blisters on top of cabin

[stevefle]

Hi - I''m considering purchasing a 27'' O''day that has several small blisters from 1/4" to 3/4" long, approx only 1/16" high max on the top of the cabin. Looks like the plastic separated from the substrate. It also has some spider cracks in the cockpit, and around the mast step. Present owner seems to have clear caulked at most deck penetrations although very minimal sign of damage inside (just a light rust spot on cabin liner, about 2" in one location). Wood rails outside haven''t been cared for in yrs, and maybe have shrunken back from deck..maybe that''s why he caulked them. Dry inside, no smell. Hull looks pretty good - no blisters at all. What do you think ? Thanks!
Steve

[jbanta]

I would be scared... Sounds like delamination.. Do you really want to try fixing something like that or would you rather find a differnt boat?

[paulk]

The thing to do is to bang on them with a light hammer to see if they really are delaminated (dull sound) or not (higher pitched, virbrating sound). A boat as old as this one probably is should expect to have a couple of issues. If they''re just small bubbles, inject some epoxy into them and sail for another 10-15 years. If they''re big areas of delamination just beginning to make themselves apparent, find out how big they are. We had to repair two delaminated sections of cabintop on our boat, each about a foot wide and six feet long.
The price was right, though, and we''ve been sailing seven years since taking about four weeks (after work & a couple of weekend days) to repair them ourselves.

[sailingfool]

"clear caulked" is an unusual statement in the context. Usually caulk is applied under a fitting on a deck - do you mean to say the owner applied caulk to the open areas of the deck displaying the blisters or spidering? If so, I would think this not a normal repair for anything like the problems described, or for anything at all for that matter. So something doesn''t fit (so to speak).
First possibility is owner ignorance, the owner doesn''t know what he/she is doing and has wasted some time and money(and made a bit of a mess?).
The second possibility is the owner knew what he/she was doing, and the problem is something unusual. If the owner has caulked the deck areas to keep water out of the deck or cabin, this would be a poor and probably temporary solution, not much better than real band-aids.
I''d be sure to get a conlusive answer to this riddle, probably requiring the services of a skilled surveyor.

Goog luck.

[stevefle]

Thanks for your responses. The clear caulk is around fittings on the deck...handrails mainly. I thought maybe because the wood shrank back over the years and he was concerned about leakage. I looked pretty carefully inside and found no signs of water except for the little stain I mentioned. The bilge is dry, no smells at all (we just had seen another boat with water in the bilge, and strong mildew smell all over). I have a call and email out to the owner now asking why. It does look like someone didn''t know what they were doing. Thanks again!
Steve

[TrueBlue]

I know from several boat purchases that blind emotions tend to take charge over a prospective boat owner''s rational thought process, but sometimes when the feeling is right, there are no regrets.

We find an "affordable" boat that seems to fulfill our desire for challenging the seas, while also serving as a waterfront retreat from our land-based existence. However, there are issues with the boat, deserving further research and opinions from seasoned sailors who "have been there, done that". . . the reason why you are posting in Sailnet.

This 27'' O''Day may work out for you, certainly the price is right, but are you confident enough in your abilities to do much of the inevitable work yourself and if not, can you afford to hire professionals?

Several years ago, a 27'' O''Day named Friar Tuck, was docked across from our slip. We could not understand how a family of 5 could be so happy in that small boat. I eventually realized that it is not the physical boat that makes people happy, but the state of mind and positive spirit that pervades.

Listen to opinions from other people, hire the best marine surveyor you can afford, but in the end, go with your gut feelings. If you feel good about the boat, go for it. Any negative feelings you may initially have, will most likely stay with you throughout your stewardship.

Steve

[c25]

You need a surveyor to give you a better picture of what you''re looking at. Among other things s/he will do percussion testing and check moisture levels where ever the deck/sole....has been penetrated buy a fitting or hardware of some sort.

If you have simple glass-core delamination & the area measures dry on a moisture meter then the fix is very easy, just inject it with epoxy (see Don Casey''s or Alan Vaitses books on boat repair). If the core is wet, then that''s another issue although certainly not a kiss of death and well within most people''s ability...as long as they have basic to moderate shop/tool talents.

[stevefle]

Thanks for your responses. I''ll let you know how we proceed.
Steve

[windship]

If improperly prepped, paint will bubble. Are the decks painted?

Dennis

[stevefle]

it does not appear to be painted. thanks