What do I do!!!!!

[98 Outback]

Hi guys and girls. I have hundreds of bubbles on my hull what should I do about them. Have them fixed, do nothing just keep the boat out of the water when not in use. Please help me!!!

[phospher]

Perfect example of what happens when you leave a perfectly good boat in the water. Gelcoat is porous. As far as what you should do, that depends on how much money you want to spend. A complete re-gel is your best option. Paint would be your second, and third you could patch them all but that is a lot of work (and hard as hell to match the gel-coat)and it looks like more and more are just going to keep popping. Finally, you could just leave it because it's only cosmetic.

[maxpower220]

Your best option is to take the boat to a fiberglass repair shop and get an expert opinion. They can give you an estimate of the repair cost for fixing it or how long you can let it go before you need to repair it. Blistering is a problem for some boats, especially when left in the water or when the bunks on the trailer retain water.

Probably the biggest aspect of this is that blisters are a resale killer.

[Razzman]

That is called Osmotic Blistering and is as said often in found in fiberglass boats left for long periods in the water. It rarely affects the structural intergrity, just looks bad.

[98 Outback]

Perfect example of what happens when you leave a perfectly good boat in the water. Gelcoat is porous. As far as what you should do, that depends on how much money you want to spend. A complete re-gel is your best option. Paint would be your second, and third you could patch them all but that is a lot of work (and hard as hell to match the gel-coat)and it looks like more and more are just going to keep popping. Finally, you could just leave it because it's only cosmetic.

What would I have to do to paint it. Do I fill in the holes and then paint?

Please give me some more details.

[brain_rinse]

Bummer! I wouldn't paint it though. My advice would be to either fix it right or leave it alone.

[Razzman]

I imagine you could do that but the problem is the blisters retain water. Here's a little info on the subject; Blister Repair (http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/03.htm)

[scottman]

From that article...

"Boat pox is a much more serious condition, related to the occasional blister like acne to the occasional pimple. If the bottom of your boat is covered with blisters, filling them won't cure the problem. Pox is a systemic condition indicating that the hull is saturated. The actions necessary to remedy boat pox require specialized equipment and expertise. "