Bubbles in my gelcoat

rogerwa

rogerwa

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Nov 29, 2000
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Bad news. I just pulled my boat out of the water this past weekend. I had scum all over it so I used the power washer to take the first layer off and then applied the On and Off boat cleaner and rinsed it again with the power washer.

I didn't notice any bubbles when I rinsed it, but when I got it home the next day I saw the bubbles. They run along a line just above the chine. They appear in the same place on both sides.

What causes these bubbles? Could they have been caused by the powerwasher? what do I do about them?

The boat is a 1987 Searay Seville 170. It sat in the water all year long..

Any opinions would be great. thanks..
 
S

strizzy

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Sep 8, 2006
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159
Re: Bubbles in my gelcoat

Probably some voids from the factory sense there near chims. With the given space, water or air may have managed its way into them.
 
stevieray

stevieray

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Re: Bubbles in my gelcoat

It sat in the water all year long..
Click to expand...

With no bottom paint, I presume? These sound like common "blisters". Bare fiberglass hulls should not stay in water for any extended length of time.The uncoated fiberglass absorbs water into its inner layers & swells, causing the gelcoat to form blisters. How big are they & how much of an area do they cover? Some pics would help.
 
rogerwa

rogerwa

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Re: Bubbles in my gelcoat

Each blister is only about 1/4" and I just noticed they are all over the bottom as well. These were not there when I pulled it out of the water as I was cleaning the bottom and would have noticed them.

Is it possible they will recede?? I cannot produce a pic as my camera went missing.

Do these need to be fixed and how. Can they just be ground down and fixed using a gelcoat reapir kit? I won't leave this in the water without a lift anymore. In fact i was planning to sell it this season.

any help would be great.. Thanks.
 
Boatin Bob

Boatin Bob

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Re: Bubbles in my gelcoat

I would say they will probably recede over the winter, some may even disappear but come next fall at haul out time you will probably notice the same or worse. I don't think bottom paint will help this problem at all, what you really need is a barrier coat but only after what you have has been cleaned up.
I just went through this on my 35' had it hauled out last fall to have some stringer/transom work done and we decided to have the blisters done as well. Blisters were sand blasted and then the voids were epoxy filled and sanded and then 4 coats of barrier epoxy put on with a final coat of bottom paint. Cost for the bottom work was approx $5k (CDN)
 
stevieray

stevieray

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Re: Bubbles in my gelcoat

It's going to have to dry out for a month or two before you can tell - there is a remote possibility they may recede enough to be un-noticeable. To fix them right, it would require removing them down to dry glass & building back up to the gel coat - extreme cases require removing the gel coat from the entire bottom:^. Quick fixes will work to hide them under some paint - may want to pursue that if you're going to sell.
 
scoutabout

scoutabout

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Oct 14, 2006
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Re: Bubbles in my gelcoat

I've heard of this problem but not seen it before. Bottom paint is unheard of on most of the lakes I boat on in the central part of Ontario -- bare fibreglass only, maybe some people put a coat of wax on.

My 1991 SeaRay 170 sat in the water 7 months a year for 10 years with no bottom paint and it stayed flawless. Course the floors and stringers rotted to nothing...Then it sank at the dock in a storm...But no blisters!d:)

The family '74 Wilker Galaxie 15 sat in the water 7 months a year for 20 years and did get a bump.

Maybe more a salt water thing? Although my Lake Simcoe neighbour here experienced otherwise it seems...
 
K

KRS

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May 15, 2004
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2,383
Re: Bubbles in my gelcoat

West Marine and others sell nice little instructional booklets describing how to fix the problem and some tips for prevention next time.
 
rogerwa

rogerwa

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Re: Bubbles in my gelcoat

I put the boat in stoarge last week and plan on selling it in the spring. I am hopefull that they will recede. Most boats in my area live on their trailers for the occasional weekend outing. I do not think this is an overly concerning problem for someone who keeps it on the trailer. Rather than barfing it up, I am going to sell it for what I can get.

Even with the bubbles, it is mechanically very sound and the interior is very nice. Most boats of this vintage in my area will see much rougher interiors and will be having engine and drive problems. For the price it will be a good deal for someone..
 
stevieray

stevieray

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Re: Bubbles in my gelcoat

My 1991 SeaRay 170 sat in the water 7 months a year for 10 years with no bottom paint and it stayed flawless. Course the floors and stringers rotted to nothing...Then it sank at the dock in a storm...But no blisters!">

The family '74 Wilker Galaxie 15 sat in the water 7 months a year for 20 years and did get a bump.
Click to expand...

Blisters are kinda like zits. Some people get'em....some people don't. Can't really explain it.....if ya get'em, fix it & move on.....if ya don't, thank your lucky starz:p
 
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