Blisters on Ericson 30+

[A and J]

We found this site last week and have been thoroughly enjoying it since. We live in Victoria BC, Canada and we are considering buying an 1984 Ericson 30+ that is located in the states. After browsing this web site we are concerned about blisters. It looks like the blistering occurs on Ericsons where the hull was built in Mexico. Is there any way of finding out where the hull was built by the hull number - we have the hull number but not the full serial number and would like to find out before we take the trip to look at the boat. Hoping this will be us soon.

 

[hodo]

30 + Blisters

Hi there, A&J, I have an e 30+ that I have owned since 1994, (and am in the process of trying to sell) and I completely stripped it down to gelcoat. I found NO blisters,under the 11 coats of bottom paint. I put on Interlux 2000 Barrier coat, and have recoated twice. and there are no signs of a blister. The boat will need to be surveyed before you buy/insure it, and that is the time to find out. I dont Know if the fellow on one of the otherthreads that used to work for ericson can tell you about yhe Mexican heritage boats or not. good luck and enjoy. hodo,S/V Mischief Maker

 

[A and J]

Ericson 30+

Hi Hodo,
Thanks for your reply. What year is your Ericson 30+ and where is it located. Do you have pictures and specs that you can share with us? Thanks A and J

 

[hodo]

30+

Hello again, my 30 + is located in Seattle. Sorry, I am not in the digital camera age yet, but I did post some specs in the For Sale area some time ago. I think it was July-ish. Do you know anyone at the Armed forces Yacht club? Harold.

 

[A and J]

Hello Hodo - Read your July ad and would like to know more about your boat. Check your private messages(I hope it worked as I am new to all of this technology!!).
A and J

 

[Loren Beach]

I have heard that "some" Ericson hulls were molded out in Mexico and "may" have more propensity for later gel coat blisters. One rumor has my '88 boat built this way. I really do not know where the hull was produced. As for blisters, there was one patch of small ones in an area on one side of the bottom, about a foot by 3 or 4 feet in size. This was noticed when it was hauled for purchase survey in '94. They were faired in, and none have reappeared since...

OTOH, I have observed a 70's vintage Ericson hull with thousands of little blisters in the get coat, but none were deep nor were structural.
It may just depend on the individual hull... just like every other make of FRP boat I have observed.
Get a survey; talk to a competent repair person at the yard. Use good quality fairing material. Paint the bottom. Go sailing.
This advice worth $.02, less with Monday discount...


Loren in PDX
1988 Olson 34

ps: FWIW, the E-30+ enjoys a splendid sailing reputation

 

[windjunkee]

Morning everyone,

We hauled out our E 32-2, 1970 vintage, in July. After plowing through layer after lay after layer after ... (you get the idea) we got down to the gel coat. No blisters at all. Not even one. The old paint, however, had blisters within the paint. We didn't barrier coat as there was no indication of moisture in the gelcoat. We did prime and then spray on two coats of Pettit Trinidad. Picked up almost 1/2 knot in overall boatspeed.

Jim McCone
Voice of Reason E-32-2 Hull #134

 

[Geoff Johnson]

I think it would be informative if we (Sean?) could have a poll or survey to see who has had a blister problem. We might get an idea if it is limited to particular years.

 

[u079721]

Great idea!

I have wondered about that too, if we could correlate the blistering problem with year or model.

My 1989 E38-200 had thousands of those tiny blisters under the gel coat that resisted everthing we tried to fix them. They weren't structural, but they sure cost me money at resale.

 

[Seth]

Blisters

It is true that from time to time, various models have had gel coat blisters-some of which required pretty extensive repairs. This has occurred on almost all models, and all years. I cannot remember one of these from my warranty days at the factory which was any kind of structural problem-just cosmetic and performance related.

Also, I am not aware that Ericson built any boats in Mexico. If they did, it was briefly, and well after my time. If anyone can confirm or deny this, please do. Based on what I know, I would say this is not true-and in any case, certainly the blister problem is unrelated. Loren is also correct that E-boats were not unique in this respect. Many, many production boats built everywhere have had these issues..

