All my lids/hatches on my 95 seafarer are saturated. I noticed my anchor, starboard and port side step lids or covers are popping gel coat over the winter. I removed them and took them to a fiberglass repair shop where they put a moisture meter to them and found them to be soaked. Apparently the covers weren't sealed properly from the factory and water has wicked up into the plywood. Now I'm worried the transom might be soaked,UGH! I wont know until I bring the boat to them so they can check it. Has anyone else had this problem?
Gel coat popping off...
- Thread starter fishone
- Start date
Fishone, are you talking about the deck hatches covering your fuel tanks or the fish box and storage lids? The big hatches covering the tanks are probably balsa core....another member just posted yesterday that he took his apart and it was balsa wood, soaked to the T.....then the winter comes and freezes the water and you see the results....the box lids should only be glass and resin, usually made with RTM methods, or resin transfer....should not have wood. If they are also popping, holy cow....thats the great PET resin.. 
Anyway, the water logging sounds typical of what you have...your transom is not connected to these hatches so one bad apple doesn't mean its all bad...usually water gets in because of exposed openings like screws, thru hulls etc......but. that should be checked by a pro...I have not had the gelcoat blister problem but the wet wood....YUP! :cry:
Anyway, the water logging sounds typical of what you have...your transom is not connected to these hatches so one bad apple doesn't mean its all bad...usually water gets in because of exposed openings like screws, thru hulls etc......but. that should be checked by a pro...I have not had the gelcoat blister problem but the wet wood....YUP! :cry:
That's right, gelcoat doesn't pop because of rotted or soaked coring.
Easy to check your transom yourslef, don't need silly gimmick meters.
Do you have a drill and 1/8 inch drill bit and know how to use it and acess to inner side? Say yes and we wil provide the 1-2-3 steps to do, tic tac toe
I've had problems in a few places with gelcoat starting to lift and peel, never on hull, only on those molded covers like anchor locker cover and my cabin roof hatch, and my pulpit.
Had to abandon the pulpit - beyond restoration, not one shred of glass in there, only one layer of chopped strand, a ton of filler. I was taking out a slightly wet core (not plywood or balsa by the way) and I cracked the thing right thru, 1/2 way across, whoa, what a POS.
Using the pulpit as a mold now to make a proper replica, will be hitting the 1708 in mass, got to sharpen those fiskars!!! He He He. When I get done with it, won't need any core at all !! He He He. 1/4 inch solid glass skin, going to be a "No automobile polyester body filler crap zone" pulpit, he he he.
Getting back to the noncored covers, it looks to be like voids and gelcoat too thin, including the pulpit peel. You may have voids water penetrated and froze and swelled, etc, etc. Luv those voids, so many benefits of void construction.
Forgive me, at the end of my annual rope for temps too cold too long to do squat on boat but make plans and templates, and stare at all my new electronics and SS264W sitting in front of me. Any week soon, I need a 60 deg. day to keep faith, so help me !!
Easy to check your transom yourslef, don't need silly gimmick meters.
Do you have a drill and 1/8 inch drill bit and know how to use it and acess to inner side? Say yes and we wil provide the 1-2-3 steps to do, tic tac toe
I've had problems in a few places with gelcoat starting to lift and peel, never on hull, only on those molded covers like anchor locker cover and my cabin roof hatch, and my pulpit.
Had to abandon the pulpit - beyond restoration, not one shred of glass in there, only one layer of chopped strand, a ton of filler. I was taking out a slightly wet core (not plywood or balsa by the way) and I cracked the thing right thru, 1/2 way across, whoa, what a POS.
Using the pulpit as a mold now to make a proper replica, will be hitting the 1708 in mass, got to sharpen those fiskars!!! He He He. When I get done with it, won't need any core at all !! He He He. 1/4 inch solid glass skin, going to be a "No automobile polyester body filler crap zone" pulpit, he he he.
Getting back to the noncored covers, it looks to be like voids and gelcoat too thin, including the pulpit peel. You may have voids water penetrated and froze and swelled, etc, etc. Luv those voids, so many benefits of void construction.
