Carver blisters

[joey]

We recentley had a survey on prospective Carver 31'boat, 1996MY.

The surveyor found one silver dollar size blister near the stb intake and another on the port side near the keel. The portside wasn't so much a blister as it was a soft spot maybe 4" x 6" that may require more than just gelcoat replacement. It was difficult to tell if there were smaller blisters as the bottom was not clean.

Any suggestions on repairs would be appreciated.

 

[Capt. Bill1]

If those are the only issues and you like the boat have the owner fix them or drop the price so you can have them fixed.

 

[rtribble]

You realy should at least power wash the bottom enough to check for further blistering as extensive blistering can be expensive to fix. If only a few blisters it shouldn't be much of a problem.
Our boat, a 1985 Carver 3607, had blistering repaired and barrier coated about five years prior to our purchase and has held up well over the nine or ten years since the initial repairs were done so it's not something that can't be fixed but like I've said if extensive blistering is present you should factor the cost and time(it does require drying the blisters out before repairs are made) required before making any kind of offer.

 

[rapscallion]

The Carver I brought a couple of years ago had a few blisters on the bottom when it was hauled for the purchase survey. The surveyor showed me that cutting into the blisters with a knife revealed only clear water, nothing gooey. And rapping the hull bottom beneath the blisters with a mallet resulted in a good 'clank', no softness. I proceeded with the purchase knowing that the hull itself was sound. I had the bottom prep'd and painted, and I'm monitoring the blistering on an annual basis.

Superficial blistering where the hull laminates haven't been compromised should be okay. Soft spots are a different story. Professional repair can take care of it as long as it's done right. While I'm no expert, I do understand that repairs of this nature involve the soft area being ground out to where there is no moisture, new fiberglass and resin added (assuming the hull isn't cored), full curing, then fair out, gelcoat, and bottom paint. It's no small job, but good marine service yards with trained fiberglass repair crew do this kind of work all the time.

If you've fallen in love with the boat, have the work done, but don't compromise on it. Otherwise, maybe look at some other boats. It's a buyer's market after all.