Hull blisters - osmosis?

[bcutts]

As a newbie, I hope somebody can help with this.

I'm looking at purchasing a Viking 24 I have seen which is out of the water but I have noticed 6 or 7 blisters on the hull below the waterline which are about 2 inches in diameter. I presume these will be due to osmosis but my questions are:

a) should this be expected on a boat which is nearly 30 years old?
b) do blisters of this size show serious weakening of the hull?
c) I've read that osmosis blisters are normally much smaller and more plentiful so are these caused by osmosis or something else?

Of course I can find out by getting a survey done but this would be a waste of money if the blisters are indeed a serious issue so I'd rather spend the survey money on a different boat. Trouble is this one fits all my needs beautifully and otherwise is in very good nick and keenly priced.

 

[Doolittle]

a) Yep
b) Nope
c) Prolly Osmosis.

From your explaination it doesn't sound that serious.

[ QUOTE ]
Of course I can find out by getting a survey done but this would be a waste of money if the blisters are indeed a serious issue so I'd rather spend the survey money on a different boat.

[/ QUOTE ]

I expect a Viking 24 is approx £4-6,000? I reckon £150 for a survey is bloody good value for peace of mind.

The survey will tell you that the hull is fairly saturated but only normal for that age. The blisters could be ground out, refilled one weekend and painted over the next.

 

[captct]

The blisters you describe are often caused by inferior resins.They dont usually cause strutural problems ....just cosmetic

 

[Micky]

Don't let a few blisters put you off.

From what you say, those blisters are nothing other then a simple DIY weekend job.

 

[Sneds]

"No boat ever sunk from osmosis"

As others have said probably just cosmetic, why not get someone along to give you a price to repair?
Or jut live with it?

 

[cliff]

[ QUOTE ]
I have noticed 6 or 7 blisters on the hull below the waterline which are about 2 inches in diameter. I presume these will be due to osmosis

[/ QUOTE ]Bugger me - they are BIG - I would walk away - nay, RUN away - very quickly. Either that or fork out for a survey then get a quote for repair (if a repair is possible) and deduct the cost of the repair and survey from your offer.
Further Reading - note the pics and comments about blister size about ½ way down the page.
--------------------

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
sailroom <span style="color:red">The place to auction your previously loved boatie bits</span>

 

[longjohnsilver]

It's well worth getting hold of a moisture meter to check overall condition of hull.

Those blisters are almost certainly osmosis and can be easily repaired. Open them up, they will have a brown vinegary smelling liquid inside, grind away the surface and wash the area thoroughly with fresh water. Do this several times and allow to dry completely, maybe use a hair dryer or hot air gun (carefully!) to aid the drying process.

Once dry fill with epoxy filler, most chandlers will stock this as a two part system and allow to cure then sand it back and that's essentially it. Not a difficult job.

 

[bcutts]

Thanks guys.

Well most of you think that they can be treated reasonably easily as a DIY job. However Cliff... you have me a bit worried and the blisters shown on the link in your reply look to be smaller than those on this boat. I'm happy to deal with them myself but all things considered it looks like a survey would probably not be a complete waste of money so I'll take your advice just to be on the safe side and get one done.

Here's hoping that the saturation of the hull will not be too bad and that other 'issues' won't surface during the survey. I must admit that the rest of her looks well cared for and the inboard diesel looks in good nick.

Brian

 

[ValleyForge]

Small 'micro' blisters are (in my experience) gel coat limited, dry, and can be readily ground off & finished off with epoxy filler. 1/4 to 1/2 inch only you will see firm dry glasswork underneath on grinding off. No problem.
However, bigger blisters (bumps even) 1 - several inches across are more serious - from a financial perspective - as a survey will probably say 'osmosis' & the craft value will be less the £2k or so needed to fix it. A good bargaining point for you, a bu**er for the seller. (yes, I've been at both ends here ...).
If future resale doesn't bother you no worries, but you should be able to recoup the surveyors fee & then some.
Good Luck !

 

[Lakesailor]

Hello Brian, Welcome,
I'm with Cliff on this. If you are looking for a boat don't be seduced by the 1st one you fancy. There are loads about. Most below par, and that sounds like one.
Why would you buy a boat knowing there were problems (unless it was part of a project and you enjoy the work and it's cheap).
Would you buy a horse with a splintered fetlock, or a car with rusty hole in the floor?
Whilst it is quite true that osmosis isn't the Spawn of the Devil as was once thought, and if it develops on a boat you own it's not the End Of The World, on the other hand I wouldn't buy a boat with obvious osmosis, and certainly not with 2" blisters. That is big.