Forgive me, at the end of my annual rope for temps too cold too long to do squat on boat but make plans and templates, and stare at all my new electronics and SS264W sitting in front of me. Any week soon, I need a 60 deg. day to keep faith, so help me !!
yes richie rich, it is my fish box and storage lid along with the anchor lid. gel coat popping of on the edges. had them checked with a meter and found that they are soaked but still very rigid? I don't know if there is wood or not but there seems to be saturation anyway.
That's the puzzling part....those covers are thin and as Bob pointed out, his pulpit was basically CSM and filler (like Bondo) with no core, how did it get soaked? There's going to be some gelcoat permeation, but that was normally a problem years back for the hull portion of a boat, being immersed in the water all the time...but above the waterline? There had to be a serious issue in MFG...maybe contamination of the gelcoat or letting it dry too long before the resin transfer and glass is done......or a void in the laminate during transfer..maybe didn't have full vacuum or something....if you have a built in void, and then some water permeation, it will get stuck inside and cause the blister. Freeze-Thaw doesn't help if you live in cold weather.
I'll be at the boat show this weekend and see if the GW boys can shed some light.
I'll be at the boat show this weekend and see if the GW boys can shed some light.
Watch those silly pull up handles that require a hole be drilled through the top of the lid. I had to rebuild the "trash lid" on the Islander (1995) because the 1/4 inch masonite core was soaked. (yes it was masonite) Last winter it froze and like you said the gelcoat was just popping off like crazy. I used a dremmel and cut around the entire underside and install new wood and glassed over it but this time I over drilled the hole for the pull up handle and use epoxy to fill the hole then drilled the hole for the handle. I removed the pull handle for the anchor locker and am looking to put on a lifting latch. The pulpit needed some work and the "glassman" was also surprised to see all the filler and little structure inside. ( that job was $700 which prompted me to learn how to do the stuff myself) Be sure all the bolts are sealed. I believe they loosen up when the anchor is in use. I can actually see my pulpit flex slightly when on the hook in a rough surf. Make sure the bottom edge where it meets the deck is sealed with 4000 UV, not cheap az silicone. Re-bed the hinges and screws for the hatches with 4000UV. I coat the underside of the hinge leaf with sealant and put in on the threads of the screws prior to reinstalling them. Wipe off the squeeze out with acetone.
The other place I had an issue was the aft bench seat, one corner was saturated but I only neede to remove a 4 inch circle of wood, then set it on my cast iron radiator for a few weeks to dry out then recore and glass over.
The other place I had an issue was the aft bench seat, one corner was saturated but I only neede to remove a 4 inch circle of wood, then set it on my cast iron radiator for a few weeks to dry out then recore and glass over.
After visiting the GW boys in Boston today...it looks like maybe the older lids did have a core like 1st grady suggested....the new ones do not according to them. Anyway, they said to either talk to your local GW dealer or maybe straight to GW about this....they save many of there old moulds and can possibly make up a new set for you.....maybe they'll make a deal or just do it pro bono....but you need to speak with them....sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the oil.....good luck
They may have changed the design but my '91 pulpit was cored with 2x lumber. The outside looked HORRIBLE and was falling apart. I cored the existing shell with left over laminated 3/4 marie ply and glassed the shell together.
Actual dimensions are 1.5 inch x 6 inch plank, two, looks like mahogany.
Then some filler pieces.
700 bucks?
Like I said - 90% labor (at least) !
Then some filler pieces.
700 bucks?
Like I said - 90% labor (at least) !
I did get a reply from Taylor Marine (from GW headquarters) with a quote of $500 for each fish box lid. This seems a bit exorbitant to me. I got a lead on Jim's in Ocean City MD that does great work. I wuold like the non skid resurfaced as well.
Thanks for all your input. I'm going to the NE.boat show and will speak to a Grady rep. about my situation. As of now my parts are getting repaired for about $600.00 including, fixing a cracked swim step.