Uniflite blisters

[candoit]

I am considering purchasing an 1982 Uniflite 46' ACMY. The interior layout and condition are excellent for my purpose of liveaboard and regular cruising. However, it has numerous hull blisters and some blisters on topside. Is this going to be a perpetual problem or can it be handled with minimal extra costs when hauled out to bottom paint? It has been in salt water its entire life. Obviously it has not sunk in 41 years, but as a first time yacht buyer I don't have any experience with this. Thanks for your advice!

[HankOnthewater]

hi Can So It sailor
Not many responses sofar on your questions. The reason for that could well be that most of us could be hesitant to make a recommendation without seeing it in person.
I do not know the brand/model of boat you are referring to (ACMY), but as far as I know, no boat has sunk became of blisters (caused by osmosis).

Maybe you can find out if previous blisters have been removed. However to fix it properly (assuming the blisters are caused by osmosis) the underwater hull could (?should) be shaved, thoroughly dried (ie several months in a hot climate). When dry, be treated with epoxy. Get a quote for all that, but that might scare you you away from that boat.

Or..... you can take your chances, just buy the boat and fix the current blisters only. And if other blisters in non-treated areas appear over the next year or so, then you can still do a total bottom job.

So, no recommendation 'to buy or not' from me.

[neilpride]

Run away!!! says one who had to deal with one of those BP Valiants plagued by blisters.....

[GordMay]

Uniflite [United Boat Builders] supplied 33 Ft river patrol craft [Patrol Boat River/PBR] to the US Navy, using fire-retardant resins [DuPont "Hetron"], between 1965 and 1972, for use in the Vietnam War. These earlier boats did not have any blistering problems. They were built 'like tanks, and still attained 20+ kts speeds.

When Dupont ceased production of Hetron [±1975?], a different fire retardant was used, from a different manufacturer. Unfortunately, the new fire retardant contained a solid form of bromine which, unfortunately, evolved into a gas, when the fiberglass was warmed sufficiently. This bromine gas created an acid, that ate its way out of the gel coat, causing the blisters.
Since the problem lies in the resin, it will always be there [goes through the entire laminate], even after grinding & filling, unlike osmotic blistering [often only gelcoat deep], which can be mostly ameliorated with a strip to bare hull and epoxy barrier coats .
These blisters are likely to return [eventually], except [perhaps] in cold climates, even after a good repair job.
Valiant Sailboats, built by Uniflite, also had a problem, for certain years, when they used the fire retardant resin.
However, I am unaware of any catastrophic structural failures, or sinkings, that have been attributed to these blisters.

[candoit]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Uniflite [United Boat Builders] supplied 33 Ft river patrol craft [Patrol Boat River/PBR] to the US Navy, using fire-retardant resins [DuPont "Hetron"], between 1965 and 1972, for use in the Vietnam War. These earlier boats did not have any blistering problems. They were built 'like tanks, and still attained 20+ kts speeds.

When Dupont ceased production of Hetron [±1975?], a different fire retardant was used, from a different manufacturer. Unfortunately, the new fire retardant contained a solid form of bromine which, unfortunately, evolved into a gas, when the fiberglass was warmed sufficiently. This bromine gas created an acid, that ate its way out of the gel coat, causing the blisters.
Since the problem lies in the resin, it will always be there [goes through the entire laminate], even after grinding & filling, unlike osmotic blistering [often only gelcoat deep], which can be mostly ameliorated with a strip to bare hull and epoxy barrier coats .
These blisters are likely to return [eventually], except [perhaps] in cold climates, even after a good repair job.
Valiant Sailboats, built by Uniflite, also had a problem, for certain years, when they used the fire retardant resin.
However, I am unaware of any catastrophic structural failures, or sinkings, that have been attributed to these blisters.

This is going to sound like a dumb question but....do unrepaired blisters continue to get bigger and deeper? Do they restrict the water flow on the hull to the extent it will hinder mpg and speed?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by candoit

This is going to sound like a dumb question but....do unrepaired blisters continue to get bigger and deeper? Do they restrict the water flow on the hull to the extent it will hinder mpg and speed?

I would expect un-repaired blisters to increase [slightly] in size, and in number.
I would not expect them to appreciably decrease the potential hull speed. These were/are quite fast boats, for their length/weight.
Fuel efficiency might suffer slightly [IDK].

[candoit]

Originally Posted by HankOnthewater

hi Can So It sailor
Not many responses sofar on your questions. The reason for that could well be that most of us could be hesitant to make a recommendation without seeing it in person.
I do not know the brand/model of boat you are referring to (ACMY), but as far as I know, no boat has sunk became of blisters (caused by osmosis).

Maybe you can find out if previous blisters have been removed. However to fix it properly (assuming the blisters are caused by osmosis) the underwater hull could (?should) be shaved, thoroughly dried (ie several months in a hot climate). When dry, be treated with epoxy. Get a quote for all that, but that might scare you you away from that boat.

Or..... you can take your chances, just buy the boat and fix the current blisters only. And if other blisters in non-treated areas appear over the next year or so, then you can still do a total bottom job.

So, no recommendation 'to buy or not' from me.

Thanks for your input. ACMY is an acronym for Aft*Cabin*Motor*Yacht.

[keepondancin]

I seem to remeber meeting a cruiser that had had a Uniflite Valiant, and he ultimately scraped the boat. He couldn't keep up with the blisters, both hull and deck. I think he even tried to reglass the hull, and still had problems. The reputation will follow the boat through it's life, and effect the ability to sell it later. Continue resarching it.

[Jim Cate]

The flaws in these boats are well documented as Gordon has shown. A bit of research will reveal many more examples of the nightmare problems their owners have endured. I can not imagine what benefit or feature such a boat would have that would justify purchasing one when armed with this knowledge.

Jim