Moisture and wicking, how bad is this?

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tomski

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Hi All,

I'm considering an upgrade to a bigger yacht and found an older dafour arpeage 30, however its been surveyed a couple of years ago and they found the following:
above waterline moisture of 5
below ranging from 17 to 22 (antifoul scrapped etc)

Wicking to the glass fibre matting was evident all over the hull both above and below the waterline.

Also found 5 50mm blisters...

So I'm wondering how bad is this...I do like the yacht and its not expensive in comparison but wonder if I'm getting myself in trouble here...would appreciate any advice,
Thanks
 
Different moisture meters (Tramex / Sovereign) will give completely different results and they're not comparable - you need to determine which one was used.
If there are already large blisters showing then there is obviously a problem with hydrolosis / osmosis and you could be getting into deep water.... Maybe best to avoid unless you're confident you know exactly what you're getting into. There are plenty of other good boats out there just waiting for you. ;)
 
On the reading through antifoul aspect.FWIW I read my tramex at 100 locations on the hull when the gell coat was off and hull dry, I repeated after a mm of epoxy and again after primer( silver stuff) and again after antifoul. The readings were identical.
 
Well as much as I like the arpege I am rather worried about how much moisture penetrated through how many layers etc...my other option is a nova 27, with no osmosis (same year though) and generally in better condition throughout...

Would have loved to get a 30fter but I want to cross a couple of oceans with my new purchase so need something that will take it and some :)
 
The wicking is a sign of bad lay up, so a builder making that sort of error could also have made loads of other errors, avoid it, loads of good second hand boats out there.
 
Thanks again to all for your replies, it was very helpfull and so I have decided to proceed with the purchase of the nova 27 instead of the dufour arpege...well the adventure continues, will be sailing her from Preston to Portsmouth so should be an interesting run :)
 
Well hows that for a turn around...the owner is willing to accept £4k for the arpege subject to survey and sea trial ofcourse...I have read up on the osmosis info and talked to the surveyor that carried out the survey who mentioned that on the soverign a scale (which was the one used) it indicated between marginal and wet (mid way before the wet indication) and what he said that resale may be an issue if untreated but should be no structural issues providing I fix the 5 blisters...it seems that this isnt as bad as I thought, I dont really care about the resale value as I will be going abroad with her anyway and so my main concern is structural strength...

So I am really at a dillema...do I go for the arpege knowing I would need to spend a couple of thousand pounds to get her ship shape, or do I buy a ready to go 27footer (the mentioned nova) for same money, the nova has no apparent osmosis etc but I wont be able to inspect the hull (only a sea trial is possible)...

What say you ?
 
Surely you could get the "ready to go" boat lifted "in the slings" for long enough to do a quick inspection? If nothing else you could check for any bad blistering or signs of damage, and check the state of the propeller & the rudder bearings.
 
Yes they did, it was repaired but this resulted in a large crack...another issue I guess...I think its gearing up to be too many issues for the arpege...
 
Norman_E said:
Surely you could get the "ready to go" boat lifted "in the slings" for long enough to do a quick inspection? If nothing else you could check for any bad blistering or signs of damage, and check the state of the propeller & the rudder bearings.
Click to expand...


Yep I have received word that this is also a possibility, and will do so, I simply wont have time to engage a surveyor at a reasonable cost over the long weekend (and thats fair enough :) )...I've spoken to one ofthe boatyard staff and they state they have had her out recently and zero whicking or blisters but they are happy to lift her up for an inspection which is great news...
 
Hi, all boats will have osmosis, as all boats by capilary action draw in water,the real problem is how much they draw in. A sea trial will give you some idea about the Nova, The Dufour is ideal if you want a boat that you will end up knowing from stem to stern, You say the Nova is ready to go, but there will always be things that need renewing and changing to suit you, so the question you need to ask yourself, What one suits you and your situation best. Draw up a pros and cons list and go from there, its all down to what space and setup suits you best, and only you can answer that.
 
And so I've had a look at the Nova however whilst a nice yacht it was in a dissapointing state and I only wish the owner would have been more forthcoming/honest (after travelling 250 miles to see her)...anyway whilst looking at the Nova, there was an Arpege there and I had a quick peek...loved it...so am looking at the one with the problems tomorrow but thinking positive thoughts about her:)
 
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