What to use on hull to protect against blisters

[janswake]

looking for a good product to use on the bottom of our 2008 super air to protect against blisters.The boat will only be left in for a couple days at a time then back out but I do not want to take any chances.WE have found a product that looks interesting.If anyone has used this product or knows anything about it please let me know.Or if you have suggestions on another product please let me know.Any info would b appreciated.I have thought about a boat lift and drive on dock such as ez dock.But these options are not financially possible this year.Having just bought a new boat.
Thanks Janswake



http://www.auroramarine.com/aurora/c...120/index.html

[TRBenj]

Leaving the boat in the water for a few days at a time for one summer *shouldnt* lead to blistering. Bottom paint will look like crap and kill your resale. Personally, theres no way Id be keeping a boat in the water without a lift (especially a brand new one!), but thats your call. Save your money for next year!

[swc5150]

A friend of mine has an '89 SN 2001 that has sat in the water all summer (May-Oct) for the past 20 years with no blistering, so I wouldn't be afraid of keeping it in the water a fews days at a time. The only issue he has is the scum line that needs to be wiped off once a month. I would personally invest in a lift at some point, but I'd be shocked if you any issues with a new CC.

[TRBenj]

A friend of mine has an '89 SN 2001 that has sat in the water all summer (May-Oct) for the past 20 years with no blistering, so I wouldn't be afraid of keeping it in the water a fews days at a time. The only issue he has is the scum line that needs to be wiped off once a month. I would personally invest in a lift at some point, but I'd be shocked if you any issues with a new CC.

I have a '71 Skier that sat in the water all summer for over 25 years that doesnt have a blister on it either. That being said, people here have reported blisters from sitting in the water for a relatively short time- so I wouldnt risk it long term. There doesnt seem to be any reason why some boats blister and others do not... inconsistent gel coat quality? Who knows. CC uses some of the best materials in the industry, but it can still happen. Not quite worth the risk though, IMHO.

[xrichard]

You can't know in advance if you'll get blisters leaving a boat in the water...some do, some don't. Here is a great site on boat inspection/construction and it has excellent information on blisters...look down the right-hand column and click on "hull blisters":

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/

[Hollywood]

fresh air............................................... (BS to fulfill character requirement)

[JohnE]

Any boat left in the water 'might' get blisters. Though I'd be totally confident leaving my new CC (if I had one) in the water for a few days or a week at a time.

I've even heard of boats getting blisters from sitting on wet bunks that then trap the moisture.

All in all I wouldn't sweat it. I'd be very hesitant to leave a new one in the water all season without a lift. Personally I wouldn't risk it unless there were really no other choice.

[sodbuster88]

I have years of experience leaving mine in the water a week at a time....and even a week at a time with twice per month (one week in, one week out...and all over again). I've had no problems and have not done anything special to the boat other than staying on top of wax and detail.

[verhagmr]

The only suggestion that I would say is to dock your boat in deeper water or a mucky area. The blistering comes from the water temperature, try to keep your boat in cooler water and you should be fine. Like everyone has been saying, Nautique uses some of the best gelcoat on the market and you should have any issues especialy just having it sit a few days!

[bobchris]

The only suggestion that I would say is to dock your boat in deeper water or a mucky area. The blistering comes from the water temperature, try to keep your boat in cooler water and you should be fine. Like everyone has been saying, Nautique uses some of the best gelcoat on the market and you should have any issues especialy just having it sit a few days!

Little off here temp has nothing to do with it. The porus gel-kote getting clogged with wax, dirt and all the other scum in the water is what causes blistering. Blistering is water trapped between the gel-kote and fiberglass hull and it gets trapped because the hull has been waxed below the waterline or the gel-kote pours are filled with crud preventing the water from exscapping.

So to prevent blistering don't wax below the waterline, keep the hull clean of scum, use a teflon type scrub sponge like you would use to clean dishes that have a non-stick surface to clean the hull while in the water and your good to all summer long.

FYI that product is a top coat anti-fungul coating and will do nothing to prevent blisters and is usually apply over a barrier coat which does prevent blistering by sealing the porous gel-kote.

[east tx skier]

I have one additional blister causing scenario to report, which is in line with much of what has been stated above. Do not spray any type of silicone based lubricant on your bunks. That has, in at least one instance, been the culprit for trapping water against a ski boat, which, after a sufficient amount of time, exhibited gel coat blisters where the bunks contacted the gel coat.

[cooperwoods]

I have some personal experience with a nautique getting blisters. I bought a new 2004 nautique that for logistical reasons sat in the water for several weeks at a time. After about a year blisters appeared. I made a warranty claim (blisters were specifically covered under the 5 year warranty) - repairs were made and ultimately through the process i ended up with a new boat-as an aside, i could not have asked for a better company to work with on the warranty issue (all the more reason to buy nautique)

as i researched the issue, i could not find a common denominator to the problem - some boats can sit in the water for years w/out a problem - in fact my buddy's malibu response sat next to mine in the water for a longer period of time and never developed a single blister. Both boats were maintained the same way. Having said that, your boat is definitely more suscepitble to blisters if it sits in the water. I agree bottom paint screws resale value - by the way, my current boat sits on a lift - that is without a doubt the way to go.

[janswake]

I am glad to hear nautique took care of you.After readinge veryones posts I have come to the conclusion I will just have to suck it up and buy a lift this year.At least I can leave it in the water for the summer this way and no algea to clean.Thanks everyone for there info and opionons if you have more please keep them coming I know many others are interested in this topic as well.

[NautiDave07]

Jan,
my dad used to leave his boat in all the time. last one was like that from 1986 to 1995 and never had a blister using a product called super slick from overtons.
http://www.overtons.com/modperl/prod...01L3&merchID=4
That link will take you to it. As we got older dad didn't have his little helpers to apply this to his boat anymore. needless to say his more recent boat developed blisters after not using this product and now he has a lift. It is a pain to apply as it goes on like a thick wax. It has t be wipped off at the end of the season. We would leave the boat in for 4-5 months at a time and this product kept the funk off. For a shorter period this may be a pain. He got his lift from ozark boat lifts. It is a 6000lb v drive lift so it fits my 236 as well. They are very heavy duty lifts and they opperate off an inverter installed in the boat, so no shore power needed. When he gets rid of his boat u know who gets the lift

[verhagmr]

Sorry, I guess I dont know that much about the science of it, but when my neighbors boat blistered the guy who gel coated it said it was caused by the raise in water temp in the shallow water.