J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment blistering on J30

What would it cost to have a blistering hull repaired on a J30. Is this a deal breaker or a minor project?

I repaired a blistering problem on my boat this winter. The blisters were small, due to air bubbles in the gel coat finally blistering out. The job involved removing baltoplate, grinding the blisters, sealing (interprotect 1000), filling (Watertite), 2 coats of Interprotect 3000, 2 coats of 2000, and fresh Baltoplate (4 coats). Threw in a keel template job. Labor was about 200 hours (I did the work). Materials is roughly
$1,200. Note, baltoplate is not supposed to be sanded for environmental reasons, which might affect your decision. I bought a vacuum random radial sander and power planer for the job. You could also chose to just grind and fill the blisters (much less work) - which is what I'll do going forward if more appear.

I have the same problem on my J/24. I just grind out the blisters and fill with West Epoxy. Then sand the repairs smooth and paint over them. Unfortunately, each year I have a new set of blisters to repair because I have no barrier coat, but the repair job is easy and inexpensive. It only takes a few hours each spring. I think this is easier than removing the whole bottom and barrier coating. Beware - unless you thoroughly dry out the hull before barrier coating, you'll just get blisters under your barrier coat!

where did you purchase and what type of power planer did you use

Bosch 3-1/4", 5A, #3365. 18,000 rpm, belt drive, single blade. I think I bought it from Amazon.com. It cuts lead pretty well, although I had to stop after each pass to clear the ejector chute since lead chips are too heavy to vacuum out. I used this just on the keel to remove fairing compound, glass sheathing and lead. Of course, dispose of lead properly!

I agree with Mike and would not barrier coat a boat if (1) the blisters are few or (2) the moisture is coming from the inside. The blisters I had were numerous, and very small (1/16" max), made by tiny air bubbles near the surface of the gel coat - almost like a rash. If moisture is inside, that should be fixed. I cold-molded a boat with West System - great product. The advantage of Watertite and Interprotect 1000 below the WL (so they say), is very high solids content so the chance of unreacted residue, that leads to blisters, is reduced.