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Bubbling Gelcoat?


Malibuckeye

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I noticed this yesterday on the side of my boat.  It's brand new so It's somewhat upsetting.  There seems to be a line of bubbling under the gelcoat.  Anyone else ever experience something like this?

 

 

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It's called blistering. Definitely a defect in the hull. It can be caused by a number of things, most likely too heavy/quick of layering of fiberglass and off gassing during layup in this case.

 

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@Malibuckeye, that is definitely a gel defect. It can happen when spraying the gel from an air void or multiple other things. I understand it is frustrating but you bought for MN inboards I believe who are a great dealership. This will be covered under warranty and I’m sure they will work with you to get it fixed over the off season so you don’t loose anytime on the remaining season we have in the north. I’d give your service manager a call. 

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20 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

@Malibuckeye, that is definitely a gel defect. It can happen when spraying the gel from an air void or multiple other things. I understand it is frustrating but you bought for MN inboards I believe who are a great dealership. This will be covered under warranty and I’m sure they will work with you to get it fixed over the off season so you don’t loose anytime on the remaining season we have in the north. I’d give your service manager a call. 

I will say Mninboard’s gel work is amazing. My first bu was an 08 bought in 12 with gel damage and they fixed it and literally could not tell it was there. Simply fantastic fix and craftsmanship. 

  • Like 2
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Yep MN inboard, I have no doubt that they will take care of it.  So I guess my question is, is the blistering I see all that there will be?  Meaning since it's a manufacturing defect I shouldn't expect any more of this in the future right?  

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That void has been there since the build.  I don’t believe they can just form after the boat is done???  After I found the couple on my Axis I went over the entire hull with my hands, feeling for imperfections.  There were only a couple and they were fixed properly.  Our LSV didn’t have anything like that.  

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Don't let it get you upset.  These aren't cars where you are painting over a metal frame.  Some of the voids/blistering don't show up right away.  That isn't always a QC issue, but often a hand-built issue.  Gelcoat is hard and can hide a void.  It happens when you are manually spraying a boat.  It may not have started getting wavy until you took it out and stressed the hull a little.  Or, if it was there from the beginning, it could have been accidentally overlooked by QC, the dealer, and then by you on delivery.  I'd assume, based on the water spots in the picture, that you had it out before noticing it.  Those hulls get very little stress rolling through the factory on a dolly.  Nothing to worry about, unless it is below the waterline and you allow years of water to sneak in.  They will grind it out, repair the void and re-gel the outside.  As new as your boat is, a good gelcoat guy will make it so you will never see it and after a couple years, you'd be hard pressed to remember exactly where it was.  That one is a good off-season fix.  Just document it with the dealer and plan for the repair over the winter. 

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23 minutes ago, Eagleboy99 said:

Don't they water test them at the factory any more?  I have pics of mine getting the shakedown cruise in California.

Yes. Every boat is water tested.

An air void isn't necessarily going to show up after a water test.

Sometimes it takes a temperature or pressure difference before you can see them.

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Fortunately I did not have any defects that bad but...  my boat has many visible blemishes that were noticeable on the lower half of the hull.   I was told they are only cosmetic in nature not structural.   The "fix" was going to be worse than living with the minor blemishes seen in the gel coat.  (Dark graphite hull)  I chose to not try to a massive gel coat re-work for cosmetic blemishes.  Not really noticeable unless you look closely.  Dealer took pictures to document and sent to Malibu just in case a future issue arose.   So far no additional problems.  All has stayed the same. 

Dealer Service told me  that Malibu pushes the envelope on required cure time of the hulls in the molds.   In some cases blemishes will appear leading to less than perfectly smooth looking gel coat.  These should easily be picked up on QA inspector.  Passing anyway?   Seen similar blemishes on other newer boats as well.  Considering how much we spend would expect better quality.  

My impression from others and I agree that your issue should be fixed.  Above the rub rail as well so upper half defect.  Get that fixed.  

