Is our BOAT total GARBAGE? Osmosis Blisters all over our Sailboat! | Cruising Meraki Ep 19

[@tomstewart264]

Don't be disheartened,nothing is impossible and there are lots of helpful people around with good sound of advice.In the future someone else will have similar problems the experience you are gaining is priceless and you can pass it on.the boat is far from garbage 😍

[@CruisingMeraki]

Thanks for the encouragement Tom, we needed it after this week!

[@number1genoa]

Hello from NZ , my 29 ft yacht has superficial but extensive blisters and I am in the process of getting quotes for remediation. The process they use at the yards is to plane it then use heated vacuum blankets to dry out the laminate on an accelerated basis. Then i think once the moisture content is below a certain reading they apply 2 layers of vinyl ester resin with cloth and then I presume epoxy barrier coats over that. The whole process takes 5 weeks approx. The laminate can dry out on a natural basis but it takes a very long time. I have been quoted $18000 plus tax and hardstand fees.

[@CruisingMeraki]

That sounds about right, we chose another method which we document in another video and 3 years later we’re really happy with the results.

[@neilquigley1030]

Don't worry about the blisters - most older fiberglass boats have them. They're non-structural - they just take a lot of time to fix. Do read up about the process for layering in pieces of glass cloth into deeper ones - there's a particular sequence of different cloth diameters: I think it's big-to-small (about 3 layers). Also - be careful not to overfill with thickened epoxy - sets hard as nails and is very hard to sand back to fair. Good luck!

[@CruisingMeraki]

Let the research begin! Luckily we have some very skilled folks around us in the boat yard and in our personal lives. We’re so thankful for the kindness and help from everyone!! Thanks so much for your tips 💕

[@number1genoa]

A local self employed boat painter has a lot of experience with osmosis blister Repairs and his advice is to use epoxy glue to fill the holes as opposed to a filler compound. The relative porosity of the latter being the issue. He waits until the glue has cured partially and then scrapes it fair with a TC scraper , light sanding and the barrier paint takes care of the rest.

[@CruisingMeraki]

@number1genoa yes this is what we did. Epoxy to seal, epoxy layers of glass and then 2 part epoxy fairing to level it off and make it smooth.

[@nortonmolly]

You’re doing a great job. If you want a comparison check out Sailing Brick House, 500 Rotting blisters video.

[@CruisingMeraki]

Thanks Andrew. We did watch that one! Gave us a good idea of what we’re up against.

[@SOLDOZER]

That hull is trash. It needs to be stripped or you will be fighting blisters forever. You cant spot treat osmosis that bad.

[@CruisingMeraki]

There is lots of different opinions on whether to or how to treat osmosis. After researching and talking to many experts we decided to repair all of ours. The previous owner made some repairs back in 2001 with fill only. Most of those we ground out as well and patched with new glass. There was also bad ventilation through the bilge which we have now addressed. A properly vented bilge really helps with the prevention of osmosis. You may be correct in fact that they will come back, but if we get another 20+ years out of our repair we would be stoked. Each time the boat is hauled to do bottom paint, we will do spot repairs which should be very minimal. That way we can stay on top of things 👍🏼

[@CruisingMeraki]

Lucky for us, 2+ years later and the hull has never looked so good!

[@Jujbbyigs8766]

Hi guys, Kiwi here. Is she an Hans Christian?

[@CruisingMeraki]

She’s a C&L explorer 45’ designed by Stan Huntingford