Blisters on a prospective boat

[Circledog]

Hello guys, I’m new to the forum and the big boat game. We are currently looking for a live aboard, and came across a 52 Hatteras we really liked. We were a backup offer. On haul out they discovered a lot of blistering. My wife asked the broker if it was worth fixing or would this become our problem when it’s time for us to sell the boat? He said we would be better off moving on to another boat. I was under the impression they could soda or sand blast the bottom and epoxy the bare glass, then end with bottom paint. Would coring need to be involved, would this be more of a pain then it’s worth? I do not know the cost of the process, if anyone has experience with this I’d appreciate it.
Thanks
Paul

 

[psneeld]

Blisters may or may not be a sign of laminate hydrolysis.

Hydrolysis isn't common, but if present can be a issue.

Unless that is the boat for you....figuring out whether the blisters are an issue is tricky.

If you ever take a bit of internet advice...take this. 95% of people who discuss blisters from posters, to marinas, to surveyors....etc....don't have a clue.

 

[Comodave]

Hello guys, I’m new to the forum and the big boat game. We are currently looking for a live aboard, and came across a 52 Hatteras we really liked. We were a backup offer. On haul out they discovered a lot of blistering. My wife asked the broker if it was worth fixing or would this become our problem when it’s time for us to sell the boat? He said we would be better off moving on to another boat. I was under the impression they could soda or sand blast the bottom and epoxy the bare glass, then end with bottom paint. Would coring need to be involved, would this be more of a pain then it’s worth? I do not know the cost of the process, if anyone has experience with this I’d appreciate it.
Thanks
Paul

Welcome aboard. First, what is a lot of blisters? Dozens, hundreds or thousands? What size are they? I have bought boats that had blisters and repaired them. Our last boat was a 41’ and the PO had the bottom peeled and rebuilt about 10 years ago and it supposedly cost about $18K at that time. It is a lot of work and it is hard work, not hard technically just hard physically since you are working under the boat, but it is doable. You have to grind out the blisters to solid glass and then coat with epoxy. Fill the ground out areas with epoxy filler. Then do a barrier coat with epoxy paint, multiple coats. Then bottom paint.

Is it worth fixing? Only you can determine that. You could absolutely negotiate a major price reduction and hire the work done. Keep in mind it usually costs more than estimated for this kind of work. How much do you like the boat? How much work are you willing to do or have done. This is a sellers market for boats so this could be an opportunity or it could be a money pit. Get a reputable yard to give a quote/estimate for the work and factor that into your offer. Keep in mind that there are not a lot of boats out there to buy now. Can you, or are you willing, to wait for the market to slow down to buy a boat? Anyway, good luck and keep us informed as to what happens.

 

[Flatswing]

Cost wise: the estimate to peel 1 layer of laminate, reglass & paint @ a yard specializing in this type of work (like Osprey Composites) was $500/linear foot in 2019. That said, I built this into the sign back post survey but so far have just had the larger blisters ground out, epoxied/barrier coat and painted. The blisters don’t affect your use of the boat, but will affect it’s resale value.

 

[READY]

As an owner of 2 classic Hatteras boats...most if not all of them have very thick solid glass hulls. No core that can rot. Blisters are almost guaranteed on the old ones. Generally you can deal with them at harlots. I did an epoxy job on my first one but don't think I would do that again. If you buy the boat at a fair price and factor in some blister repairs you should be OK.

 

[mike50]

Hello guys, I’m new to the forum and the big boat game. We are currently looking for a live aboard, and came across a 52 Hatteras we really liked. We were a backup offer. On haul out they discovered a lot of blistering. My wife asked the broker if it was worth fixing or would this become our problem when it’s time for us to sell the boat? He said we would be better off moving on to another boat. I was under the impression they could soda or sand blast the bottom and epoxy the bare glass, then end with bottom paint. Would coring need to be involved, would this be more of a pain then it’s worth? I do not know the cost of the process, if anyone has experience with this I’d appreciate it.
Thanks
Paul

It’s well known that some Hatteras boats have blisters. Our 53’ MY is 1972 vintage and has a lot of small surface blisters 1/2 to 3/4” dia and less than 3/16” deep. The hull is solid glass and 1” or more thick and built like a tank and have yet to see any signs of delamination. I am not at all concerned about the hulls integrity and consider the blisters to be cosmetic as do most Hatt owners. Check out sams.com the Hatt web site for more info on the subject. Also Smith & Company is a great source on how to repair blisters, Steve Smith pioneered repair protocols using special epoxy fillers for surface repair, and barrier coatings; and Hatteras did not use a core laminate process for the hull. If the price is right and the boat hasn’t been hacked up they are excellent boats to enjoy and they can take a tremendous beating and survive. Our boat has been to the Bahamas from Ft Lauderdale many times, and was subsequently shipped to PNW, and taken on her own bottom from Vancouver BC down to San Francisco and is still in great shape 50 years later.

