Older boat with Osmosis

[geaves]

I have an old yacht which I have found in the last few days to have a fair amount of blistering.. I have the dilemma now whether it is worth my while putting in the time and the money to keep her going...

On top of this her topsides are looking rather faded and i'm not sure she can take another polish...

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.. What do I do with her if I decide enough is enough ? ?

 

[capsco]

[ QUOTE ]
I have an old yacht which I have found in the last few days to have a fair amount of blistering.. I have the dilemma now whether it is worth my while putting in the time and the money to keep her going...

On top of this her topsides are looking rather faded and i'm not sure she can take another polish...

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.. What do I do with her if I decide enough is enough ? ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sell it!

 

[Lakesailor]

Put the antifoul on and put her back in. It won't sink.

 

[graham]

dont worry too much about the Osmosis .paint the topsides to smarten her up then go sailing. Both these issuies are only really a problem if you are selling the boat .Then you have to be realistic.

 

[geaves]

Thanks for the push... I was thinking of just patching with some epoxy filler and doing just as you've said... Getting on the water and enjoying the season ahead...

Any recommendations on the topsides paint ?

 

[Aja]

One pot Toplac from International is very good. Good finish and not difficult to apply.

Donald

 

[Norman_E]

If the boat still sails, then enjoy it. The osmosis will quite probably cost too much to "cure" than the value of the boat can justify, but it will not cause any noticeable difference in the sailing ability of the boat. Faded topsides can be painted if you want, but again the problem is cosmetic and the cash might well be better spent elsewhere. If you do decide to give up on the boat, the first option is to try and sell it. Osmosis will not deter someone who understands the problem for what it is, if the price is right. Your profile does not say what boat you have, so we cannot judge how difficult it might be to dispose of it if scrapping does become the only option.

 

[graham]

i painted mine with International brightside 12 months ago. It looked superb then but hasnt stood up too well to scuffs and abrasion. This year I used some own brand exterior gloss from Wilkinsons DIY department. Looks good now Ill let you know later how tough it is /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[geaves]

Looks really good... My yacht is a Caravela 25.. I have now added a photo from last year

 

[sighmoon]

If the blisters are small, you're fine. If the blisters are large (dinner plate size+) it may well pose a serious structural problem, and you're probably better off getting a surveyor to give it the once over before taking on the fastnet.

 

[Victorious]

My father spent many years.... Popping blisters, grinding em out a bit and filling then with epoxy... Every winter he'd find some more..
I guess the boat got a tad heavier
Kept him amused for days every spring

 

[geaves]

No there are no blisters larger than a 1p piece, in fact there are probably only a few that are that big.., but there are area's where there are 10 or more in a 1ft area... Most of them are, I guess, in the usual place on the water line..

 

[Lakesailor]

Just ignore them. Find me an instance of a boat sinking due to osmosis. It's like aching knees when you get older, normal.

 

[joewalsh]

I have the Dual problem of Osmosis on he side of the Boat and a faded hull. I am considering painting. Can I ask did you hand paint the boat or did you have the boat professionally painted?

 

[Evadne]

I have an older boat that "got osmosis" in 1988. She was 23 years old at the time. She had been left in the water for two winters, and when she finally came out and they pressure washed off the barnacles, bits of gelcoat came off as well. This was put down to lots of small blisters, probably caused by a bad layup that left millions of tiny pinholes in the gelcoat, rather than actual osmosis. The deck gelcoat went the same way more recently and I replaced that myself. The result with the hull was severe damage to the gelcoat, and grp layers weakened by deep wicking after her prolonged immersion. I got her done professionally and have been happy ever since.

The moral is, if you have an old boat with or without a dodgy gelcoat, make sure she comes out every winter and you'll probably be fine. You can chip out and fill any tiny blisters to help keep the water out. If you are starting to see other damage to the gelcoat, however, then it may be concurrent with deeper damage. You'll need to replace it with epoxy, if you want to keep the boat indefinitely. This is cheaper than buying a new boat, and you might as well get her properly dried out and any dodgy bits of laminate replaced while you're at it. You could still ignore it and fill it a bit at a time, but it's a bit like curing rust on an old cortina with isopon, it's whet's underneath that's important and you may end up with a hull you can't sell, that is starting to go soft and is unfixable after 10 years or so. Then again you may not, but it's your boat and the choice is yours.

Dave