Gel coat blistering


W

Waterdog

New member
I have a 2006 330SS which I purchased New in 08 I noticed this year that the starboard side has about 3-4ft of pimple blistering under the 1st lifting strike. should I be concerned? of all the boats I've had, I didn't think this would happen on a Formula! I'm from PA and the boating season is only 4 months long, what happened? I'm looking for some advice as what is the best thing to do?

Thanks
:(
 
any pics? do you have bottom paint? does the boat stay in the water during the season? i'll try to help if you can give me a little more info.
 
No Bottom Paint, The Boat stays in the water from end of May to end of Sept. Pulled apx once a month for a day to clean the bottom, that's what I've done with all of my other boats. Ivancic call Formula for me and they said the boat is in the water to long, it's out of Blister warrenty, but after they get a repair quote they would see about helping out with some costs. I very meticulous about the care of my boat, I can't believe I'm being told the boat is in the water to long. If this is Formula's request why didn't tell me they want bottom paint or sometype of protectant applied. This just doesn't make sence there is only a 2 year warrenty on blistering with the Formula Guard.

Thanks for any help on this Issue
Sunsport III
 

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Im in the water from end of April to beginning of October. No bottom paint. Slip in Fresh water. travel to saltwater all the time. No blisters. going into my 5th season. Bottom looks like the day it came out of the mold.
 
I don't buy the in the water too long...

I understand the out of warranty thingie...however this really makes no sense. problem is who knows if the first owner did something that caused this...even though it should not happen. I've honestly never heard of a formula blistering...

not sure what to say...not a super easy fix though...if they pay for a big chunk out of warranty I guess I would be happy though.

wow, what a bummer.
 
Big time bummer. I am surprised you guys don't have an epoxy resin barrier coat, followed by bottom paint if your gonna be in the water for several months. I was always taught that was your best defense against blistering. I hope Formula steps up and helps you.
 
Not sure that paint stops blistering. maybe just hides it unless you have a really smooth application of paint. My other Formula is a 1988 206LS. shes been in the fresh water at least 6 months a year for the last 9 years and no issues..

Is it possible that a repair was done on that part of the hull? I have seen blisters occur where repairs are done and gelcoat is sprayed. You can tell by popping a few of the blisters, if there is gelcoat under the blister then this could be gelcoat sprayed over existing gelcoat near the repair, kinda like feathering paint..
 
This boat was Brand New when I bought it on 2008 it was a left over, So I don't believe there would have been any repairs, and there was no other owners.
 
bottom paint alone will not completely stop blisters. the epoxy barrier coat BEFORE bottom paint is applied (directly on the gelcoat) is the best defense against blisters that i am aware of. here is an article that you may want to read: http://www.zahnisers.com/repair/blister/blister1.htm

i must say i too am surprised. as a general rule the thicker the gel coat the less likely blisters are to form and Formula is known to have a pretty thick gel coat.

keep us posted, i'd like to know what happens with this.
 
I have seen blisters on Formulas before. But I have also heard that sanding the gelcoat can actually help blisters form. My boat has never been painted or sanded and I intend to keep it that way. :)
 
Castines, I was referring to the epoxy barrier coat that is applied to gel first before the primer and bottom paint is applied. The expoxy barrier coat protects you big time. Amazing stuff.
 
No worrie, I was talking paint. However after reading Formulatenn post the epoxy barrier does not seem to stand up either. Seems like vinyl ester resins are the way to go.

I will take my chances for now. The only way i will paint is if I move to a saltwater slip.
 
Castines, thats what i got from the article as well. so does anybody know if Formula uses the vinylester resin or not? was there a particular date when they switched from conventional to vinylester resin?? maybe that would shed a little light on the subject. the thing about blisters is there seems to be no rhyme nor reason as to who gets them, where they are located (geographically), or even why a certain section of a particular boat will get them. the bottom line is if ya ain't got'em be happy, if ya got'em ya better get them fixed sooner rather than later.
 
The barrier coat is usually NOT a factory decision...it is a dealer decision...at least 99% of the time I think.

Perhaps a few boats are factory botom painted, but normally they are not.
 
THIS IS A TOUCHY SITUATION WITH MANY ANSWERS.
MANY YEARS AGO, ALMOST EVERY BOAT IN THE RIVERS IN PITTSBURGH BLISTERED. TWENTY YEAR OLD BOATS THAT NEVER HAD A PROBLEM, SEEMED TO BLISTER THIS YEAR. SOME HAD LARGE 3 TO 4 INCH DIAMETER BLISTERS, WHILE SOME HAD RATHER SMALL PENCIL ERASER SIZE BLISTERS. MY OLD WELLCRAFT BLISTERED THAT YEAR.
NO ONE COULD EXPLAIN WHY IT HAPPENED ONLY THAT YEAR, TO ALMOST EVERYONE.
BOATS THAT HAD BEEN BOTTOM PAINTED DID NOT HAVE THE BLISTERS, OR MAYBE THEY WERE JUST NOT SEEN. I REALLY DON'T KNOW.
I CHOSE TO HAVE MY NEW FORMULA PROTECTED WHEN NEW. EVEN THOUGH I AM 100 PERCENT FRESH WATER, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO NEVER GO THRU THE BLISTERING AGAIN.
I RESEARCHED MANY PRODUCTS, AND THE BEST ONE FOR ME WAS THE INTERLUX 2000E BARRIER, WITH THE INTERLUX VC-17 RACING PAINT. I AM GOING INTO MY 7TH SEASON, AND I FEEL THAT THE DECISION I MADE WAS THE SMARTEST THING THAT I COULD DO. I AM VERY HAPPY WITH MY PAINT, AND HAVE ONLY TOUCHED UP SCRATCHES. I MAY RE-DO THE BOTTOM NEXT YEAR, IF I FEEL IT NEEDS IT.
I ASKED THE FACTORY ABOUT BOTTOM PAINTING MY BOAT, AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY DO NOT OFFER IT, DUE TO SO MANY DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, AND ONE PAINT WOULD NOT WORK IN EVERY APPLICATION. I ALSO FEEL THAT THE REASON GELCOAT BLISTERS IS THE HIGH IRON CONTENT IN THE WATER. I COULD BE WRONG, BUT JUST MY OPINION.
 
Gary, let's hope your wrong about IRON! Below is about where I slip!

River Flow
Precipitation percolates through the soil into the shallow water table, supporting the region's stream flow as groundwater seepage. All streams found within the Reserve originate as groundwater discharge from the Cohansey Aquifer, a large underground reservoir estimated to hold approximatley 17 trillion gallons of water. No streams flow into or through the Reserve from the outside. Most of the streams have a very low gradient and drain eastward and southward on the Atlantic slope toward the ocean. Rivers, streams, and other bodies of waters in the Reserve are stained brown from the humic and tannic acids of released from decaying vegetation (pine needles and oak leaves), and from a high iron content in the soils. Stream water is acidic, with an average pH of 4.4.

Full article here

http://marine.rutgers.edu/cousteau/description.htm
 
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