ducked
Well-Known Member
Yachts are supposed to be pretty
Plukes arent
Cf Chicks
Not complicated
Unlike Chicks
And there probably is some risk
Cf Chicks
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Osmosis survey question
- Thread starter jon and michie
- Start date
Plukes arent
Cf Chicks
Not complicated
Unlike Chicks
And there probably is some risk
Cf Chicks
Refueler
Well-Known Member
Not good. Sad story.
Without seeing the boat myself - as a Surveyor - I would be questioning why the damage was so bad ...
Many boats spend more than 5yrs afloat in FW and SW .. with very little signs of damage. Example : One of my own had spent years afloat and the moisture level of the hull had barely moved.
dombuckley
Well-Known Member
The five years was a minimum: that was how long the present owner had had her (bought without survey or lift-out): we do not know her immediate history prior to that, though her history in the hire trade up until about 20 years ago was well documented. But she had been afloat without lifting for sufficiently long for her substantial oak skeg to be almost entirely eaten away.
The issue came down to the original build quality. There were some vents through the topsides where the unsealed edge of the laminate was visible: this revealed clear strata within the depth of the lay-up, indicating that build had stopped and re-started on at least two occasions, with varying amounts of resin being used on each occasion. The outermost and innermost layers were hard and sound, but the middle layer was clearly resin-starved, with lots of loose strands, and obvious lack of bonding between the outer and middle layers. The reason the blisters were so large was because the moisture had gathered in these voids in the middle of the laminate, rather than in the outermost "wet-out mat" layer under the gelcoat, which we are all familiar with.
In addition, her history indicated that she had been supplied as a bare hull to a hire yard for fitting out. So rather than staying inside the shed for a couple of months, she had been moved outside, and had likely been launched and fitted out while afloat, all before the moulding had properly cured.
The present boatyard repaired and strengthened the damaged areas gratis, after which she was re-launched and taken away under her own power, but her long-term future does not look rosy.
Chris_d
Well-Known Member
Those Elysians are notorious for osmosis I first saw one with 30cm blisters 40 years ago, the original manufacturing must have been done outside in the rain or something!
dombuckley
Well-Known Member
The shed at Appleyard & Lincoln had a corrugated iron roof, which would drip heavy condensation every morning during the winter. GRP was very much still in its infancy when Elysians started (only 5 years after the first production cruiser), and the whole issue of temperature and humidity control had yet to be fully considered.
To be fair, despite their shortcomings, the percentage of Elysians surviving from that period far outweighs that of similar wooden boats of the same age, regardless of standard of construction.
rafiki_
Well-Known Member
Try a pm to Elessar. He used to have a business which included Coppercoat application. He is very knowledgeable
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Egret
Well-Known Member
How long does a GRP boat have to be out of the water to dry out? Realistically is November to March in UK conditions like this year sufficient to make much difference?
rafiki_
Well-Known Member
It depends. Is the boat in a dry and warm environment? If not, it is unlikely to dry much.
ducked
Well-Known Member
I'm told my recently acquired cheapo Trident has been out of the water for 5 years, so it could be dryish. OTOH it had quite a bit of rainwater in it, so I suppse "reverse osmosis" from the inside might be a possibility,
Looks OK, and I understand they arent known for osmotic issues.
Should I be considering epoxy barrier coating, or should I wait untill it breaks before I attempt to fix it?
Looks OK, and I understand they arent known for osmotic issues.
Should I be considering epoxy barrier coating, or should I wait untill it breaks before I attempt to fix it?
Greg2
Well-Known Member
Having looked into this it appears that the main benefit of being out of the water for winter is less time for water to be absorbing into the hull as opposed to achieving a lot in terms of the hull drying out.
To dry a hull properly requires the gelcoat to be removed below the waterline and left for several months with regular jet washing to remove any stuff that leeches out of the hull. Once moisture readings are good then epoxy coating is applied as opposed to new gelcoat.
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