HULL BLISTER NIGHTMARE, Cost to re-gel coat

[Danny Roberts]

Ok, first I am all open for thoughts and opinions, but there are enough forums on Boat osmosis or "gel coat blisters" out there with no solution and hecklers, so please keep on subject with solutions and answers only, no BS please.

Now, I have a 2001 SAN 210, and the whole bottom half of the boat is blistered and it's pretty bad, and I mean it looks like someone gave my boat the chicken pox bad. They are coming "open" and now it's showing tiny fly-sized holes through to the fiberglass. And in some areas it's causing it to spider web. Has any one had this problem in the past, I'm looking for the cost to have it re-gel coated, or possible fixes.

I do have full coverage insurance on it because yes I did finance it.. has any one had insurance cover the damage to this? Looking for as much positive help ful information as possible.

[Danny Roberts]

Those are just some example pictures, they are growing and getting worse, and the whole bottom now looks like those tiny holes you see

[markj]

Pic #4 makes it look like it's been sitting in the water for a long time. What's the history? Maybe you know that ski/wake boats should not be left in the water for extended periods of time? Give us the full story.

[Danny Roberts]

I do leave it in the water for extended periods of time, but once every 30 days or so I pull it out to clean the bottom of the hull, nothing special, just a quick wax cleaner and hose off to get the greenish color off. But I wouldn't think that is a problem, since that's what most boaters do in my area, some never pull their boat out at all during the whole season (April-October)

[nyryan2001]

It might be worth a call to Ron Nace at Nautique. Even if he can't warranty it... to understand physically exactly what is happening so it doesn't repeat. Nautique does have a lifetime hull warranty and thought? Something this big goes way beyond cosmetic spider cracks. It's worth a 5 min call.

ive seen this on Mastercrafts and Malibus, this is the first I've seen on a Nautique.

[Danny Roberts]

Can you get me a number?

[Quinner]

Believe the lifetime hull warranty only applies to original owner and does not cover blisters anyways. Technically gel coat is porous so if left continuously in the water there is always a possibility of blistering, seen exposed boats go unaffected year after year while others blister after just one season. Proper repair will require removing the gel down to the glass and respraying, likely to be very expensive. Check your owners manual but I believe CC/Nautique recommends applying a bottom paint when boat will be continuously exposed to water.

[jshack01]

Quinner is correct.. Per my manual under Gelcoat Maintenance - "If you will be keeping your boat in the water for ANY period of time, we suggest that the wetted surface of the hull be painted with an epoxy paint formulated for blister protection." Also, in the Warranty Section... Exceptions: The Lifetime Limited and Gel Coat Limited Warranties do not cover the gel coat cracks (that are not considered structural defects), discoloration, blisters, or bubbles.

While I have never left a boat in the water, this was good information to have as I never realized gelcoat was actually somewhat porous. If I understand this correctly, water is getting in between the gelcoat and fiberglass causing the separation? That would seem to me if you even see one blister you'd better be on top of the issue before it spreads throughout the entire hull!

[core-rider]

As has been stated already... Your blistering problem has gone way to far and will require the gelcoat to be completely sanded down and resprayed. All of the work and money will be wasted if you take the boat right back out and continue leaving it in the water the way you have. Without "bottom paint" as it's called on larger boats you will continue to blister the gelcoat and that paint has to be sanded and repainted to continue protecting every few years as well. Removing your boat from the water a few hours to clean doesn't allow nearly enough time for the gelcoat to dry out after being submerged for 30 days. You really shouldn't keep the boat in the water more than a few days without it being pulled to dry out at least as many days as was submerged... I would even double that time.

There really is no particular reason I've seen that causes one boat to blister quicker than another other than bad luck. Most gelcoat is made by 1-2 manufactures so you can't really say that's the reason. I'm not sure if insurance will cover this or not, but it's worth a call to them. Either way it will be expensive because this is a labor intensive job.

With all that said... moving forward you really need to change how the boat is stored. Optimally removing from the water after use everyday either by trailering or boat lift. If that's not an option then not leaving in the water more than 3 days I'd say... If it HAS to stay in the water longer than a few days bottom painting is your only real answer.

[Tallredrider]

I wish that I had a good estimate, but it is going to be a lot. But I do have a few random thoughts.

I don't know why some boats do that, and others don't, but my research seems to suggest it just depends on the conditions the day your boat was sprayed. Like you said, identical conditions on your lake, and only your boat got the problem. There is no way Nautique will cover it, but they may be able to point you in the direction of the best place to get it fixed. This may literally be one worth sending back to the factory. Uship could probably get it there for a buck a mile, which may be worth it.

It makes me worried just for the week at a time I spend at Lake Powell.

One of the major expenses is going to be the fact that the boat will have to be hoisted off the trailer to get at all of the bottom of the boat. In retrospect, for others who read this thread later, the gelcoat guy might have appreciated getting a call about this in November instead of April. Good gel guys are hard to come by, and they get swamped in the boating months, and even the good ones are much slower in the winter.

I hope you get your baby back to new condition right away.

[Waterhawg]

If your going to continue leaving it in the water, it will be way cheaper to patch the bottom, then put on an epoxy barrier coat, then bottom paint. You can bypass the true gelcoat repair altogether. It shouldn't run much more than what a great bottom job would be.

Generally speaking on boats this size bottom paint can affect your resale value around 10% of total value.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[xrichard]

David Pascoe has some great info on blisters

[scottb7]

Another option is to not let it bother you. Put the boat back in the water.

[TRIP]

I have to keep my boat in the water most of the time. No blisters (yet), but my previous 2001 had many. Any recommendations for a good bottom paint?