Blisters ... Damn ...

[CharlieCobra]

The chainplate area would worry me a lot more than the blister issue. we do blister work all of the time, currently doing a Santa Cruz 50. The delam around the plates is much more serious. While most shops, including us, could mitigate the issue, it won't be cheap... Not even at our rates...

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

If you look at boats older than a certain vintage, Pre-Vinyl Ester, they will almost certainly have blisters. In the early days it was not understood how bad dry layup could be. Polyester was especially bad for this. Certain makers are also known for blister problems.

...While certain makers are indeed known for blisters, it's not a true statement that Pre-vinyl ester will have blisters. There are many 60's and 70's vessels which are blister free. Other than the older Valiant's, I find most American boats are blister free. I'm thinking more of the problem lies with adhering to a strict method of the initial lay-up.

[Cheechako]

It's been a long discussion over the years, why one boat blisters and others dont. Obviously no one has the answer, (except Valiant with their fire retardant resin issue!) Suprisingly , I've seen a lot of rock solid, blister free taiwanese boats, built back in the 80's, even with their crude layup skills. I suppose a few minor blisters are inevitable, but some boats seem to be saturated.
As far as modern methods are concerned, my understanding is vacuum molded hulls actually have less resin. maybe it's better distributed though...? In the old days seems like it was real resin heavy.