A Bazillion Blisters - Will They Get Worse?

[ScottMeilicke]

We just had a survey on a 1982 Wauquiez Amphitrite, and the hull had hundreds (a thousand?) little blisters, smelling of vinegar.





As I understand it, this is very likely due to poor resin and/or poor mat wetting, and should confine itself to the gel coat and mat layers, and not the structural woven layers.

Will this get worse and become structural?


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[model 10]

Sure. If you just gotta have this boat, make sure you get a really big discount. And, don't pocket the savings. Fix it well.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by ScottMeilicke

We just had a survey on a 1982 Wauquiez Amphitrite, and the hull had hundreds (a thousand?) little blisters, smelling of vinegar.

Attachment 102848
Attachment 102849
Attachment 102850

As I understand it, this is very likely due to poor resin and/or poor mat wetting, and should confine itself to the gel coat and mat layers, and not the structural woven layers.

Will this get worse and become structural?


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Scott,

I like those boats.

What did your surveyor say?

Have gotten any quote from a reputable local yard for a bottom job that would include fixing the condition and a barrier coat?

If so, please post the estimated cost, and the size of the boat.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Scott,

I like those boats.

What did your surveyor say?

Have gotten any quote from a reputable local yard for a bottom job that would include fixing the condition and a barrier coat?

If so, please post the estimated cost, and the size of the boat.

Full peel blister jobs start @ $500 a foot. This would be at the yard pictured by the OP.

[Tayana42]

Okay, the boat has blisters. Why blame it on people from Bazil?


S/V B'Shert

[Nicholson58]

Check out my photos on CF. We had several hundred-thousand blisters exposed by sand blasting layers of paint off. It took an entire summer of grinding them fair by a carbide burr and filling with epoxy. 6 coats of Interprotect 2000E. If I did it again I would rent a peeler. My cost was about 200 bucks in supplies & 2 months of work. There were also several large delamination blisters requiring grinding & rebuild.

[Cheechako]

Well........ with that many the hull is wet.
Two approaches, grind off the paint and gel, let dry for a few months fill divots and put epoxy resin on. Problem maybe not solved but likely put on hold for a few years.. maybe up to 10.... depending on how dry it gets. Maybe 10-20% the cost of a full peel fix.?
or
2) have it peeled/peel it and let it truly dry out. Then resin and etc.
I had one boat with thousands of blisters... but none were larger than a BB and they were real shallow. I would probably rather have that then a few hundred larger ones as the tiny ones were truly 'gel coat" blister not layup wetness.
I had another boat that had blisters outside .....and inside the bilge! Thick layup too. You wont peel that moisture away! Peeling does help the moisture evaporate.. but how deep? Who knows.....
If I suspected deep wetness, I would have whoever has the moisture meter try a spot inside the boat, after abrading the gel surface off.
Somehow you need to determine the feasibillity of a "complete fix" before spending the money on peeling is what I'm saying.
Or move on and find a boat without blisters.... it isn't just the $ off the agreed price but the heartache and time etc..... not to mention reliability of the yard worker/yard.
If the estimate is for $20k I would want $30k off for unknowns.

[Cheechako]

Also..... it's highly likely that boat has been "fixed" once already with it's age. What you are seeing is the eventual outcome of that. One of the boats I mentioned above had maybe 5 or 6 blisters like yours... just starting. I thought OH... not bad for a 20 year old boat. The reality is, when all was removed it was evident it had been dug out and patched a couple times in it's history ... all over...
It's not the end of the world, but it's also a PITA.
I think I've lost more sleep over blisters than anything boating...

[ScottMeilicke]

The surveyor thought it was not structural, and considering the builder and thickness of the hull, probably not a big issue at this time. I think I need to circle back with him.

Let's assume I get it fixed with a full peel and barrier coat. What kind of time am I looking at? I'm not excited about the stories of drying out a hull for months. Can these be washed with IPA or similar to speed up the water removal?

Thanks for the replies all.

[Sailmonkey]

IPA like the beer?? I can think of better things to do with beer......


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[Steadman Uhlich]

Hypothetical Costs

(43 foot boat LOA) x ($500/foot) = $21,500 + (Unknown Time) = Costly [in my view] + (Unknown Hidden Voids) = Risk

How much time will you spend on the project or without use of the boat?
How much tolerance do you have for risk?
How much money do you have (available funds) to fix the possible hidden faults?
How much do you love THIS boat over all other boats that are available?

[El Pinguino]

I've just been through this osmo rectification thing.
If you really want the boat discount your offer by the cost of having it properly done plus 50% for things you have yet to discover.
Better to buy this one on that basis than another with a supposedly 'clean' hull that has been 'bogged up ' on an annual basis by the previous owner.

My osmo was pretty severe and the hull was very wet.... using the Hot-Vac system it was about 10 weeks from stripping to the day they re-skinned her.
Other boats were getting turned around far quicker than that.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by ScottMeilicke

We just had a survey on a 1982 Wauquiez Amphitrite, and the hull had hundreds (a thousand?) little blisters, smelling of vinegar. .........

Will this get worse and become structural?

Probably.... mine had no blisters 12 years ago...

She can be seen here Osmosis Solutions along with 3 other yachts that were done at about the same time.

[Warby12]

We've got an Amphitrite. Very solid boat. Our hull was done years ago before we bought her, the hull is from 1975

Like everyone says, calculate the costs and inconvenience and allow heaps of contingency. Having identified one headache, now check more carefully for others. They are great boats but a boat is a boat. You need to have have your eyes wide open and be businesslike.

[ScottMeilicke]

My wife found this article, which I found very enlightening on how blisters happen, and what to do about it. It has been the best I have read.

http://www.passionforpaint.co.uk/pdf/osmosis3.pdf



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