To bottom coat or not?

Purchased a new 2011 Godfrey Hurricane deck boat last yr. Boat was only in water for 2 1/2 mths and when I took it out to clean and take to dealer for winterizing I found that almost the entire hull (under water line) was covered with blisters. Boat has 30 hrs. on it.
I had serveral other issues with items not working from the get go or stopped working shortly after using. IE: anchor light, stereo speaker, ect. Livewell and speedometer never worked at all.
At any rate, my dealer has ended up going the extra mile and are ordering me a "brand new boat" for delivery in the spring. At no cost to me.
However, when I first showed them the blisters I was told I should have either trailered it out each time or had it bottom coated to begin with. None of this was suggested to me at time of sell even though my salesman know of my plans to place it in my slip, without a lift. Then there was some back pedaling and was told that sometimes folks choose to wait until the end of the first season of use to determine the water line once fully loaded and then add the bottom coat for protection.

Since I am getting a new boat out of all of this....Do I need to go on and have this so called bottom coat applied to avoid issues next fall. Hurricane has a 10 yrs warranty on their hull and gel coat. Should'nt this be enough? Did I mention my boat is kept in a very clean lake in KY with zero toxic waste? Ha Ha!

I just cannot imagine that if blistering is something that can occur on a brand new boat in that short period of time, that it would not be automatically done in the manufacturing process.

Thanks in advance for some guidance. Had a pontoon for 12 yrs prior so this is all new territory for me.


Cin-Ful ( name of boat)
Cindy

Re: To bottom coat or not?

Hey Cindy,

First, blisters don't usually occur until the boat has been in the water for a long time (15 years, or more). You hull (fiberglass and gel coat) were defective right from manufacturing. That is why they are replacing the boat. Leaving it unpainted did NOT cause the blisters.

You saw the amount of build up you got, so expect that each year. The build up creates drag which slows your boat slightly and increases gas usage a bit. If you Nchor and swim regularly, you could do a brushing every so often, but of course that takes away from enjoying the boat.

Bottom paint will retard most of the growth. Here in South Florida we still get a lot of moss growth over the bottom paint, especially at the water line. Bottom paint does create a bit of drag compared to a clean hull.

As for determining the waterline, the bottom paint should come a few inches above it to allow for different loads. However, when its sitting at the dock all week, it won't be fully loaded (no people).

Last thing, your other miscellaneous failures, welcome to boating!

Re: To bottom coat or not?

If you do decide to use anti-fouling paint on the new boat, I'd suggest making sure that you barrier coat the bottom first, then use anti-fouling paint. Choose the anit-fouling paint that best meets your needs, then use the barrier coat suggested for that anti-fouling paint. The manufacturer of the anti-fouling paint typically makes a corresponding barrier coat as well. Follow the preparation and application instructions for both exactly. You will typically need several coats of barrier coat, then several coats of anti-fouling paint. Once the barrier coat is applied correctly, you should not need to reapply teh barrier coat. You will simply need to periodically maintain the anti-fouling paint.

The anti-fouling paint can prevent moisture intrusion, however that is really the job of the barrier coat. It can be costly, but well worth the money in the long run. I wouldn't do this job on the cheap. I'm guessing you're going to see a number of subsequent posts that talk about no need for any of this in freshwater along with testimonials that people have NEVER barrier coated and/or bottom painted.

This is just one man's opinion.

Re: To bottom coat or not?

boats are made to go in the water. I worry about his saying you shouldn't have put it in the water without painting, unless he was ONLY referring to marine growth and not the blisters. In that case, most people would suggest to a new boater, to paint the bottom if they are mooring the boat.
The type of paint is driven by where you will keep it--get local info. There are some places that don't require painting; not many.

One typical technique is to moor it unpainted for a week or so to create a 'scum line" to use to determine where to paint.

Re: To bottom coat or not?

1
Hi,there

Re: To bottom coat or not?

Sorry about that,Pressed the send button by accident.
I am going to tell you be very careful with that new boat youre getting from the same dealer.
My folks live aboard a new boat,after 6 months they discovered gel coat blistering.This is NEVER suposed to happen with a new boat.
Turns out the factory made a mistake with mixing batches, (ratio) result:the boat has had 3 major repairs the last involving removing the gelcoat and vacuumbagging the hull,And aplying a new gelcoat.turns out that a whole line of these same boats had the same problem....
Gelcoat blistering also known as osmosis useally happens when fiberglass slowely takes in water overtime,Expands.This can happen because of the sun or due to other elements.I have seen it happen a lot to boats that were kept in cold fresh water,were put in hotter salt water. The water that was present in the fiberglass,under the gelcoat expands,and as a result causes the gelcoat blistering.
If left,They can become a major problem,The can be fixed though,Lots and lots of careful grinding or sanding,The hull also has to dry completly.
The blisters when opened can smell like a bag of @$$holes and can squirt too..so anyway take care with your new boat is all I am saying be sure to get a new warranty..

Re: To bottom coat or not?

If you are boating in fresh water it is a matter of prefrence weather to bottom paint or not.In fresh water it just makes cleaning the bottom eaiser to do on the fall.It helps to keep slime off bottom. You will not notice any change in performance by doing so. You don't have to bottom paint your hull to protect it. Your dealer is handing you a line of bull.Lots of boats where i have mine (more so then not) do not have bottom paint and have no issues.

Re: To bottom coat or not?

one more thing; painting the boat or not (called antifouling ) has indeed NOTHING at all to do with the blistering.
That guy sounds very shady by the way and again would take a lot of care getting another boat.I myself would pull out of the deal for sure.
Its your call but be warned....