Hello;
I own a 1990 BCC, which has a problem with osmotic hull blisters.
I am wondering if any of you other owners out there have a similar problem. I would very much like to hear what you might have done to correct the problem and how successful your corrections may have been.
I also have a problem with paint blisters on the mast. It looks like it might be a problem with electrolysis, anyone having similar problems?
S.J.O.
Hi Steve,
We own a 1990 BCC as well. #93 We are the second owners. We understand that the first owner had the same problem after only two years. The bottom was covered with thousands of tiny blisteres. Long story,short. Sam Morse had a local yard in Florida, where the boat was at the time peel the jelcoat and apply two coats of epoxy barrier coat. I have done two bottom jobs on the boat myself and have seen no signs of failure to date. I also recently raised the waterline. Eliminating the bootstripe. After an agressive sanding I followed suite and applied two coats of the epoxy before the bottom paint. Good luck.
Oh yea, I have to get after my mast too. It is electrolosis. Happens wherever two dissimilar metals are in intimate contact with eachother. And even where only the paint is chipped slightly. Oxygen and sea water present helps the process wonderfully! My worse areas are under the trysail track. I will remove the track, clean, repaint and use a nylon barrier under the track before re-riviting in place. This should give it a longer service life. Good luck again.
Russ and Carol
“peagic” 93
Hello;
I own a 1990 BCC, which has a problem with osmotic hull blisters.
I am wondering if any of you other owners out there have a similar problem. I would very much like to hear what you might have done to correct the problem and how successful your corrections may have been.
I also have a problem with paint blisters on the mast. It looks like it might be a problem with electrolysis, anyone having similar problems?
S.J.O.
I own a 1990 BCC, which has a problem with osmotic hull blisters.
Hi Steven!
Just offhand, is the bilge painted and are you
aware if the exterior hull had the clear epoxy
coat offered by Sam L. Morse
I’m finishing a bare hull and have an interest
in prevention before the fact but in a "cheap and
cheerful manner…i.e. I’ll be doing all the work
myself
As far as treatment goes, grab a copy of Casey’s “This Old Boat” and prepare to do battle.
My BCC was built in 1989 and does not have the Vinylester resin in the hull
lay up.
The experts currently recommend that Vinylester resin be used in the hull
lay up or that a layer of Vinylester resin and chopped mat be appalled as a
barrier coat. The is a recommended minimum thickness, which I have somewhere
but not at my finger tips.
It is also highly recommended that the bilge be barrier coated, and or, more
importantly be ventilated so that it is kept as dry as possible.
I don’t know how your hull lay up was done, but be sure you us adequate
limber holes and other ventilation in the bilge area.
If I can be of any further assistance please let me know.
I own a 1990 BCC, which has a problem with osmotic hull blisters.
Hi Steven!
Just offhand, is the bilge painted and are you
aware if the exterior hull had the clear epoxy
coat offered by Sam L. Morse
I’m finishing a bare hull and have an interest
in prevention before the fact but in a "cheap and
cheerful manner…i.e. I’ll be doing all the work
myself
As far as treatment goes, grab a copy of Casey’s “This Old Boat” and
prepare to do battle.
I have just completed a major blister repair on my BCC #97. I had thousands of small blisters and about 50 larger ones of 1 inch diameter. I ground off all the gelcoat and found the hull to be very wet even in areas where a blister had not yet formed. The small blisters had not affected the underlying laminate however the larger ones had caused delamination for several inches on each side of the blister. The damaged area didn’t go into the hull more then 3/16". After grinding out the damaged and very wet areas, the hull was allowed to dry for 2 months in a hot and fairly dry climate. I then filled and faired the hull followed by 9 coats of West System epoxy and 4 coats of barrier coat paint to be used as a sanding/primer layer for the bottom paint. Since the blistering was spreading up the bootstripe I raised the waterline to the top of the bootstripe. I feel that I have cured the blister problem for at least 10 years
In what year was the BCC hull #97 built? Was this before or after they
changed the fabrication process to include Hydrex Vinylester Resin in
the 1.5 oz mat and 7.5 oz cloth used in the skin coat? Was this hull
factory completed or owner completed? Since we are considering
purchasing a BCC in the near future, I would appreciate hearing from
any BCC owners who have experienced blister problems. How prone are
BCC hulls to osmotic blistering?
I have just completed a major blister repair on my BCC #97. I had
thousands of small blisters and about 50 larger ones of 1 inch
diameter. I ground off all the gelcoat and found the hull to be very
wet even in areas where a blister had not yet formed. The small
blisters had not affected the underlying laminate however the larger
ones had caused delamination for several inches on each side of the
blister. The damaged area didn’t go into the hull more then 3/16".
After grinding out the damaged and very wet areas, the hull was allowed
to dry for 2 months in a hot and fairly dry climate. I then filled and
faired the hull followed by 9 coats of West System epoxy and 4 coats of
barrier coat paint to be used as a sanding/primer layer for the bottom
paint. Since the blistering was spreading up the bootstripe I raised
the waterline to the top of the bootstripe. I feel that I have cured
the blister problem for at least 10 years
My BCC #97 was built in 1991 and commissioned in 1992. It was layed up with
polyester resins not the vinylester that they use now. The new BCC’s should
be less prone to blistering but I would put a serious epoxy barrier coat on
it such as West System. They are great boats in all aspects and I plan to
keep mine for a long time.
Thanks to Roger for his informative response to the blistering problem. However I am disappointed in Crystaliner’s attitude. I would think they would be more interested in solving the problem instead of questioning it’s existence. Descibing in more detail what I found may be helpful. Grinding off all the gelcoat reveals alot. This is what I found under the blisters.
1.Small Blisters- The small blisters showed no damage or obvious moisture in the laminate. It appeared to be smooth and dry beneath the gelcoat.
2.Larger Blisters- Beneath the 1-2" blisters was considerable moisture and obvious delamination on some. That was evident by areas of about 4" in diameter that appeared light cream color and semitransparent. Pressing on it, you could see moisture moving around under it,like a big bubble.
3.No Blisters- Some areas of the laminate was visibly wet where there had not been a blister, in fact I found many of these wet spots.
4.Dry Layup- People who saw my hull and know about fiberglass commented to me that the hull appearred to have had a dry layup.
5.The Cure- Read the West Systems blister repair manual. Obviously there is no quick fix. Gelcoat removal is essential as well as a extensive dry out period. If I was commissioning a new fiberglass boat I would apply 9 coats of West System epoxy with the barrier coat additive. Do it while the hull is still totally dry. Reports that I have received indicate that I can expect ten years of protection from barrier coat if I maintain its integrity.