Hull Osmosis

[Solosailor]

Is osmosis always repairable? I will be viewing a Contessa 32 today and the owner tells me it has some osmosis.

[S/V_Surya]

Yes, and almost all boats have it.

[SeaBungalow]

We had a bad blister/osmosis problem on Sea Bungalow when we bought her, but we knew that going in and we used it to drive the asking price down a good amount based on what it would cost to repair.

When we got it to the yard and started stripping bottom paint, it turned out to be much worse than we thought. Get a good surveyor, we had a surveyor but not a good one apparently.

See some of our pictures and how we repaired it at Life on the s/v Sea Bungalow

[keelbolts]

I'd rather have a Contessa 32 with blisters than an awful lot of other boats w/ pristine bottoms. I have never heard of a boat sinking from blisters so you're probably OK. Talk the owner down on the price, to cover the cost of epoxy and 406, and rest comfortable knowing that practically any dipstick can repair a blister. It's not fun, but it's not hard either.

When you're done, you'll have a boat that you can take anywhere you've got the balls to go. Come to think about it, you'll have one before the blisters are fixed.

[CharlieCobra]

Yes they are repairable. We do it at our shop. When it gets really expensive is when you have to peel the gelcoat off. Then you're looking at 5-8K including barrier and bottom paint. Some folks charge as much as 10-12K. It all depends on severity and where ya are.

[holmek]

Fibreglass is infinitely repairable. Period. Grind out the blister, to beyond the wet patch with a coarse disc, lay it up again with chop strand and resin, grind smooth, and paint/gelcoat/antifoul, or whatever. Don't sweat, Osmosis is not a dirty word.

[eyschulman]

solosailor-here comes the monky wrench-In some places like the northwest its getting harder to just repair blisters-the yards have all kinds of resraints about grinding and dealing with bottom repairs-a few small blisters no problem - not so with larger numbers- also its a good idea to really dry out hull after blisters are opened - in northwest you get two months in summer otherwise its tarps and heat if yard allows. If you are in a wet area and intend to take on a project you would do well to visit some yards and talk to people working on there boats.

[CharlieCobra]

We have access to several buildings including our own for jobs like this. Yes there are restrictions to grinding/sanding but you can still get the job done within those constraints.

[osirissail]

There are two basic types of osmotic blisters - gelcoat blisters and laminate blisters. The gelcoat blisters are not structurally significant and can be repaired (depending upon the number of such blisters) yourself for a reasonable cost or by professionals for sometimes a significant price.
- - Laminate blisters are a structural problem but also can be repaired. It just takes more time and money and skill. As was said FRG / fiberglass boats are ultimately repairable*. The asterisk attached to that statement is about how much it is going to cost you. Sometimes the cost of the repair exceeds the value of the boat especially if you hire a professional to do the repairs. If you learn to do the repairs yourself you save all the "labor charges" and "profit" a professional needs to earn to keep his family fed.
- - So ask around or get a reputable surveyor to look at the boat and estimate the repair costs. Just because a fiberglass boat is "ultimately repairable" doesn't necessary mean it is worth repairing.

[WGDM]

We have a Formosa 63 pilothouse ketch with centreboard and live and work in the Caribbean.The hull is the well-known foam fill from the late 89`s type lay-up.
She is a good,strong,heavy boat.
The Boat was hauled about 6 months ago,and 12 months prior to that.At the 12 months stage I noticed small-ish bubbles about 1 inch in diameter pretty-much all over the underwater hull,parts of the `board,the rudder blade and the rudder skeg.
When pierced they emitted the familiar odor and liquid.At this time the antifouling had become very thick over the years----slinging actually moved the antifouling around!---- and the yard decided to sand her down almost to the gelcoat in places and re-apply the bottom paint with a primer.When we hauled 6 months ago we found that the problem was now much,much worse with not only new blisters,but much bigger ones,and more liquid.I had a survey done and the surveyor suggested quite strongly that the matter be attended to,but did not say to what extent.Going back in the boats history I find that she had been peeled in Lauderdale 12 years ago.
My question is quite simple----do the members have any suggestions as to where we may have the boat repaired (an island or Country name will do!) and how long she may have to stand and bleed and in what environment----covered or not?
Thanks----this is my first post and hope I am within bounderies....
WGDM

[zeehag]

wgdm--where are you located??? that makes a lot of difference -- in sd, you will NOT get a reasonable estimate. will be overly high . your formosa has a cored hull???? eeps...i would run away from htat---i kno wmy hull is sound--is solid and has laid on a breakwall in santa barbaRA FOR A WEEK, AS I FOUND OUT AFTER I BOUGHT HER. it can withstand that and have no blistering or eggshelling activity going on.
i had an islander with blisters and i kept her out of water for a month and half to do her individual blisters and epoxy barrier coat her. must be dry to do this. also must be dry to do the peel and reapplication of fiberglass needed for hull tek repair. you may need more than a month out-- different layup than my islander and takes different lengths of time to dry out.
the yard used a moisture meter to check dryness afore they did the blisters and it worked well. i dont know if it is still working, ass th next owner left boat in wrong place in sd bay at anchor so it was crushed. oops.
drying can be done with heaters and tenting the hull. is how we dried my islander. good luck and have fun. make sure boat hull is very dry before doing the peel and reglassing and use plenty of the appropriate resin to do the layup.

btw--a surveyor is good for the bank and insurance-- doesnt work for your own repair devices, as they miss a lot of the lil stuff needing repairs. they are only for insurance and bank loans. by now you know that boat better than any survwyor will ever know her. gooodluck and have fun. is not a job for feint of heart

the estimate for hull tek on my islander was 25000 dollars. yipes....i did the job myself for 8500 doing each lil blister meself with a lil help from the yard-- was 2003.

[WGDM]

Thanks very much for your reply----much appreciated.
We are usually located in the BVI,but I have been having my work done much further South.
My take is that the blisters are too many to be treated individually and I was also told not to do each one on this scale and repair each one,but to rather peel her and re-epoxy,which,as I said,was done in the US some 12 years ago.
It seems to me that a good job will enhance the value of the boat but that,done incorrectly it can destroy the hull.
I am aware that there is considerable water ingress into the core as the boat has gained weight in the past few years---not much,but a definite gain according the the Travel-lift------so where to go in the West Indies-----or where in Venezuela?
Cheers,
WGDM

[S/V Illusion]

We had a Hans Christian 48 some years ago in the BVI which had similar large and pervasive blistering. Had BVI Nanny Cay marine strip the entire hull and let it sit for 4 months minimum before re-glassing. According to the current owner, the hull is pristine to this day.

Fixing individual blisters only serves to give you a recurring job every year.

As I recall, the cost was in the low 5 figures.

[WGDM]

Thanks Illusion,
Will give them a try---much appreciated.
Magnificent day in Virgin Gorda,calm as can be and crystal clear water.
Enjoying,
Cheers,
WGDM

[SaucySailoress]

the yard decided to sand her down almost to the gelcoat in places

OK - now I watch and listen, but not much sinks in when it comes to technical stuff, on account of a combination of the sun-in and the greys turning me blonde.... but, tell me...

Why only almost to the gelcoat? I would have said the whole lot needed sanding right back to the fibre glass. Then the fibreglass would need checking for wet spots, and patching if necessary. Then the entire hull would need seriously drying out before resealing and finished with primer and antifoul.

If you're gonna do a job, then do it properly! We're lucky - we live in a desert, so the drying out stage gets done properly... but why keep throwing good paint after bad?