Bubbles in Gell coat?

[FYN409]

I was cleaning up my boat this weekend, and while washing it I notice some “bubbles” in the gell coat on the starboard side. These are right along the waterline, and there are about 6-8 of them in about a 6’ span. They are about the size around of a jelly bean, but just barley stick out. You can feel a couple of them ,but they rest you would have to see in the reflection to make them out. 2 of the smaller ones have a small crack running through them.
I do not see them anywhere else on the boat, only on the starboard side, about 2/3 of the way to the bow, and again right at the water line. I have read some horror stories on here about blistering, but most of them seem to reference a lot larger “bubble” then these. Is this something I should worry about? Should I bring it into a fiberglass repair shop? They do not visual bother me, but I don’t want them to cause further issues.
Thanks,
Ryan

 

[sbw1]

What you are describing sounds very much like hull blisters. If they are blisters, the fix is to open them up, dry them out, fare the hull and apply new gel coat. If your boat is bottom painted you should perform a careful inspection of the entire bottom and look for addtional blisters that may have been painted over. Today's boats are made with a vinlyester resin barriar coat that is then gel coated over. They are much less prone to blistering. I've owned three SRs and non had blisters. My Boston Whaler had the type you described and these were easily repaired. You should get them fixed because they have a tendency to grow and create more serious issues with time. However, this is not the end of the world.

 

[FYN409]

Thanks for the info, it looks like I better bring it to a fiberglass repair shop to have them take a look at it. I know it varies by region, and work needed but what would you think something like this would cost to repair?

I work on cars, and have done some minor body work/painting, is this something that is fairly easy to do? What do you mean by "fare out the hull" ?

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[sbw1]

It's really impossible to give an estimate without seeing the conditions. The repair person will grind out the blister which is typically filled with a dark colored liquid. After drying the area completely, the resulting hole is built up with the appropriate glass and resin. This is then oversprayed with gel coat. That is wet sanded, polished and this is the finish coat which requires waxing. You could try and do this yourself if you have collision repair experience. Marine stores can get you on the right path for the materials needed. It is not difficult to do. It is sort of an art. Some guys are very good at it and others leave it to a pro. If you try one small blister and screw it up, take it to a pro. You will only be out the cost of the materials and your time.