Blisters

J

jmeirhofer

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If someone leaves their boat in the water year round without bottom paint will blistering most definitely develop?

I know someone with their boat at lake berryessa. They have had the boat there since 2004. Through the summer he goes down and cleans the bottom about weekly and pulls the boat once a year for annual service.

I asked him if he had seen any blistering and he said no but I am not sure he has actually checked it. He may now that I have told him about it.
 
Generally, normal bottom paint is intended to prevent marine growth and isn't all that much of a factor in blistering. There are "barrier coat" paints aimed at blistering, but their effectivness is not guaranteed, and they are normally applied either to an unblistered boat or a repaired (blisters drained, excavated, dried and filled) hull.

To prevent blistering, manufacturers have changed the composition of the gel coat (usually to an "isophthalic" formula) but that approach, while superior to prior formulae, is not an absolute guarantee.

In short, I'm not sure that the absence of normal anti-fouling bottom paint will directly affect the formation of blisters. I would mention, however, that depending on how agressive his regular cleanings are, he could damage the gel coat to a degree which would invite blister formation.

BTG
 
I think that any boat built in the last decade will probably not blister. If it hasn't by now, I doubt that it will. But boats built in 1980 and 1990s may be susceptible and should be inspected carefully once a year. I bought my boat new in 1991 and the odds of blistering were 50-50, so I opted to have the barrier coat put on prior to the bottom paint. I've never had any blistering problems, but the last 7 yrs the boat has been on an air dock and not sitting in the water.
 
Mine is an 81 and it's been in the Delta it's whole life - no blisters. I have only had it for about 2 years, but had the bottom sanded and repainted, no barrier coat, and it's fine. But then again, it's not just a boat, it's a Bayliner! A lot depends on the manufacturer, I am sure.
Jim
 
I know of Bayliners with horrible blistering! It's not the manufacturer, it's the formula for the gelcoat that is the key. IIRC, when "they" tried to make a more fuel efficient boat by reducing weight, they came up with a gelcoat formula which was lighter but highly prone to blistering. Once the cause was identified and the formula changed, blistering has gone back to where it was prior to that change. Since my boat was built during the correction in the formula, I wasn't sure what I had and opted to have the barrier coat applied. I don't regret the extra few hundred I paid for peace of mind.
 
I should have added that my friends boat is a Tahoe. I also recently looked at a Rinker that has been slipped in the delta (suisun) since 2002 without any bottom paint. Of course the saleman led me to beleive a lack of bottom paint was perfectly normal for them to not have bottom paint.
 
LOL. I had my boat in the water at Bethel Island for two months before I got it hauled out and bottom painted. I couldn't get all the junk off the hull with a power washer and hull cleaner!!!! Damned salesmen lie, lie, lie.
 
Just as a point about water, my last boat was a new 05' 27' Bayliner and I had it in Lake Tahoe for 2 seasons. No bottom paint, and on a mooring bouy. At the end of each season when I pulled it out - about 4-5 months wet - it was like new - about as dirty as it got in 2 days in the delta! I guess the clean, cold water in Tahoe really does keep stuff from growing. People who keep their boats in one of the "cove" areas like Tahoe Keys where there is little water movement and the water warms up get really bad, green bottoms in a month or so. When I moved that boat to the Delta, I kept it on a hoist - the only way to go sor a small boat!
Jim
 
I had a '99 Chaparral that I put in Lake Sonoma for 6 months out of the year for a couple years. Never had any problems with blisters and the growth came off easily with hull cleaner.
 
Soooo..going a season without bottom paint isnt a horrible thing..not detrimental to the boat?
 
quote:
Originally posted by Waynepj4

Soooo..going a season without bottom paint isnt a horrible thing..not detrimental to the boat?

Click to expand...
I'm not sure about salt water, but it wasn't a problem for me in fresh water. Especially with a newer boat.

However, your bottom will get fouled drastically reducing the performance. Just a couple weeks of growth I would notice a big difference. But the boat was small enough that I could dive underneath it and clean much of the growth with a sponge bringing the performance back to normal.
 
I believe it IS detrimental to the boat. When my new, unprotected boat would have a few days growth, I could not get her up on plane until some of the growth washed off due to the currents. A neat "trick" is to drive your boat upstream out of the salt water into the fresher water of the Delta. This will take a lot of the growth off of the hull, but I think barnacles will stay on. Talk to others at your marina to get their experience in your area.

Personally, I would get the bottom painted before the water starts to warm or put her on a lift! Your return on investment will take about 4 yrs with an Air Dock.
 
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