Buying a boat that had "full osmosis peel" by the previous owner?

[GTom]

I am thinking of buying an '80s Westerly, and one offered boat had undergone an osmosis treatment. Is it wise to consider that one too to buy? Can is be proven that the treatment was perfect, is it more likely that the osmosis doesn't return after a full peel?

[Dulcesuenos]

I'd ask capt john bannister from survey company Suenos azule in Florida. He is an expert on thermal imaging, might be able to answer your questions on whether or not it would pick up issues.

[boatman61]

Depends on if it was done by the owner or a professional job.. epoxied or polyester recoat.. if epoxy it should be good if the peel went above the w/line.

[Suijin]

Peel jobs are usually professionally done as the peeler tool is expensive and using it properly requires skill and experience.

As for what was done afterwards to re-encapsulate the hull, ask the seller. There are numerous approaches to doing it with different materials. The most common approach is to slap on lots of coats of barrier coat. After a few coats flaws and pits are filled and faired and the barrier is sanded smooth, then more coats are added to finish it out. Another common approach is to apply epoxy with spreaders, then sand fair and barrier coat as a tie coat for the bottom paint.

Whether the seller or the yard did the post-peel work is no indication of quality one way or the other. But a description of what was done should give you some sense of whether they knew what they were doing or not. I would not on principle hesitate to buy a boat that had this work done to it. It's a time consuming, expensive job and generally the fact that it was done is an indication that the owner cared about the boat.

It would be extremely likely for blisters to return after a full peel and re-encapsulation except if the boat was for example a Valiant from the "blister era" where the blisters are the result of the materials used and not osmosis.

[boatman61]

Known a couple of owners who've taken a grinder to the hull and ground away the gelcoat to the glass then built it back up using SP epoxy and fillers (Cheaper than West).. looked pretty damn good full on, till one stood at the bow or stern and looked along the curve of the hull which showed up the shallow gentle dips here and there.

[a64pilot]

I think Suijin meant that is would be extremely UNlikely for blisters to return, not extremely likely.

[Scaramanga F25]

I had a full epoxy blister done on my 1984, 41 footer some years before I sold her.
The subsequent buyer's surveyor told my customer that the hull had been "faired" and did not recommend the purchase. I tried in vain to explain the work done to the irate buyer to no avail. All the old fixed bisters were only pea size.
I lost that sale to another's benefit.

I have seen so many good boats nixed by incompetent surveyors. In another instance a custom boat I wanted to buy that had sailed from Florida to Alaska, Japan, crossed the Pacific 3 times was denied insurance because the head of the surveyor's ass., who was my surveyor, told the insurance co. that the boat was unsafe because in was watertight in a rollover. Suffocation. Insurance denied. Go figure. It did have 4 seal-able deck vents.

I have other similar stories. Another surveyor that boated that he could find 40 yes 40 deficiencies in a new boat.

[boatman61]

Back in the early 90's a boat I bought had a survey that reported early signs of osmosis.. Pantaenius refused full cover because of this report.. however when I pointed out that no boat had ever sunk due to osmosis they relented and I/we sailed happily away to the Med.

[Cheechako]

It may return , it may not, depends on how deep the moisture was, how good the drying process. There is another thread here about a 50 footer being peeled that was previously peeled. I had one boat that was so wet it had blisters INSIDE the hull also! peeling doesnt necessarily cure all.

[El Pinguino]

It depends....

Better to buy a boat that has been peeled and then been properly done and the owner is willing to tell you about it than one where the owner has simply been grinding out individual blisters and bogging them up year after year and is saying nothing about it.

Was the boat Hotvac-ed by any chance?

My boat on the left .... and another boat being done 'proffessionaly' for 50% less than I paid by a different company....... which would you prefer to buy??

[Clivevon]

I would definitely consider buying the boat on these conditions only:
Full moisture meter check now after boat has been standing ashore for 2 weeks;
Detailed study of all relevant bills showing a detailed spec of the work done & materials used stage by stage, preferably with oversight by a professional surveyor.
Price reduction due to future uncertainty factor.

Was it just the gel coat peeled - or deeper than that?

Which Westerly is it?

[scotty c-m]

If the job is properly done ... which should have some evidence if the paper work is in order ... then the job should actually increase the value of the boat. What do I mean by paperwork?: Materials lists, Bill(s) by professional companies, Descriptions of process, Well kept maintenance logs. This type of paperwork can point to proper workmanship. A careful out-of-the-water survey, combined with this, should give you a pretty good indication of the state of the bottom. A lack of this type of documentation can raise questions that are hard to answer, and might lower the value of the boat.

[Cheechako]

I would never consider a blister boat or a peeled boat to have anything other than a value deficit. Not to mention the thinner hull on the peeled boat (unless it had glass layers added back to put the material back, not sure all get this.) Some boats just dont get blisters, some have a history of them, which tells me the layup has too much moisture in general. And of course all things in between. Each has a story. Maybe surveyors should grind a bare spot inside the boat bilge etc and do moisture reading there too.

[Pete7]

The problem may be when you come to sell it. Given a choice of boats a future buyer of your boat may choose to buy a similar model that doesn't have obvious signs of osmosis.

Pete

[GTom]

Originally Posted by scotty c-m

If the job is properly done ... which should have some evidence if the paper work is in order ... then the job should actually increase the value of the boat. What do I mean by paperwork?: Materials lists, Bill(s) by professional companies, Descriptions of process, Well kept maintenance logs. This type of paperwork can point to proper workmanship. A careful out-of-the-water survey, combined with this, should give you a pretty good indication of the state of the bottom. A lack of this type of documentation can raise questions that are hard to answer, and might lower the value of the boat.

That's a good summary! I also had the feeling, if a proper yard performed a decent epoxy work, a peeled hull should represent a higher value than an otherwise healthy but aged hull.

Thanks for all the contributions, I take the boat on my list then (not first place though, because the engine and some other steel components (not the rig) look a bit rusty).