Stripping the Bottom , Then What?

[Sleeto]

I have had my 20' SC for 12 years and kept it in the water for 6 mos each year. I have never had any blistering problems at all. My "new" 1989 23' SC has never had bottom paint. Are you saying that barrier coat is a must? I had a 24' Aquasport before the SC 20' and never had blistering problems with that boat either.

Have I just been lucky?? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[Scott]

Are you saying that barrier coat is a must?

Have I just been lucky?? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Naturally not all boats will suffer from this and no you don’t have to do anything … but there is no way (that I’m aware ) that you can tell if it will or wont happen. Environment, time in the water, fabricating materials will play their roles differently.
i.e. Poly resins allow water to pass , vinylesters a bit less , Epoxies better yet ... Water temps etc

Me personally …with a freshly stripped hull , or a never before painted hull that was going to get bottom paint …and will spend a lot of time in the water….now’s the time to do it. It’s a preventative measure to slow or stop water permeation into the glass and its cheap insurance !! Given the cost of boats, engines, fuel, slips ….. this is pocket change. Some bottom paints cost more than what’s needed to coat a small boat.

Having a boat fixed that has a blister problem is a headache (Lots of labor) …and done professionally can cost big time … I’m not talking a couple spots …Hundreds if not thousands of blisters … Those pockets (blisters) are separations in the gel coat and laminates of the hull… this is, in a sense, small scale delamination ...They did a TV show on this that the boat was so bad they had to strip the boat right down to the fiberglass laminate !!! I wouldn’t want to guess what that would cost. Just from a resale perspective I certainly wouldn’t want to buy or at the very least give anywhere near top dollar for a boat suffering from this …. People walk away from boats that have osmotic blistering... just something I would not want to see on a boat survey.

I guess I’m very pro to barrier coating after seeing a few boats that I personally knew go through this process …The worst was a 31 Bertram the other a 35 …. Its not a pretty sight to see the hull pocked up with thousands of blisters ….They spent a lot of time in the yard getting fixed.

just my opinion [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[ocuyler]

Scott,

So you're saying you're FOR the barrier coat...

[SEAFARI]

Pettit Protect is a excellent choice. I put 4 coats
on the 20 Master Angler I had. A few gallons of
acetone and few dozen clean rags are needed to
remove all the mold release. It doesn't matter
how old the hull is. A organic respirator is a
must, especially with that Pettit stuff!!

http://www.pettitpaint.com/products2...d=1&SubCatid=2

R

[Ed]

Dink-

Scott has offered sage advice. If you're going to go through all the trouble of stripping the bottom, then definitely apply an epoxy barrier coat before you repaint the bottom.

As far as stripping the bottom is concerned, it is a dirty nasty job. After doing a few myself....I would much rather pay someone to come by and soda blast it because they bag the entire bottom and dispose of all stuff in an environmentally sensitive manner. There is a guy in Uxbridge that does media blasting . You may want to look him up in the Yellow pages.

[Joe R]

Barrier coat, YES DO IT.....I have had my 1970 20 for 19 years I took down the bottom about 12 years ago. I did have some blisters and repaired them.then put on the barrier coating before bottom painting. The bottom has been almost perfect since then.I slip mine from april till dec every year...Even if I had a new hull I would Barrier coat it......Joe R. 1970 Potter 20 cc ,Susie II

[thedink9]

Scott,Ed,Joe
Thanks for the advice. Once I strip the paint off I will likely apply a barrier coat, just to be on the safe side.
I really was wondering what everyone has experienced on the older SC's regarding blistering.

I've owned 5 boats prior to this SC and never had any blister problems.
Rich