89 overnighter - slight listing to starboard

PointedRose

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Do you have two batteries on the same side? I do on my overnighter but have a kicker motor on the other side basically offsetting the weight. Anything noticeable while up on plane?
 

jackie52

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Sorry for the delay.
I have batteries on opposite sides- port and starboard. Nothing has been altered or shifted.
I did have a conversation with a seasoned backyard mechanic and he said he thought that any boat over the years can develop cracks and separation at the stern. I have noticed the top aluminum bracing on my boat has separated slightly, enough to show a change in the piece of aluminum and a slight swelling of the stern - indicating water absorbtion. OMG
 

PointedRose

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Have you put it in for the season yet? If it’s still on the hard you can probably do some diagnostics.
Couple things - if there isn’t a spot of leakage below the waterline, it could be there’s a little intrusion from the top. Over time could cause water seeping in. I think the real damage could occur if there is water intrusion and then a cold freeze - expanding water over the winter that would perpetuate the issue. If you take a heavier screwdriver you can tap around the transom to listen for any dull thuds. You could also drill some exploratory holes to see what the core looks like in a couple areas. Wouldn’t be too difficult to refill with epoxy if you didn’t have a bigger issue and would give you peace of mind. Once you start the job seems like there’s only one way to do it- tear it down and rebuild it back up with solid core material. Or sell the boat and try to upgrade with something else if it seems too big an issue. You’d probably get out of it pretty quickly at a solid price.
 

Summertop511

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My 87 did the same. Attributed it to all the rigging to the steering wheel.
 

jackie52

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I used Dumonds Marine PeelAway as a test kit and applied with a putty knife to the starboard chine up to the waterline to remove antifouling paint from years of applications- 6 x 24 inches. After 6 hours I removed the paper/chem solvent and was amazed at its efficiency. However, after rinsing off the residue I started to notice some serious looking blisters(Osmosis)? Small and many! Now I believe I have confirmed my suspicion. I re-cleaned the area and doing so reduced the blisters. Being exposed to the sun and the chemical reaction from PeelAway just torched that area. I covered the area to shade it and the blisters were reduced to near nothing. Go figure?
A friend thought the blisters were so pronounced because it was the first time in years that the hull was able to breath without paint. Thank you Pointed Rose and Summertop!
My next step is to remove all bottom paint with PeelAway. With luck I might find it is not as bad as it appears!! if you have any other advice I'd appreciate it. I've had this boat and engine since '91 and I hate to give up on her.
 

PointedRose

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I used Dumonds Marine PeelAway as a test kit and applied with a putty knife to the starboard chine up to the waterline to remove antifouling paint from years of applications- 6 x 24 inches. After 6 hours I removed the paper/chem solvent and was amazed at its efficiency. However, after rinsing off the residue I started to notice some serious looking blisters(Osmosis)? Small and many! Now I believe I have confirmed my suspicion. I re-cleaned the area and doing so reduced the blisters. Being exposed to the sun and the chemical reaction from PeelAway just torched that area. I covered the area to shade it and the blisters were reduced to near nothing. Go figure?
A friend thought the blisters were so pronounced because it was the first time in years that the hull was able to breath without paint. Thank you Pointed Rose and Summertop!
My next step is to remove all bottom paint with PeelAway. With luck I might find it is not as bad as it appears!! if you have any other advice I'd appreciate it. I've had this boat and engine since '91 and I hate to give up on her.
Take some pictures when you’re down there next.
I’d not give up on it.
There’s a section here on blisters.

 

seasick

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I doubt that blisters are the cause of the list. The fact that cleaning/removing the paint made the blisters disappear tell me that the 'blisters' were only in the gel coat or weren't osmosis blisters at all.

Blisters don't mean that the hull is soaked either and you would need to have a lot of them filled with water to ad up to a lot of weight.
After you strip and re paint the hull, see if the list is the same. You may just have a lot of weigh in the old layers of bottom paint, especially if the paint is/was hard coat and hasn't been removed for a long time. If you strip the hull and sand and suspect your hull is prone to blisters, you would benefit from aan epoxy barrier coat before bottom paint. If you do so, follow the instructions closely!
That said, you might benefit from a moisture reading test to see if the hull is wet anywhere. Remember that the moisture meters generally do not read through bottom paint and will read perfectly OK on a hollow core. My point is that the person measuring the levels has to know what he or she is doing:)
If you are stripping and plan on a moisture test, you can sand/strip a few smallish sections of the painted area to allow the moisture meter to work below the water line.
 

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seasick, thanks for the heads-up. I'm hoping you are correct! I can't seem to catch a good day for weather. I'm going to try another section on the stern.and I'll see if the results will improve or worsen. Thanks again for the encouraging words. j
 

jackie52

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I removed the stern-mounted transducer to access the starboard af paint. Applied Peel Away and waited 6 hours. Removed the paper and paint. Cleaned the residue off and let dry.
The 4 mounting holes were left exposed and I noticed one hole was weeping water. I confirmed the leak with a paper towel and it continuously weeps. I was sure I applied enough sealant to the screws. Obviously, I was wrong! Seriously wrong!! This is the first sign of damage caused by infiltration of water. It's been a week and still leaking water. This is not a fountain but , rather a continuous drip.
As I previously mentioned, I am seeing minor blistering. Mostly where the barrier coat of epoxy was missing. That would be the af paint applied over bare gelcoat- compensating for the ADDED LISTING OF THE HULL. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks J
 

PointedRose

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I removed the stern-mounted transducer to access the starboard af paint. Applied Peel Away and waited 6 hours. Removed the paper and paint. Cleaned the residue off and let dry.
The 4 mounting holes were left exposed and I noticed one hole was weeping water. I confirmed the leak with a paper towel and it continuously weeps. I was sure I applied enough sealant to the screws. Obviously, I was wrong! Seriously wrong!! This is the first sign of damage caused by infiltration of water. It's been a week and still leaking water. This is not a fountain but , rather a continuous drip.
As I previously mentioned, I am seeing minor blistering. Mostly where the barrier coat of epoxy was missing. That would be the af paint applied over bare gelcoat- compensating for the ADDED LISTING OF THE HULL. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks J
Good that you found it when you did. Obv dry it out as best you can. Maybe a blow dryer or heat gun might help. Or duct tape on a shop vac to help it along?
once you get it dry you can further assess. I’d probably just widen the hole a bit. You can use an Allen wrench or a bent nail in a drill to widen the hole at the core to remove any rotten core material.
 

seasick

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You would benefit by getting a moisture test but for now try tapping the transom in various spots using a soft faced hammer and listen for a solid thud (good sound ) or a hollow sound (not a good thing).
If that screw hole has been dripping for a week, you have a wet transom, You can deal with that as long as there is no delamination or core rot.
It is very difficult to dry a wet transom without doing surgery. Try poking in the screw hole with a small tool to see if you get any mushy stuff from the core.
 

jackie52

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Seasick and Pointed Rose. Thanks very much for your responses.
I have been able to find an area inside the starboard stern area where the battery switch and through -hull wiring are located. What appeared to be dust were actually hairline cracks. I took a dental pick and was able to pry enough gelcoat to match the outer section that was showing the original blisters. This gelcoat was wet and I presume that it cracked in the winter. My next step is to see if there is a water source above, such as rain. I could only be so lucky! The transom holes from transducer are still weeping part-time. I enlarged the holes with a mini auger- Gently. Nothing mushy or rotten was visible. The boat is not going ovb this season. I'm going to try to get it as dry as possible.
I was able to get the boat on stands and will start on removing the a/f paint.
I have media to share. I have to figure out how!!? Thanks again, J
 
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