I bought a small boat recently that was a bit rough on the surface, but it was all cosmetic. No sign of osmosis or anything else to worry about. A repaint and some trim and tidying up and it's fine.

Leave it alone and find another without the blisters. You may also find a boat you like better. Looking for a boat is part of the fun.

 

[nigelcarton]

[ QUOTE ]

I expect a Viking 24 is approx £4-6,000? I reckon £150 for a survey is bloody good value for peace of mind.

The survey will tell you that the hull is fairly saturated but only normal for that age. The blisters could be ground out, refilled one weekend and painted over the next.

[/ QUOTE ]

£150 for a hull survey! Us ditch crawlers can pay up to 3 times as much for a basic out of water hull survey , plus dry dock etc. I think that would be a £150 well spent.

Nigel

 

[Doolittle]

This maybe of interest and you're at liberty to click and move on if I'm boring you but it might be of interest...

Doolittle our 25' Seamaster Cadet was built in 1965. My Dad purchased her in in 1978 and owned her for 14 years. in that time she was re-antifouled at least every 3 years or when it could be afforded but left no longer than 4 years.

In 1990 She was hauled out at Chertsey Meads Marine and it was decided that to retain any value in her my Dad had to deal with the very serious osmosis. We are talking of up to 6" blisters and barely a flat bit of hull anywhere. We set to with sanding disks, grinders, power files, electric wire brush attachments and after four weekends work were left with a colander. Some holes right through the hull were 2" in diameter. After allowing the hull to dry for four weeks we set about repairing it with two pack Wests system epoxy. The process took days and days but antifouling was reapplied and she was bunged back in the water.

In 1994, my folks both in their mid 70's, Mum registered blind, with heavy heart they sold her as they were no longer nimble enough to move around her.

In March 2003 my wife and I were escaping the office and moseying around Walton Marina and we recognised this very familiar bow rail. low and behold Doolittle was on the market for £5,000 having been through 3 further owners.

We got the surveyor in.

Mr Burgess was puzzled by the hull. It was showing a very low moisture content for its age as if it had spent little time in the water! Due some undulations on the hull he suspected it had had a professional repair because for this age of craft, osmissis was inevitable.

[image]

[/image]

After some time of me sniggering behind Mr Burgess, I admitted to my historical knowledge of Doolittle and the hours I'd spent on my back clogged with fibreglass dust.

It was a purchase based purely on sentimental reasons and we got her for £3.6k due to other work that was necessary.

So in conclusion, don't be too concerned with osmosis, if you are willing to put in the time to sort it.

/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[bcutts]

The Doolittle story makes very interesting reading and shows that it can be fixed by a DIYer who know what he's doing. Until I read the post I was going to follow the advice from LakeSailor and pass on this boat. I think I may well still do that but first I will pop back to the marina and take a final and close look at the blisters. Maybe I'm an idiot but the boat was just what I was looking for and was priced at just over 6K which for a canal capeable cruiser with a diesel engine seemed very good and I loved the layout.

At the end of the day I may well pass on this one but I just need a final look to see how much work would be involved in sorting her out.

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Osmosis or not Osmosis

while many owners seem to get totally mad about this on there boat or on those of others
I am always impressed with surveys and how much most of the surveyors always tell me that ii is one of the least problems you can have in a boat, unless it is not someting so visible that needs extreme consideration...

 

[Chris_d]

Your in luck, get a survey which says it has Osmosis, get a quote from Osmotec to say it will cost £3K to fix. Get the boat half price and forget about it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[bcutts]

3K... well at least it's a start for the bargaining process provided a survey doesn't show up any other problems if I decide to proceed!!

 

[Sneds]

Easy to be seduced isn't it?
Like others have said, there are a lot of boats for sale at the moment.
I would have a look at a few others, just to make sure that this is the one. You never know, you might find one that you like better. Don't wory to much if it is a few miles away from you, road transport can be quite reasonable.
Have you considered an outboard powered boat? Less systems to go wrong and if it does break you take it off the boat and take it to the repair shop!
Downside, having to take petrol to the boat!
Good luck and enjoy the search!