BTW-Mexico has VERY high quality glass work, in general.

Cheers,
S

 

[Geoff Johnson]

From what I have read (and we beat this dead horse to a pulp in another thread) is that a prominent factor in blister causation is quality of workmanship in the layup. Unfortunately, I don't think we can determine if our hulls were made on a Monday or Friday (like that all saw about cars) but I believe we can determine the month and year of manufacture from the HIN. For example, mine is ERY32638L485, which indicates, I believe, that it was made in April of 1985. If I am correct, then it would nice if the survey could take this into account.

 

[Graham Cole]

I have an 84 30+ (#635) in Vancouver. Took hull down to gel in '99 and found no blisters at all. There appeared to ba a black coloured factory barrier coat. I have since redone the whole boat top to bottom and have learned a lot along the way. Great boat.

 

[therapidone]

Minor blistering

Greetings A&J,

We purchased our '87 E/30+ in April of '03. When we had the survey done, small blisters were noted at the water line; however, in just the time that the boat was hauled out of the water for the inspection of the hull and exposed to a drying breeze, the blisters actually began to disappear! This didn't mean that they weren't actually there, but that they were probably not very deep & therefore, once exposed, dried pretty quickly.

Below, please find quotes from the survey:

"The bottom of the hull was inspected, sounded with a phenolic hammer, and found to be without visible structural deficiencies. The bottom was observed to have signs of blistering (ER)*. The blisters appeared to be confined to gelcoat layers (Blue boot and under coating)."

This was followed by the surveyor's CYA boilerplate, but I thought you might be interested in what it contains:

"NOTE: There are no FRP hulls that are totally exempt from osmotic blistering. *Some blistering was noted, and destructive testing should be performed to determine extent of condition and need for repair if any (ER). Protometer moisture metering was in the low to midrange (dry laminate 100 wet laminate 115, this vessel averaged 104). There are varied reasons that cause blistering such as, immersion time, water temperature, inherent environment and original material quality. A properly completed blister repair seems to enhance the value and integrity of any hull.
* Blistering (Osmotic Blistering) is a general term used to categorize a condition where FRP degrades under water. This degradation is caused by water penetrating the gelcoat and reacting chemically with resins or binders in the laminate. Once this condition is present, pressure builds up and inevitably blisters are born. Ranging in diameter, they may become visible. Blistering is usually found on the underwater portion of the hull or immediately above the waterline. Empirical data (visual, percussion and moisture metering), may not always disclose a laminate condition. The surveyor’s observations and opinions must be kept in perspective. The only definitive measure of laminate moisture or delamination content is destructive testing (HULL PROFILE). A hull profile may be ordered separately from this inspection. It should be performed by a qualified FRP specialist, to further determine the condition of the laminate. Additional cost and time is involved, along with owner’s permission."

We bought the boat without insisting that the blistering be corrected & managed to get some $$ off on the price. If we don't have the blistering taken care of when it comes time to sell Spirit, the new buyers will do the same to us!

Regards,

Ed

 

[clayton]

Blisters

Our '89 32-200 had lots of small, pencil eraser sized blisters when we bought in 2001. They turned out to be mainly in the barrier coat, and keep reappearing every November at haul out. I have repaired approximately 3 dozen or so blisters that were between the gel coat and the laminate. The laminate underneath was solid in color and didn't have white spots indicating unsaturated fibers, but did have that styrene smell. This year I'd like to make enough time to strip down to the gel coat and see what I find...There is a small plaque on the companionway trim that says "Ericson Yachts...Proudly made in Mexico". I called Pacific Seacraft back in 2001 and asked about the Mexico production. I was told that Ericson moved across the border from San Diego to Otay Mesa, trying to cut costs. Our boat, Hull #841 was made in Dec. 88 according to the HIN. The owners of #843 and #753 have reported extensive blistering on this site, also made in Mexico. Maybe Ericson bought some lower quality resin trying to save $...
Clayton