blisters in fresh water

[In Deep]

I have a 2004 240da which I purchaed new in 04. Walking around my boat today getting ready to take the shrink rap off I noticed 4 nickel size blisters on noe side of the hull bottom. This boat is a fresh water boat with no bottom paint stored in a slip during the season. I tried calling my dealer but service is closed on Mondays, so I called Sea Ray. They told me the blister repair is only cover for 25% of the repair.
1st of all what caused the blisters? 2nd shouldnt the repair still be covered under the warranty? I'll see what my dealer says tomorrow, they have done all my service and bottom claening every year.
Very upset

 

[Leafy Isle]

I just read this post and I cannot believe that a 4 year old boat has blisters already. I have 2 boats, one is a 31 year old GlasPly 28 ft made in the Pacific NW with NO blisters and a 1982 Sea Ray 355T with a few blisters. I know that blisters are not really something to worry about on an old boat but I would be going ballistic if my boat was only 4 years old! By the way, bottom coat{antifoul} has no barrier effect on osmosis... epoxy is the only way to prevent this. imho
Cheers.

 

[Dave S]

Over the winter I saw a 4-5 year old 240DA in the storage yard that had numerous blisters everywhere on the bottom and even up the sides of the hull to the waterline. He normally wet slips year round but had to pull it out because of low water. That boat didn't have bottom paint either.

 

[Pirate]

There's information everywhere on this forum, around the web, at your dealer, around the marinas, or anywhere that says if you keep a boat without bottom paint in the water, you WILL get blisters. Hard to blame Sea Ray or your dealer for that.

That said, 4 nickel sized blisters is hardly worth getting upset over. They're small enough to dry out very quickly as soon as they're opened and the repair is simple.

If you intend to keep the boat in the water, apply an epoxy undercoat and bottom paint.

 

[sbw1]

I have a 2004 240da which I purchaed new in 04. Walking around my boat today getting ready to take the shrink rap off I noticed 4 nickel size blisters on noe side of the hull bottom. This boat is a fresh water boat with no bottom paint stored in a slip during the season. I tried calling my dealer but service is closed on Mondays, so I called Sea Ray. They told me the blister repair is only cover for 25% of the repair.
1st of all what caused the blisters? 2nd shouldnt the repair still be covered under the warranty? I'll see what my dealer says tomorrow, they have done all my service and bottom claening every year.
Very upset

Don't know what your warranty will do for you, but 4 small blisters are not the end of the world. They can be easily fixed. They are caused by water migrating through the cosmetic gel coat to the lay up skin where water combines with water soluable materials in the fiberglass. The new molecules created by the chemical reaction are too big to pass back to the surface of the gel and and a blister is formed. This was a big problem with materials used to build boats in the 80's and mid 90s. Highly water resistant resins, coupled with improved manufacturing techniques, have virtually eliminated blistering as a problem. According to a report produced by the National Association of Marine Surveyors, the only serious problem of blistering occurred in a boat built in the late 90's. This assertion comes from Greg Davis who chaired a NAMA committee that looked the issue. His remark was based upon 50,000 surveys done by NAMA surveyors of all makes of boats from all over the country. The US Coast Guard funded a study in the mid 80's through the American Boat Builders and Repairers Association to determine actions necessary to eliminate the blister problem. The Association hired Thomas J. Rockett and Vincent Rose, two Ph.D chemical engineers from the University of Rhode Island to conduct the review. Their report, "The Causes of Boat Hull Blisters" is still considered to be the definitive work on the topic. For a good summary of blisters, pick up the April issue of Power and Motoryacht. It's written by Capt. Bill Pike and begins on page 95.

 

[Brian 59]

I had previously owned a 1990 220cc that I had bought used from my dealer. The boat was always trailered and was imaculate when traded in. I kept the boat in the water for 5 months (our season here). When I pulled it out there were eraeser sized blisters down the chines. I wasnt too happy, but after the dealer going to bat for me and calling SeaRay, they warrantied the entire job. I dont know who ended up actually paying the bill but it wasnt me. I thought it was great service and did end up buying another new boat from them.

 

[papogator24]

What do blisters look like?

 

[First Born]

What do blisters look like?

Like Chicken pox

 

[Asureyez]

I do not understand why some owners will talk about never painting the bottom of their boat with such great pride. If a glass boat is kept in the water for extended periods without a barrier coat, it will blister, its fact of life. To not get blisters when maintaiing a boat for months at a time in the water is akin to expecting to be a to defy gravity.:smt101

Further, water allowed to set in the bilge incessantly can cause blistering and delamination of the ER gel coat as well. Keep your bilges dry.