Trailer bunkers

[wildcat]

Took the boat off the trailer today, flipped it over, and noticed where the hull rides against the bunkers the hull is 'pitted.' Is this normal for a 20 year old hull? Any ideas WHY this would happen, is it from the ride or from the moisture trapped between the bunker and hull after pulling out of the water?

I know the material over the wooden bunkers needs to be replaced. The stuff on there now is a astroturf type of stuff...is there something better for the hull?

[FCnLa]

Called water blisters. I'm not sure what really caused them. Something to do with moisture on the bunkers. I have seen boats that sit in the water all the time and they will have them all over. I used that super high dollar aircraft paint on mine and it still did it. If any one has a solution to this problem, I am listening!

A guy told me one time it was the quality of the carpet, but I just cannot see that.

[wildcat]

I, with the help of the wife and a friend, hoisted the boat back onto the trailer, upsidedown, and I started working on that project. Those two surfaces are pretty rough, where the hull rides on the bunkers. Looks as if the bunker bolts had cut into the hull a bit. I have one side almost patched up. Lots of work ahead though.......

[Instigator]

Caused by moisture getting through the gel coat. Only way to get rid of them is by grinding them out, and epoxying or glassing them over.
I was selling boats when this problem first appeared and most manufactures would not repair it under warranty. Some of this happened the first year of the boat!!!
Very common to see an old boat that has been sitting in the grass for a long time to have a very defined line of blisters right where it was in the grass.
One of the manufactures we sold would only warranty against blistering if the boat had anti fouling paint applied at the factory!!
Just saw an episode of "Ship Shape" on Speed Vision where they used a tool that looked like an electric hand held wood planer to strip the entire gel coat off of the bottom of a cabin cruiser from the water line down due to blisters.
Oh yeah, the boat was probably 50' or 60' long!!!
Wildcat, if you have blisters grind them out before you paint or they will come right back!!
My opinion is, if you grind them all out and repair them properlly and then paint the boat, you should be fine.
I think paint is more water prrof than gel coat.
Also Wildcat, if your core was rotted the moisture could be coming through from the inside due to the balsa beeing saturated with water??
My core was soaked and the bottom of the boat is coverd with blisters but only where the core was.
Am also re-doing my trailer and will probably go back with carpet on my bunks. Have seen some of the bass boat guys using what looks like pcs of nylon or delron on the bunks though???
P.S. Is'nt a "BUNKER" what Bin Ladin is hiding in right now?:):):)

[Techno]

I think the blisters are caused by polyester resin allowing the water vapor through it. It by itself isn't at fault. It had something to do with the manufacturing.
Epoxy would probably prevent it in the future. But this actuallly sounds more like an odd ball like thing. the bunks should be drying out at sometime and not creating this problem.

http://www.boatowners.com/osmosis_l.htm
This sight might help.

[nelsoncat]

Wildcat,
One thing I forgot to mention on my reply to "finish" was that I too had a problem on my TigerShark after letting it sit in the water tied to the dock for a month. It blistered below the water line in the Imron paint. I'll not do that again; can you spell ShoreStation
Nelsoncat

[delawarerick]

Blisters are a big problem around these parts of the country for alot of charter boats stay in year round. The proper way to fix is to grind completely out let dry and four coats of a product like interlux 2000/2001. I have seen where people try to eliminate build up of bottom paint use a stripper and repaint. By stripping even with a safe to fiberglass stripper you have to reseal gelcoat. This is a big money job here in De 9-11 $ a foot plus product and paint. Good luck with the repair and make sure it is dry before you epoxy. Rick