Time for a new barrier coat?

[SVCeviche]

Hello all,

We hauled our Catalina 27 for its first power wash since we bought it - giving my wife and I our first clear look at the hull of the boat. As expected, it's got some blisters (no surprise there, as it was built in 1985).

My question is this: how do you know when a boat NEEDS a new barrier coat? The sanding is just about done, which has exposed numerous blisters. Outside of the time required, the marina is recommending around $3,500 to soda blast the whole thing and apply a new barrier coat. The alternative, I assume, is to let things dry out, throw some epoxy on to cover the exposed glass, and forego a complete bottom job. It doesn't sound like there are any structural issues at this point in time. What's the down side, outside of the tedious task of carving out and filling the blisters?

For context, we're not racers or anything. We're just looking to have a good time together, be as smart as we can with money spent on repairs (maybe we shouldn't have bought a boat, ha!) and avoid putting ourselves in any danger.

Thanks!

[Sailmonkey]

I wouldn’t bother with a barrier coat.

They make sense if the boat is new, if the boat is valuable and is worth several thousand for a good feeling.

IMHO, I’ve never seen evidence of a boat sinking from blisters.