Frank Langer
1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
Hi,
I have been negotiating the cost of hull blister repair on my 1984 E30+ with the fibreglass repair pros here. The boat has been in salt water year round for the past 33 years, didn't show any signs of blisters except for a string of small blisters on the port quarter at the water line. But at this year's haul out, blisters became evident in various areas of the hull, more than would be realistic to grind out individually.
Workers have tented the boat in poly, used a grinder to remove the gelcoat, dried the hull with a heater, ground out the blisters and almost all areas where there appeared to be a small void in the fibreglass (which they attribute to an air space in the glass after the water has drained out of the blister), filled and faired the ground out areas and will now add five coats of Interlux Interprotect 2000.
The head foreman is quite confident in the quality of the repair, but only ever gives a one year warranty on blister repair though he says it will likely last the life of the boat. He says that drying out and then repairing the hull and adding the epoxy coating will make the hull better than new and adds value to the boat for eventual resale when I'm too old to sail.
My question: They are charging me $15,000 Canadian dollars for the repair, which includes materials and five coats of Interprotect (about 4 gallons, I think), not including yard storage fees which are charged separately by the boatyard. I know that they have worked hard, with lots of gelcoat and fibreglass dust inside the poly tent for a job that I certainly would not want to do myself. In your opinion and based on your experience with repairs, is this a reasonable cost for this job, highway robbery, or a steal of a deal?
I would especially appreciate any feedback from those of you who have had this repair done on their boat, but would also welcome thoughts and opinions from others.
Frank
I have been negotiating the cost of hull blister repair on my 1984 E30+ with the fibreglass repair pros here. The boat has been in salt water year round for the past 33 years, didn't show any signs of blisters except for a string of small blisters on the port quarter at the water line. But at this year's haul out, blisters became evident in various areas of the hull, more than would be realistic to grind out individually.
Workers have tented the boat in poly, used a grinder to remove the gelcoat, dried the hull with a heater, ground out the blisters and almost all areas where there appeared to be a small void in the fibreglass (which they attribute to an air space in the glass after the water has drained out of the blister), filled and faired the ground out areas and will now add five coats of Interlux Interprotect 2000.
The head foreman is quite confident in the quality of the repair, but only ever gives a one year warranty on blister repair though he says it will likely last the life of the boat. He says that drying out and then repairing the hull and adding the epoxy coating will make the hull better than new and adds value to the boat for eventual resale when I'm too old to sail.
My question: They are charging me $15,000 Canadian dollars for the repair, which includes materials and five coats of Interprotect (about 4 gallons, I think), not including yard storage fees which are charged separately by the boatyard. I know that they have worked hard, with lots of gelcoat and fibreglass dust inside the poly tent for a job that I certainly would not want to do myself. In your opinion and based on your experience with repairs, is this a reasonable cost for this job, highway robbery, or a steal of a deal?
I would especially appreciate any feedback from those of you who have had this repair done on their boat, but would also welcome thoughts and opinions from others.
Frank
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