Blisters with wet slip

[AlphaKap]

Our ramps are a mess this year with some of the parks being closed. Not sure how long so we are getting a slip for the summer.

The guy that fixed a fiberglass booboo on my boat said alot of his work is fixing blistere for boats thay stayed on the water.

Anybody keep theres on for a few months and did you get blisters in the gel coat?

 

[the MfM]

Mines been in the water for 5+ months each year for at least the last four years, no blisters.

 

[ks9mm]

No blisters on mine. In fresh water few month

 

[zipper]

No blisters after 5 mos. in a cold freshwater slip. It happens more in warmer waters. And usually happens in older, 10+ year old, boats that stay in the water and do not get hauled out occasionally. Unless you put an ablative paint below the waterline, you will be hauling occasionally to clean the bottom anyway. Looks Like Chicken Pox – AKA Blisters - Boat Safe

I dont think you need to worry about blisters yet.

Edit: No blisters on either of the boats we slip, 13 YO Yamaha and 29 YO Beneteau.

 

[Robconn]

I have had boat at port royale since purchased new in 16. Stays in each summer and garaged every winter. Only issue was recent. Had bottom acid washed at end of each season. This time there was flaking in a small spot. Not abrasions. Service manager placed claim into Yamaha. “Denied” thinking it was whoever did the acid wash. I have not seen any blistering yet.

 

[Matthewdavid321]

I have had boat at port royale since purchased new in 16. Stays in each summer and garaged every winter. Only issue was recent. Had bottom acid washed at end of each season. This time there was flaking in a small spot. Not abrasions. Service manager placed claim into Yamaha. “Denied” thinking it was whoever did the acid wash. I have not seen any blistering yet.

Hey - I have a 17 with the same problem and randy at port royale tried to do a claim for me and it was denied. What can we do from here ?

 

[Robconn]

Hey - I have a 17 with the same problem and randy at port royale tried to do a claim for me and it was denied. What can we do from here ?

I was told to try a second claim and even call Yamaha direct. I was put in touch with Christian. It was like talking to a robot.
what I have done since that time is to make a video of the bottom of the boat on the trailer before it goes in the shop. So now I can prove the slightest damage. I trust Randy 100% however, even he is limited as to what can be done.
when you receive a satisfaction survey just remember it is designed only to reflect port royale and does not count against or reflect upon corporate Yamaha.They must have purposely designed it that way which I think sucks.

 

[rkluck]

We had ours in water for 4 years before we got a lake house with it' sown slip. No blisters. It did get dirty so we had to clean the hull good about three times a year.

 

[marcham]

Fresh or saltwater? I've never seen blisters on a boat that's moored in fresh water for only part of the year.

Saltwater and year round mooring is different. Usually around the 10 year mark they can appear. Some brands get em, others don't.

In saltwater my bigger concern would be doing regular fresh water rinses... there are ways to stop the saltwater intake when doing an in water rinse.

Make sure your bilge pump works and is connected directly to the battery.

 

[Coult45]

Am I the only one who reads that topic headline, and pictures Hawkeye Pierce saying "I caught blisters from a wet slip last time I was in Seoul for some R&R!"

 

[BiggKidd]

Does it say anywhere in the manual that you "can not" wet slip a new Yamaha boat? I have a 2020 AR210 and they told me it has blisters when I took it to the dealer to trade it.

 

[Robconn]

I have wet slipped for the past 5 seasons. At the end of each boating season it is imperative to inspect for any scuffs/ scratches, especially below the waterline. Any water penetration for extended time will lead to blistering. In 5 yrs I have had 3 repairs to the hull. the most expensive was $500.00 which compared to repainting a whole bottom would be in the thousands.

 

[zipper]

You are not alone. This problem may have overlapped to your model year.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/brand-new-hull-with-bubbles-paint-problem.39914/#post-630393

I wet slipped our 07 AR230 four seasons on Lake Champlain for 6 months each season with no barrier coat or antifouling paint on the hull with no blister ever being seen. Blisters are more prevalent in warm Southern fresh waters than up here. I cleaned the hull with a brush at the beach, as needed, during the season and finished the season with a wash of Starbright Hull cleaner.

May be a bad batch or application of gelcoat. Gelcoat is porous and many boats that sit in the water year round need a barrier coat to stop the osmosis. A few months in the water should not create blisters.