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Old 06-13-2010, 11:35 AM   #9
Peter B
TF Site Team
 
City: Ex-Brisbane, (Australia), now Bribie Island, Qld
Vessel Name: Now boatless - sold 6/2018
Vessel Model: Had a Clipper (CHB) 34
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 10,101
RE: 7 years without any attention or maintenance

Rocky, the hull should still essentially be blister free. If they were right about it when out in 2003. But don't worry if they missed a few small ones - that's nearly as good as none, because if small, they are of no consequence, and will not enlarge now after 20 yrs in the water. Reason being this is a phenomenon caused when there has been unevenness in the resin penetration/dispersal within the matrix of the fibreglass causing pockets of high concentration of osmotically active chemicals which then draw water in to dilute it. These pockets of high solute concentration will tend to show fairly early in the hull's life, not later. I think again, being an osmotic effect, it would tend to be worse in fresh water in this case, whereas hull growth is worse in salt water. If this proves the case, and if they have had good current leak protection, the fact they have lived aboard may not be a bad thing, as it means it will have been kept warm and well aired, and of course leaks acted upon, even if they were not that fussy in keeping the decks and paintwork up to scratch. A lot of that is purely cosmetic as long as water was not getting in behind. With a bit of luck they even turned the engine over even if not actually run, once in a while.
And for those who, noting the time, wonder what the heck I'm doing answering posts at this ungodly hour - ie 0420am in Australia, it's because I got up to watch the F1 Grand Prix, then decided, what the hell, I may as well stay up and watch the Aussie/Germany World Cup match.
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