J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Stripping Gelcoat

I've got "boat pox" showing through a three year old barrier coat job. By "boat pox" I mean clusters of tiny blisters on the order of 1/16" to 1/4". I stripped all the way down to bare glass in an area and found the gelcoat to resemble swiss cheese with tiny holes/bubbles where the blisters were. They are bone dry.

Any experience with this? Should I strip the whole bottom down to glass? If so what's a reasonable way to do this? I'm not doing it by hand. It's hard even using a random orbital sander!

Mark, I've never repaired blisters but consider "West system" to be the definative word on all things epoxy. They have a "step by Step" manual availibe at West Marine for a couple of bucks if you have not seen it. I did strip my botton last season though, I used "Peel Away" ( see Practical Salior for review). Use the "home version" they sell at Home Depot, I'ts a third the price. Follow manufacurers directions. I was ready for the job to be a nightmare. It was not at all! I actually enjoyed it. I scrapped the paint into a five gallon bucket rather that letting it get on the ground. Eliminates clean up and environmently friendley.

Around 1985 the original owner lightly sand blasted the gellcoat and let the moisture content dry to about 4 or 5 percent then applied (rolled) 2 coats of WEST. After a slight fairing a coat of cold tar was sprayed on. While the tar was tacky a coat of Balta plate was sprayed, dryed and wet sanded. For 15 years or so I did not have any POX. I just recently sanded opened the epoxy at the waterline due to a light POX and repeated the proceedure execept that I sprayed 2 coats of V.C.TAR prior to Batla plate. The new v.c.tar is very smooth unlike the old version.