What I originally thought was simply the bottom paint (Baltoplate)
blistering due to a rushed paint job last spring turns out to be the
unthinkable: gelcoat blisters. Hundreds of very tiny ones (about the
size of a pin head) in several locations from bow to stern. The thing
is, they're not (at this point, I guess) traditional gelcoat
blisters. Which means thay don't go all the way to the laminate. In
fact, I took some sand paper to a few yesterday and it looks like a
slightly different color second layer of gelcoat is underneath (looks
teal). Is this the "fine rash" Terry Alsberg talks about in his
lecture?
The opinion of the boat yard is that the outer-most layer of gelcoat
may have been allowed to set up for too long. Or an additive may be
to blame (this is consistent with what I've been reading on the
internet). My point was: Why would it start blistering now? Change of
climate or the disgusting water in Baltimore's Inner Harbor? The yard
said it looked like blistering that would result if a boat was not
wet-sailed for most of its life and then kept in the water for long
periods all of a sudden. But I'm pretty sure she was wet-sailed
before I bought her last year (had balto-plate on it then).
So...anyone else have this ploblem? I fear I'm looking at a second
mortage to fix it...