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Joconnor24 · 19-08-2011, 11:13

I'm interested in purchasing an early 80's Valiant that was built by Uniflite in WA before the company was moved to Texas. The boat has already had a blister job done, but they have come back. My question is, can this be permanently fixed with extensive work, or is it something that will continue to occur no matter what is done with it. Also the boat is currently berthed in cooler waters (55+/- degrees) and I plan on taking it to the tropics. Will the increased heat in the water cause the blistering to get more severe? I know the blisters are a result of the fire retardant resins used in the late 70's early 80's and I'm wondering if that makes it unfixable.
Please let me know your thoughts. How much work would be needed to permanently fix this problem? What could it potentially cost? Or is this just a show stopper and I need to move on with my search. I love the Perry design on the Valiants but typically they are out of my price range. So I'm wondering if this could be my lucky day or if I'm just opening a really big can of worms?

Thanks

Richard Jordan · 19-08-2011, 11:29

Question is what kind of blister repair was done? I know two V40 blister boat owners. Both ground the glass until it was so thin they could see through it, let the remaining glass dry, and then relaid the hull back up with vinylester. Both wished they had never done it. They would have been better off scraping her and buying a blister free Valiant or so they said.
Nice boats though. Hope you make out well and have sunny days.

Joconnor24 · 19-08-2011, 11:39

They tell me that the hull was peeled deep enough to remove the blisters then re-fiberglassed with epoxy resin, then epoxy primed and painted. This was a little over 15 years ago and as far as I can tell the current blistering is isolated towards to bow, although I have no idea what is going on below the water line.

**Jim Cate** · 19-08-2011, 11:55

FWIW,

One Valiant owner friend had blisters growing outward from the inside of the hull as much as the normal direction. Also severe blistering on the topsides and the house sides. The remedies you describe might not address all the problems. Our friends rushed through the last third of their circumnavigation, fearing that the boat would fall apart before they finished. They did do a "fix" similar to the one you describe, but we lost track of them some years ago and I don't know the outcome.

What a pity that they used this "improved" resin on such good boats.

Cheers,

Jim

Joconnor24 · 19-08-2011, 13:56

Wow that is about the worst blister story I think I've ever heard. I assume the "fix" was done after their circumnavigation. I've heard some opinions that blisters really don't matter that much, and that a blistered boat will sail just as well as a non-blistered boat, but obviously this story would suggest otherwise. Thanks for the input!

Paul L · 19-08-2011, 14:04

If you are into buying a V-40 because it is a good offshore boat for you and you are buying a blister era V-40 because that is what you can practically afford, then buy a blister boat cheap and resell a blister boat when you are done. No one will give you a guarantee on a blister job for a V-40, even if they charge you $40 or $50k for the work. Unfortunately, while most blisters are just cosmetic, this is not necessarily true for a V-40.

Joconnor24 · 19-08-2011, 14:23

Good point, thanks. The boat I'm looking at is actually a 47, but I can only assume that the blister problems that were common with the 40's are the same with the 47's, since they were both made by Uniflite.