David...from your prior posts about a 27ft. ericson I assume this is a boat you are looking at? Blistering is a common problem on an older boat and most are not structurally compromising...but can become so over time and if not repaired correctly.
Sometimes a "blister boat" can be a good way to go if you get the right price up front and have the time and energy and a place to do it yourself. The "drying out" period required generally makes buying one a non-starter for most people but what exactly do you want to know about?
If you bought the boat, don't sweat it, just fix 'em. The uptick on things like this is that you will know what you have when you made her what she can be. So, don't let the downside overshadow the best outcome, grind them out, dry 'em out and put in some good material!
I have done some research on blisters and from the sights I have found they have painted a glommed picture. I just took a sea trial on Saturday and like what I saw, but the owner stated that when he got her some miner work had to be done on small blisters. This will be my third boat but the first with blistering. I am pulling her out Wednesday to do the survey on her. My diver is going to clean her real good the day before to give us a good start. I am hoping to find some others that has addressed this problem and how successfully it was.I probable will get the bottom painted first thing, it was done three years ago and shure it will need it. Any advice will be greatly appreciated
David...just don't fall in love with the boat too quickly! All you can do at this point is wait for the detailed survey report to see if you have any problems and what their extent is. Here's what I would say if blisters are found:
1. If there are a few minor blisters. Get a quote from the yard to have them fixed professionally and deduct that amount from the sale price. Then paint the botom and go sailing for the season...get 'em fixed in the fall on haulout when the boat can be properly dried out and prepped.
2. If there are extensive blister issues, I would walk away as the time and expense to deal with them professionally is around 6 months and probably 8-10k in expense. If you love the boat and want to do much of the work yourself and can get a big discount, then maybe it is worth considering...but it is not a fun job.
3. If there are NO blisters or a couple of minor ones...you should considerstripping the bottom and getting her epoxy barrier coated before bottom painting to insure you don't face problems a year or two dwon the road.
Hopefully this is all idle speculation and you'll be happily sailing your Morgan shortly!
Thank you all for your input. Our survay went well yesterday and found no blisters. In fact he only found minor things that can be taken care of by normal maintenance.
My boat had a number of small blisters, mostly superficial. They were all ground out and repaired. Good luck for me the previous owner had this done four years earlier and the boat sat out of the water for four years after the repairs were done.
I don't believe that there were any 33 OI center cockpits produced, but back to the pilothouse version of the 33; I think there would be no significant difference in their sailing behavior when compared to the standard 33' aft cockpit. I may be wrong, but I don't think that the boom was raised and the main cut shorter.
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1980 Morgan OI Pilot house
