buyers now. I know of a superbly maintained SM with new engine, sails, rigging, genset and soft goods which will probably sell for €170K (no tax). The only hiccup is the boat soft goods are baby s... green!! Owner must be blind

[FightinGravity]

Send me the link on the Amel


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Eleuthera 2014]

PM sent... GL.

Be VERY careful with .... , their tech services are ...!

I will tell all in a PM if you wish...

[Muckle Flugga]

My advice would be clear: stay away from this can of worms. As another poster said: the question is not what to do about this delamination, the question is why is it happening at all? Incorrect mix or other similar problems in the original layup would be my conjecture. I wouldn't touch this boat if I were you. There are no shortage of amazing boats for sale now. For example there is this I saw the other day in Phuket, up for 60k USD. A pretty good bargain for a pretty serious racer I'd say, and I could see nothing obviously wrong with her (I know you are unlikely looking for this kind of boat but just by way of random example):

https://web.facebook.com/AustralianMaid/

[SV.Maverick]

I think you should have asked for more than 15k for repair. Delamination above the water line ie soft decks etc is a straight forward repair although costly has never worried me that much I always made the decision based on how much I liked the boat and what,I could buy it for. Delamination below the water line like this is a whole diff animal. I of course am a big fan of the Gulfstar 50 however there are I'm sure 4-5 other good examples of the G50 on he market that would not have this problem. They may have others but would most likely be above the water line.

For whatever your reasons you seem to like this boat. I to am in the walk away camp and find another G50 without this issue however if intent on going forward I would actively seek this boats full history speak to every owner that you can. Trying to find out how long this has been like it is now. The boat may just need a proper repair and your good for years but that's the gamble. If I had to guess I would think it has been like this for many years and the boat has just got patch jobs every few years. I don't know how long the currant owner has had the boat but if you can track the owner before him he may fill in some blanks.
It's tough when you want a particular boat but the survey says you are now in control of this deal. They will never get this boat sold without a serious amount of give in the price. If the price your at is going market minus only 15k walk and pick another G50. If it's market minus 50k may be worth a shot.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by SV.Maverick

I think you should have asked for more than 15k for repair. ............

........... If the price your at is going market minus only 15k walk and pick another G50. If it's market minus 50k may be worth a shot.

And that's only if you enjoy serious headaches.... and the same hit on resale...

[sailnow2011]

How can I say this with so many saying run away.....
A boat like this is how I ended up with a 48 and not a 37.
I made a crazy low 1/4 price offer on my boat, and they took the offer. They knew it needed serious work, and not many were willing to take it.
2000 hours of labor later, and I am 95% done with the repairs I needed to do to bring the boat back to perfect. I did all the labor myself, and have about $4000 in materials. It saved me $100,000.
Do you have the time? Do you have the ability? That is the question.

If you need to hire someone to do this job, pay someone to do an estimate.
I would suspect its a 40,000-60,000 job if done by a pro.
I would offer no more then 40K for the boat, and see what they say.

[JonathonClague]

Many of the G50's went to the caribean as charter boats, if that's whereit spent most of it's life then it is likely to have had minor storm damage at least and cheap repairs (plastic filler). If you have the skills and buy at the right price (VERY low) and enjoy making a boat perfect then it can be repaired provided the delamination is not too extensive. I would not buy this boat if I were paying for labour.

[Woko]

HI. We have just finished looking at a Gulf Star 50 in Wellington, NZ which appears to have the same issues. Whereabouts was the boat you looked at & what was the name of it? Did you get a survey done on the boat or were the issues quite obvious?

[ozsailer]

Been there done that. Run I repeat run don't walk away


Greg H

[JPA Cate]

Sorry, OP, but the boat has a reputation as not very well built. I'd advise you to cut your losses. Even if it means sawing it up and taking it to the dump. Pls do not try to sell it on to re-coup your losses. That's what has been done to you! You wouldn't want it to come apart offshore and take a family with it.

ann