Edited by ORMailbuboater
Corrected who I heard the info for on pushing the cure time.
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I have a couple of these on my 2018lsv, that we’re there since day 1. Dealer looked at then and told me they were just cosmetic (not a void), so I opted to use the boat and get them fixed in the off season. They took pictures to document and will be fixing them in the winter along with a few other minor gel blemishes. 

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I can't help but wonder.  It's certainly expensive.  But what is the capital expense for them to extend the shell lay-up/curing process?    I cringe when I hear something like "push the edge of mold time".  And I sit up with rapt interest when someone like Centurion waxes eloquent about their vacuum bagging process and attention to cure time.  

Regardless, the customer service was top flight and the repairs were prompt and exceeded my expectations.  No problems since.  All other things aside tf they keep that up, then I guess business will be good.

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9 minutes ago, Slurpee said:

I can't help but wonder.  It's certainly expensive.  But what is the capital expense for them to extend the shell lay-up/curing process?    I cringe when I hear something like "push the edge of mold time".  And I sit up with rapt interest when someone like Centurion waxes eloquent about their vacuum bagging process and attention to cure time.  

Regardless, the customer service was top flight and the repairs were prompt and exceeded my expectations.  No problems since.  All other things aside tf they keep that up, then I guess business will be good.

Well first we’d have to determine whether or not that is actually a true statement...

Based on the given information, that someone on the internet heard that Malibu pushes the limit I’m not going to worry about it at all.

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43 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

Well first we’d have to determine whether or not that is actually a true statement...

Based on the given information, that someone on the internet heard that Malibu pushes the limit I’m not going to worry about it at all.

Hah. Aint that the truth. My friend the internet said.......

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That sort of thing can happen regardless of the cure time in the mold.  If a part is pulled from a mold to soon, you would see more problems with the hulls getting deformed and collapsing.  The OP's pic looks like it could be a little bit of delam.  With them using spray guns, there could have been some moisture in that spot during the fiberglass lay up that was the source of this delam.  It's not uncommon to get moisture in the air lines and make its way out through the tool.  It could have also happened from them not rolling out the fiberglass all the way.  Like @23LSVOwner said, this won't surface until it is exposed to some heat.  QC would never catch most of these going out the door.  If this was a problem in the gel coat alone, you would be able to poke your finger right through the bubble so this is definitely underneath in the fiberglass. 

At the end of the day OP gets it fixed and...

image.png.e9ec3d21344df39ab5ea44787c5c5df4.png

  • Like 3
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9 minutes ago, Eagleboy99 said:

Sorry - you bought a brand new boat with a hole in it??  How does it have 2 hrs on it with such a "feature"??

Took delivery two days ago.  2018 LSV...Was doing my 'OCD' thing and noticed water on the hull but it hadn't been in the water yet (at least I hadn't put her in yet).

upon further inspection I noted it was coming from this hole.  I got concerned/curious and decided to see how deep it was... now I'm really concerned.

Dealership is doing their thing and Malibu is involved but it's a pretty sh*tty feeling to find something like this below the waterline the day you bring it home.  

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3 minutes ago, Clearprop said:

Took delivery two days ago.  2018 LSV...Was doing my 'OCD' thing and noticed water on the hull but it hadn't been in the water yet (at least I hadn't put her in yet).

upon further inspection I noted it was coming from this hole.  I got concerned/curious and decided to see how deep it was... now I'm really concerned.

Dealership is doing their thing and Malibu is involved but it's a pretty sh*tty feeling to find something like this below the waterline the day you bring it home.  

My dealer hit something, told me they fixed it and didn't.  I know the exact feeling you are talking about.

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45 minutes ago, Clearprop said:

Took delivery two days ago.  2018 LSV...Was doing my 'OCD' thing and noticed water on the hull but it hadn't been in the water yet (at least I hadn't put her in yet).

upon further inspection I noted it was coming from this hole.  I got concerned/curious and decided to see how deep it was... now I'm really concerned.

Dealership is doing their thing and Malibu is involved but it's a pretty sh*tty feeling to find something like this below the waterline the day you bring it home.  

 Total bummer.  Looks like an easy fix though. Hopefully they will get that handled and get you back on the water ASAP! 

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