bubbles in gelcoat

[MBAKER]

This past weekend I went to look at a project boat (03 Larson 180 4.3 with Volvo drive) on a local marine shop lot listed as needing a motor and as such was deeply discounted. The boat overall seems pretty decent shape although dirty. The interior is better than I expected, no rips or tears and not faded but again just dirty and needs a good scrubbing. The outside was a little worse than I had hoped. Again dirty, a few cases of dock rash here and there but nothing bad. What I noticed when I looked underneath thought was lots of small nickel sized ?bubbles? if you will in the gel coat. You could tell some had broken and chipped off already.

I had called ahead to make sure they still had it but didn?t ask many questions at that time, then didn?t make it until after hours and didn?t get a chance to talk to anyone about it. I had been told it needed an engine, but otherwise was structurally sound. Upon first look I would agree, everything seemed solid in my impromptu exam just concerned what I might be getting into with all the bubbles in the gelcoat.

 

[oldjeep]

Sounds like a boat that was stored moored in the water with no bottom sealer or bottom paint. Lookup Gelcoat blister repair to see if you feel like dealing with it.

 

[WIMUSKY]

'03 that needs an engine? Blistering gelcoat? Unless you're getting it for practically nothing, I would look for something else..... I guess what do they think deeply discounted means....... Sounds like it's been abused... There's probably more wrong with it that you don't even know about yet....

 

[MBAKER]

I?m sure your right, I?m sure there is more than meets the eye and without looking closer and talking its all I had to go on and wishful thinking. They had another twin to it sitting there they were asking $8000 for it, which is right inline with the NADA value. They were asking $2500 as it sits, I thought if I could get it bought for $2000 (or less) and put maybe 3500 in the engine and drive Id come out alright. I have connections to a machine shop and being that it?s a 4.3 parts would be easy to get so the engine rebuilding including machine work I could do all myself for basically the parts cost. Then if it was just having the drive checked out by the shop putting in some elbow grease getting it cleaned up, but the gelcoat kinda put a wrinkle in it. I expected some normal gelcoat fixes, but not this bad.

 

[gm280]

I would most certainly relook it over because I'd bet the transom is toast and that also means the stringers and floor as well. I mean it is already 13 years old! Usually when you find one thing rotted, all things are rotted... It can look great until you seriously look for such things. Then all the real problems start showing up. The bottom gel coat would be the least of your worries... JMHO!

 

[JASinIL2006]

If it's an '03 Larson, it won't have wooden stringers, although it might have a wooden transom core, but the hull blisters and lack of a motor would be enough to put off most buyers...

 

[Scott Danforth]

your willing to pay $2k for a scrap hull? at best, gel blisters, bad transom and no motor should be near free to anyone willing to take it. I would keep looking.

 

[Grub54891]

All them blisters have to be ground away,re-glassed and re-gel coated. I'd walk away....
I had one years back that had the same issue,sold it but did not know it was a big issue till years later.

 

[MBAKER]

I had just taken a cursory look at it, and at the time I thought I would feel comfortable paying $2000 for it assuming it was in decent shape and just needed a motor. I never would have considered it if I came to find weak spots in the hull or transom. I had always planned on taking a second look for more structural items if I decided to move forward. I just thought I might get lucky and find a good boat that only needed an engine. I did an engine for my dad a few years ago so felt comfortable with that part of it but we knew his boat was in good shape.

 

[Chris1956]

I am real surprised that a newer boat like that would have blisters. My '88 SeaRay already had vinylester resin gelcoat to protect against blisters. I still barrior-coated it, but it had no blisters for the first decade of it's life. Was Larson sleeping for the last 20 years?

 

[MBAKER]

I did a little google searching and found some articles saying all the gel needed to be stripped, then epoxied and re gelcoated. Then others that said as long as it was just gelcoat, and there were no weak spots in the fiberglass itself then just fix the blisters and move on. I don't know whats right or wrong, but its probably more of a project than I had hoped for. Like I said I was hoping it was just engine/mechanical and some cleanup.

 

[Grub54891]

That's the problem,till you open up the blisters,you don't know what you will find.

 

[keith427]

I purchased on '02 Larson with a bad 4.3 with volvo penta. My machine shop had a good block and I spent a total of $1500 for him to assemble a long block for me. Installed myself with approximately $500 more spent on various other parts. When I started it up the first time boat only had 123 hours on it. When I asked opinions on here everyone said it would be junk. I have less than $5000 in a boat that is in very good shape and worth $10,000 now. Make sure you evaluate it on your own as you are the only seeing it. Get someone that knows boat painting to give it a look over.

 

[jbcurt00]

I don't think a boat w/ hull blisters and needs a new motor is remotely a similar situation to your Larson Keith. I read thru all of your topics and didn't see a single instance where someone said your Larson was junk.

You posted no pix and w limited info asked for values for a boat no one had seen. Even w/ pix, pricing what YOU'd pay for a boat won't be the same as what I or others would pay. And what I'd pay for a boat I can only see remotely via the internet isn't necessarily what I'd pay if I was standing next to it.

And blisters are difficult to deal w/, IMO, blown engines arent.

Fixing the blisters that are present now could cost thousands w/ NO guarantee that they won't return. And if the port stern corner has them but starboard currently doesn't, will they eventually appear on the starboard stern? Likely an impossible question to answer w/ 100% certainty.

It is absolutely wise to be diligent and decide for yourself whether you're up for a project boat, and whether it fits your budget and plans for the boat.

good luck MBaker

 

[ondarvr]

I did a little google searching and found some articles saying all the gel needed to be stripped, then epoxied and re gelcoated. Then others that said as long as it was just gelcoat, and there were no weak spots in the fiberglass itself then just fix the blisters and move on. I don't know whats right or wrong, but its probably more of a project than I had hoped for. Like I said I was hoping it was just engine/mechanical and some cleanup.

The reason the opinions (options) are different is because every case of blisters can have a different cause, after the cause is determined the method of repair can be laid out for best results.