blistering gel coat

[aitkel]

I am looking at a 04 lsv on ebay and the dealer says the only thing wrong with the boat is that the gel coat is blistered from sitting in a slip for a summer. Is this normal? could it be fixed ? I got the inpression that it was not just patches but the whole bottom.

Edited January 28, 2008 by aitkel

[Chia]

read this. blisters thread

sounds like you want to be very careful with any decision to purchase this boat.

[WakeGirl]

I am looking at a 04 lsv on ebay and the dealer says the only thing wrong with the boat is that the gel coat is blistered from sitting in a slip for a summer. Is this normal? could it be fixed ? I got the inpression that it was not just patches but the whole bottom.

Yikes, the whole bottom from sitting in the water for just 1 summer? That doesn't add up IMO, & I'd be very inclined to run, not walk from the deal.

[aitkel]

Thanks thats what I figured RUN

[MalibuCalifornia]

I am looking at a 04 lsv on ebay and the dealer says the only thing wrong with the boat is that the gel coat is blistered from sitting in a slip for a summer. Is this normal? could it be fixed ? I got the inpression that it was not just patches but the whole bottom.

You should never store your boat in the water for long periods of time. Water can penetrate gel coat causing blisters, they can be fixed. Malibu recommends that if your boat is stored in the water to take it out at least every two weeks and let it dry out. You can also paint the bottom of the hull with automotive paint to avoid this problem.

[99response]

One summer can cause blisters, they arn't a big deal really, depending on how many there are. I had an 04 with a few blisters also, I patched them up and it looked fine. A person can take immaculate care of a boat and still get blisters, it is not an indication of misuse or abuse.

-Chris

[Chef23]

I grew up on a lake and live there now and we have always left boats in the water for 6-7 months at a time. Some of the boats have blistered and some have not it seems like a crapshoot. We have never had any of the blisters pop nor have we painted the bottom of any of the boats.

My 2002 Response is starting to show a few blisters but not too many. Personally I am not worried about it.

[Bill_AirJunky]

We've been into skiing & boats since 1990. I've seen a few boats with the blisters, and never seen any real problem from them.

One friend had a boat that blistered where the sat on the trailer bunks. So you'd never see the problem unless the boat was on the water & you were under the boat with a mask.

[BlastRlxi]

I had always heard that you should pop the blisters and let the water out. Water trapped inside the gelcoat will ruin the fiberglass over time. I don't think blisters are that big a deal to fix but they could be a great negotiating point to get a great price on the boat.

[1FootDan]

I beleive it depends on what kind of guy you are. If you are the kind of guy who likes to have perfect looking stuff and having a scratch on your boat will keep you from enjoying it or even sleeping at night (like me... ), I would stay away. If you are the kind of guy who much raters spend his time on the water and doesn't really give a crap of what is underneath the waterline, I think you may be able to save a few bucks here.

Have a third party quote how much a gelcoat repair would cost. The price will be outragoeus (i'm thinking between 6K-10K). Use this to lower the asking price. After that, have it repaired with polyuretahne based coating (I forget the name). It is a sealing product that resembles the finish of a pedalo (paddle boat). It has a more plastic finish instead of a glassy finish. This should cost you about 2K-3K and it is usually garanteed for life. A friend of mine had that done and the only disandvantage other that the demarkation out of the water is that he lost 1-2 MPH on the top speed. Also. alguea seems to have more difficulty sticking to it.

Your call.