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Two Problems While Taking Her Out for the Winter

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lwirth
1st Mate

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USA
35 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/30/2007 : 13:09:22

I have a 1985 tall rig which came out the water this past weekend. Everything was going fine expect for losing the main sail halyard to the top of the mast and the guys doing the hauling telling me that I may have some blistering below the water line. I think I am too old and fat to climb to the top of the mast for the halyard and I am wondering if I really have to do something about the possible blistering problem or can just keep sailing next season and hope for the best. Thanks in advance for any practical suggestions that you may be able to provide. Larry

Edited by - on

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2007 : 13:48:51

I'd say it was a good excuse to take the mast down and inspect the lights, sheaves, etc. Or find/hire somebody to ride a bucket to the top.

As for the blisters, some will say that they must be fixed or you're in danger of scuttling your ship (Okay, I've exagerated a bit) and others will tell you they're no big deal.

From the research I've done, I'm inclined to agree with the guy that wrote: " I have never encountered a fiberglass boat that was in any way structurally damaged or unsafe to operate as a result of gelcoat blisters." I'll try to re-locate that article I found on the web. It was written by a guy that's been making fiberglass boats in Holland since fiberglass boats began some 40-50 years ago. His advice was, essentially, to ignore them. The caveat that I would be concerned about is the freezing and thawing that the water they contain will go through in the cold winter. Would it be sufficient to de-laminate solid glass hull? I haven't a clue, but, I doubt it. I think the gelcoat would simply crack from any increase in pressure before the glass would actually delaminate. Remember, the blister occured due to a flaw in the gelcoat (crack, ding, etc.) that allowed and trapped water under the gelcoat.

Some of the many engineers on the site will chime in and say they have to be fixed and give you very good reasons to do it. Others will say that it is the "seaman-like" way to maintain your boat. I think they're just part of owning a 20+ year old plastic boat.

Found it: http://www.sealakeyachts.com/service/blisters.html

Edited by - John Russell on 10/30/2007 14:01:32

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2007 : 14:01:28

If the boat is out of the water then drop the mast, don't send anyone up.

For the blisters - the boats 22 years old, that is going to happen. You will want to address it sooner than later. You'll probably need to sand, re-barrier coat and re-bottom paint the hull.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2007 : 14:28:56

Smaller than a quarter, ignore them, bigger than a quarter do the right thing. The boat is not worth spending a lot of money on, the bill was almost $3k on the bottom of my 82, it was stupid.

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2007 : 14:57:50

I'd go with a dime not a quarter, but that is just my opinion.

If you have the time and the inclination you can probably do the job yourself for about 600 bucks. Most of that goes into a 10 mil coat of barrier coat, followed by epoxy, sandpaper, a tyvek monkey suit, new sander and bottom paint.

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John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2007 : 15:47:12

Read the article, then ignore the blisters. I did a fair amount of research on blisters when I was going through the boat buying process last year. I was seriously interested in a boat that a surveyor found blisters on. I didn't buy that boat, but not because of the blisters -- the cored deck had water problems, among other things.

As I recall, the information I found on the "fix 'em now" side of the argument only pointed to the reasons de Groot points out in his article as unfounded. Why believe de Groot over the others? Good question. I just thought he made a reasonable, convincing argument. He seems to have credibility.

Edited by - John Russell on 10/30/2007 17:45:19

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2007 : 17:29:25

If you really don't want to drop the mast - it is really not a big deal to do - I have a solution. Buy enough pvc conduit (8 or 10 feet length, 3/4 or 1 inch) to reach the masthead and and 50 feet of 1/8" braid or double braid line. Tape or lash 2 or 3 sail slugs to each piece of conduit, being sure to put one on the wide end. Space the slugs at the wide end and half way down or at the wide end, 1/3 and 2/3 of the way down depending on the rigidity of the conduit. Weight one end of the line and drop it through the first conduit, pull the extra line through and drop it through each succeeding conduit. Put a slip loop in the end of the line going to the masthead and hold it open and secure with light safety wire. Be sure that you can tighten the loop before sending it up. Slide the first conduit up the mast. Connect and raise the others one at a time. Move the assembly around until the loop is over shackle, tighten with the free end hanging out the bottom, and pull it down. Finally, attach the line to the shackle so that you have a messenger for retrieval in the future. There is a slight chance that I may have been dumb enough to do his far from home with no crew to help lower the mast.

I have attached a messenger to my halyards for many years, but hadn't done it yet to Pearl when I took her to Pensacola last year

Edited by - on

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2007 : 17:45:47

That's clever, Dave.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2007 : 21:32:10

A friend of mine stuck a bent piece of wire through the other halyard, pulled it up, jimmied it around until he'd hooked the wayward shackle, and then pulled it down.

BTW, blisters are rarely that much of a problem with boats as new as 1985 in salt water. (Fresh is a little worse.) I suspect your yard guys are looking for work. And the pinhead-sized blisters around the waterline are a standard feature.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 10/30/2007 21:36:28

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2007 : 21:42:58

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by John Russell
 ...Remember, the blister occurred due to a flaw in the gelcoat (crack, ding, etc.) that allowed and trapped water under the gelcoat.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Not necessarily... They are often caused by osmosis (thus, called "osmotic blisters") which is a bigger problem in fresh water than salt. Gelcoat developments in recent years have substantially minimized the problem--boats from the '70s were more susceptible.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3477 Posts

Response Posted - 10/30/2007 : 22:37:03

You may not have a lot of blisters and it is also possible that some are just from the paint. When I bought my boat and first time I had it pressure washed, I had about 25 blisters mostly on one side. They ranged in size from about a dime to quarter size. The marina guys looked them over and indicated they may have been there for the past 5 years and felt that I should just keep an eye on them/check them out the next year when I was due to get the hull bottom repainted. Last Fall, I had the boat taken out and placed in the maintenance yard to be repainted and have a better look at the blisters. Most were just in the paint. About 5 or so were in the gel coat. The guys sanded them down and then treated them with spot use of barrier paint. Then repainted the hull. This Fall, I had the hull pressure washed again. No new blisters. The 5 or so blisters that were there could be seen faintly but a non-issue. Hopefully, the same is true with yours.

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