 

[Circledog]

Okay, so I was able to get a hold of the survey from last year. My original thought that is was the blisters that concerned the broker was not exactly correct. He was more concerned with the areas that showed high/100% moisture readings. The owner has seemed to correct everything, but the blisters and moisture issues. From my discussion with the Broker, he feels they do not know the reason for the high moisture readings. I have placed the sections of the survey below that caused concern. I'm curious if this would cause you to shy away from the boat. The boat checks all our boxes on everything we are looking for, which has not been easy. That's why I still considering it.
Thanks,
Paul

HULL & DECKS: MOLDED FIBERGLASS WITH NON-SKID OVERLAY SURFACE, SOME EVIDENCE OF VOIDS & DELAMINA TION AROUND PULPIT, & MARGIN DECKS, HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE READINGS, PORT HULL HAS BLISTERS ABOVE THE WATERLINE, TO TOERAILING, 100% MOISTURE TESTING, KEEP WATCH, REPAIR AS NEEDED
KEEL/WET AREA: SEVERAL 1-2" OSMOTIC BLISTERS IN V ARIOUS PLACES. RECOMMEND TO MAPPING & KEEP WATCH FOR CHANGES, ISOLATE & REPAIR IF CHANGES NOTED.
BOWSPRIT/PULPIT: INTEGRATED FIBERGLASS PULPIT WITH GALLEY MAID SINGLE ROLLER ANCHOR DAVIT BOLTED ONTO PULPIT, TEAK INLAY TRIM, PULPIT TESTED WITH ADULT WEIGHT, HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE READING & DELAMINATION, TEAK OVERLAY IS LIFTING, REPAIR AS NEEDED
TOE RAILS: MOLDED WOOD & FIBERGLASS APPROX. 2-4" HIGH, PART OF DECK LAY-UP, SOME WEEPING AND CRACKING WERE EVIDENT, REPAIR AS WANTED, CLEAN FINISHES

 

[Ken E.]

My boat has some small blisters that I haven't done anything about. I consider it a non-issue, as does the boatyard that I use.

 

[Blissboat]

Okay, so I was able to get a hold of the survey from last year. My original thought that is was the blisters that concerned the broker was not exactly correct. He was more concerned with the areas that showed high/100% moisture readings. The owner has seemed to correct everything, but the blisters and moisture issues. From my discussion with the Broker, he feels they do not know the reason for the high moisture readings. I have placed the sections of the survey below that caused concern. I'm curious if this would cause you to shy away from the boat. The boat checks all our boxes on everything we are looking for, which has not been easy. That's why I still considering it.
Thanks,
Paul

HULL & DECKS: MOLDED FIBERGLASS WITH NON-SKID OVERLAY SURFACE, SOME EVIDENCE OF VOIDS & DELAMINA TION AROUND PULPIT, & MARGIN DECKS, HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE READINGS, PORT HULL HAS BLISTERS ABOVE THE WATERLINE, TO TOERAILING, 100% MOISTURE TESTING, KEEP WATCH, REPAIR AS NEEDED
KEEL/WET AREA: SEVERAL 1-2" OSMOTIC BLISTERS IN V ARIOUS PLACES. RECOMMEND TO MAPPING & KEEP WATCH FOR CHANGES, ISOLATE & REPAIR IF CHANGES NOTED.
BOWSPRIT/PULPIT: INTEGRATED FIBERGLASS PULPIT WITH GALLEY MAID SINGLE ROLLER ANCHOR DAVIT BOLTED ONTO PULPIT, TEAK INLAY TRIM, PULPIT TESTED WITH ADULT WEIGHT, HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE READING & DELAMINATION, TEAK OVERLAY IS LIFTING, REPAIR AS NEEDED
TOE RAILS: MOLDED WOOD & FIBERGLASS APPROX. 2-4" HIGH, PART OF DECK LAY-UP, SOME WEEPING AND CRACKING WERE EVIDENT, REPAIR AS WANTED, CLEAN FINISHES

Doesn't sound as though there ought to be any outright deal-killers in that description. Must admit I'm not sure what the phrase "100% moisture testing" means, so it would be helpful to get some clarification there.

Overall, my reaction would be to get some estimate(s) to correct everything, and weigh that into the purchase price that you are willing to pay.

As has been said elsewhere on the TF, blisters are unlikely to sink your boat, but they can sink your boat budget. You can save a lot of labor costs by dealing with them yourself, with the boat out of the water, but it's miserable work. Been there!

 

[mvweebles]

I will leave it to others on diagnosis of blisters. There is a ton of murkiness out there. When I bought my Willard 36, it had a sizeable crop of below-waterline blisters in the quarter/half-dollar size (100's of them). I've recently had them ground/filled but only due to low-cost Mexico-based labor. Otherwise, I always figured I'd pass along the survey credit I negotiated when I bought her back in 1997.

I once owned a Uniflite 42 that was pre-blister. When I sold her, she had a couple bottom blisters (literally, just a few). The seller went ballistic when he saw the blisters and threatened so suit everyone (broker, me, yard, I think everyone short of the Governor of California). His theory was that since the boat was pre-blister years, it should not have had blisters. Memorably, his broker said "John, if you're so worried about blisters, perhaps you should look at a wooden boat!" The guy was a genuine jerk for many other reasons, but still, represents the outlier of buyer who freaks out on blisters.

I agree with previous post that the cut/paste from the survey didn't seem alarming, but you never know. Surveyors have a lot of ways to represent stuff.

Also PSneeld makes a good point on understanding hydrolisis vs blisters. Honestly, my head starts to swoon and I'm probably a bit more knowledgeable than many meaning good information is very difficult to come by.

Peter

 

[READY]

Some moisture problems around the pulpit and windlass are are not unusual. It is not a reason I would walk.

 

[Circledog]

Anyone have a guess what they mean by margin decks? I couldn’t figure if it was decking around the pulpit or decks that lie between the toe rail and the cabin walls.
Thanks
Paul

 

[Blissboat]

Anyone have a guess what they mean by margin decks? I couldn’t figure if it was decking around the pulpit or decks that lie between the toe rail and the cabin walls.
Thanks
Paul

"[D]ecks that lie between the toe rail and the cabin walls" would be my guess, but that's still just a guess. Marine surveyors, home inspectors and appraisers often try to seem smart by developing their own private vernacular and terms of art that are not standardized, which can lead to misunderstandings at best.

When you are the customer paying for the survey, it's your right to call on the surveyor to explain and justify everything in the report. Sounds like that's not the case here, since it's a year-old survey, but if you go any further on this boat, you'll want your own survey anyway.