I have blisters - thousands of them

[daydreamerbob]

the bottom of my boat looks and feels just like the surface of a football - the bubbles are smaller - but all uniform in size and all in a pattern - not quite a grid. Boat bought in may - blisters in july. i cannot believe it.

[cmeperform]

Sorry to hear you have that problem.The boat is not without normal problems
any other boats have..Mine is new also & has a few cracks.Dagerboard,Deck
by the bow rails.Wench hook is loose on the bow..Oh well..Nothing is to big
you can't fix it..The trailer is junk.
Glad I'm not going to be using it much

[MARK PASSMORE]

Bob, You probably just need to pull the boat out and clean the bottom. I dont think it would get blisters that fast. It doesnt take long for the bottom to get pretty funky if you are keeping it in the water. I pull my out every three or four weeks and clean it with a long handle brush.

[johnnyonspot]

If they really are blisters, doesn't MacGregor warranty its hulls against such things? They should.

[NiceAft]

Bob,

I'm just wondering here, but do you keep your boat at a slip, or does it only get wet when you launch?

Ray

[daydreamerbob]

Mark: I rocked the boat enough to see "the bumps" they are white and appear to be in the gel coat - and they are in a geometric pattern. The site that I was able to see was about the size of my hand port side forward of middle - I could be wrong and certainly hope so

Ray: In a georgia fresh water slip - pulled her once for oil change etc. Dealer assured me I would need nothing on the bottom but a good wipe down once a week.

Johnny: The user manual warranty expressly excludes anything finish related.

I think I need to pull her out and have a look - but just like my stock portfolio - i am afraid to look and learn the truth

[blueskiesup]

I keep my boat in the water from early April to late October each year and I haven't seen any blisters at all. Before I put her in the first time I coated the bottom with several layers (4 as I remember, I think the product was microsomething from WestMarine) of a hard epoxy bottom paint to seal it well and then several layers (3 as I remember) of an ablative bottom paint all paint was from West Marine and I paid for the good stuff so I wouldn't have to pay over the long haul through excessive sanding/painting/repairing. Each winter since then I put 2-coats of the ablative paint on. Each season I have no critters, nothing remarkable... We're in the Chesapeake (30% saltwater where we are) so the ocean may be slightly worse.

If you havent researched bottom paint yet on this board it was the resource I used for my decisions on what to do. I couldn't be happier with the results.

Greg

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

I would suggest having a professional look at this boat, and determine if this is simply some "funky" growth stuff. It may simply need a good cleaning. But, I've seen some real damaged conditions repaired as good as "new" -- be encouraged.
Hope you report back if the condition is simply "funky growth" or "blisters"...The boat is too new for blisters in my opinion.

[johnnyonspot]

Johnny: The user manual warranty expressly excludes anything finish related.

I don't know exactly what the language in the warranty is, but what exactly does "finish related" mean? And how would blisters be "finish related"? To my mind, if you buy a brand new 26M and it gets blisters right away, the warranty better cover it; and if the warranty does not cover it, then the warranty is near worthless. In any event, if there really are blisters and the warranty does not cover it, then I would be broadcasting the situation far and wide and giving holy hull to the factory and dealer until the situation is remedied.

[Andy26M]

From what I've read, Osmotic Blisters normally need several months to form. Do you have any type of paint or coating on your hull? If you had a barrier coat applied to the boat before launch, I'd suspect bubbling paint before blisters under the gel coat with a boat this new. Also, most boats have not had the mold release wax removed prior to delivery, unless your dealer did it for you, so if any paint or even wax/polish was put on the hull over top of that wax then it may show some strange behavior.

Good luck, I hope your problem is not, in fact, blisters!

- Andy

[NiceAft]

The possibility for blisters is definitely there. Not probable, but possible! At this point discussing it is wasting season time. Pull the boat and get it to someone who knows what they are doing.

Regardless of what the problem is, after it has been corrected, at least have a barrier coat applied. Paint is an option after that. I have just a barrier coat. Others do otherwise.

Ray

[daydreamerbob]

Men
I am encouraged - but pragmatic. I will pull it and have someone smart look at it. I will also try to get pictures - but the hull is so white and bright and the bubbles so small - 9 do not know if i will get enough contrast.... I hope it is not an issue - but what I saw was - well anyway,

As for the warranty - i have re-read the manual several times and it is very well conceived. Even in sections where it does not seem to do so it covers potential liabilities very well - as I would - and do in unrelated businesses.

There is nothing on the bottom of the boat - i was told i did not need to do anything - because i did ask the dealer about bottom paint and he told me to not worry about it this season.

I will report back - in the meanwhile keep up the encouraging words

[Gazmn]

-Bob,

I hope it's nothing a good day in the shallows with some boots you don't care about and a stiff long handled brush can't fix. Also look into a product called "Slimey Grimey" . Do your search here on it. It'll help clean up the sides and probably your unpainted bottom. Follow the instructions and advice here carefully

[NiceAft]

I have used Slimy Grimy several times, and I am a believer in the product. For it to work properly be sure to use warm water. Here is the web page for it. http://www.slimygrimy.com

Ray

[johnnyonspot]

Don't know if this thread has morphed into one re cleaning hulls, but in case it has, I've never used Slimy Grimy and cannot comment on it, but I have used Starbrite and it is wonderful.