Dave,
My observations over many years are the basis of my opinion. For your
benefit, my definition of "Terminal" is beyond economical repair. Blisters
below the Gelcoat can be very costly to resolve. When buying a glass boat as
Janet is, the presence of blisters should immediately turn her off. Unless
of course, the offered price makes the gamble of serious repair expense
feasible. The question she has to ask is, does she want a fiberglass hobby
or a sail boat she will sail. There are many variables here, like recurrence
in the same area or even elsewhere. Blister repairs are often unsuccessful
and if for no other reason, seriously affects the resale value of her
investment. She also has to consider today's economic climate. As much as it
is distasteful to the readers of this NG, it is a fact that many boats will
come on the market at extremely low prices and she will have much more
choice. There is no reason to take on this problem to a potential buyer with
cash.
Steve

"Dave" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:47:11 +0100, "Steve Lusardi"

said:

but if the blister is actually in the
lamination, the damage can be very costly, even terminal.

What is the basis for that conclusion? Personal observation? Sea stories?

On 13 Dec 2008 12:25:01 -0600, Dave wrote:

On Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:07:19 +0100, "Steve Lusardi"
said:

My observations over many years are the basis of my opinion. For your
benefit, my definition of "Terminal" is beyond economical repair.

Ah, the old Humpty Dumpty game. "When I use a word it means just what I
choose it to mean..." A technique frequently encountered when the speaker
recognizes his error but is unwilling to acknowledge it.

Give it up Dave. Steve knows a heck of a lot more about boats than
you do.

On Dec 13, 6:58 pm, Dave wrote:
On Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:02:49 -0500, Wayne.B
said:

Ah, the old Humpty Dumpty game. "When I use a word it means just what I
choose it to mean..." A technique frequently encountered when the speaker
recognizes his error but is unwilling to acknowledge it.

Give it up Dave. Steve knows a heck of a lot more about boats than
you do.

Perhaps true. Perhaps not. The question here is whether he clearly
communicated such knowledge as he has. I know a heck of a lot more about
clear communication that Steve does, and based on that knowledge, as well as
the responses that followed his post, his choice of "terminal" did not
clearly communicate "unduly expensive to repair."

So, no evidence that gel coat blisters are EVER a structural or safety
issue and evidence that their presence is insignificant to anybody
except the most rabid racer and the stated opinions of surveyors that
blisters going deeper is extremely rare. On the same basis, I posit
that boats made in the month of June are bad and should be avoided.
Get real people, this is a well used 30' boat intended to be a cheap
cruiser.

On Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:57:44 -0800 (PST), Frogwatch
wrote:

So, no evidence that gel coat blisters are EVER a structural or safety
issue and evidence that their presence is insignificant to anybody
except the most rabid racer and the stated opinions of surveyors that
blisters going deeper is extremely rare. On the same basis, I posit
that boats made in the month of June are bad and should be avoided.
Get real people, this is a well used 30' boat intended to be a cheap
cruiser.

That said, everything else being equal, I think most of us would agree
that a boat without blisters is worth more. Certainly blisters are a
perfectly valid negotiating point, as well as being a red flag for the
surveyor to do a more thorough hull analysis with soundings and a
moisture meter.

On Dec 14, 12:52*am,
Frogwatch wrote:
So, no evidence that gel coat blisters are EVER a structural or safety
issue ...

Interesting way to phrase it. Are we totally 100% sure that these are
"merely" gelcoat blisters? The presence of blisters warrants further
investigation; without thorough examination it can't be stated there
is no structural issue.


... and evidence that their presence is insignificant to anybody
except the most rabid racer and the stated opinions of surveyors that
blisters going deeper is extremely rare.

A surveyor who stated that would be incorrect. Gelcoat blisters can
turn into laminate blisters (or they might not, it's true) and
laminate blisters can very definitely be a structural problem. It's
not all that rare, I've seen a few cases without going out of my way
to look.


.... *On the same basis, I posit
that boats made in the month of June are bad and should be avoided.
Get real people, this is a well used 30' boat intended to be a cheap
cruiser.

Yeah but a cheap boat that "just needs some TLC" can end up being a
very expensive boat if you need to pay somebody else to fix it up.
Even if you have the skills to most of the work yourself, it can be
very costly to undertake a lot of kinds of work.

Wayne.B wrote:
That said, everything else being equal, I think most of us would agree
that a boat without blisters is worth more. *Certainly blisters are a
perfectly valid negotiating point, as well as being a red flag for the
surveyor to do a more thorough hull analysis with soundings and a
moisture meter.

Bingo. It all hanges on the exact condition of the boat and how much
comes off the price.

Since Katrina, not much has been done to the marina. There was some
damage to the piers and wooden jetties, and of course no power or water
supplies, but over the years it still filled up with sailboats, all who
moored there free of charge.

Last Saturday there was a tenants meeting of the 'Interim Slip
Allocation' subcommittee.

The harbour is being divided in to three sections, only one of which
will have slips. The rest will be cordoned off to effect repairs, using
FEMA grant money for the contractors who will start work early March.

Thus, the 450 boats there were vying for the 165 slips available.

Where the 300-ish boats will go now is anyones' guess. The Northshore is
full, there aren't any marinas to the west since Gustav, leaving only
Gulfport, Port St Louis or Biloxi as possibilities.

For those who didn't make the cut (not registered, no application,
derelict etc) this is shaping up as a nightmare.

--
Molesworth - who made the cut

On Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:46:17 -0600, Nigel Molesworth
wrote:

For those who didn't make the cut (not registered, no application,
derelict etc) this is shaping up as a nightmare.

Congratulations. It sounds like everyone got what they paid for.
That couldn't go on for ever.

On Mon, 15 Dec 08, Nigel Molesworth wrote:
Where the 300-ish boats will go now is anyones' guess. The Northshore is
full, there aren't any marinas to the west since Gustav, leaving only
Gulfport, Port St Louis or Biloxi as possibilities.

Gulfport Smallcraft Harbor is NOT an option. Every pier and every
piling is gone and haven't been replaced. Probably won't be anytime
soon. People are tying up and anchoring out in the rivers and bayous
inland which isn't a good solution but that's what we have for now.
Some of the other harbors along the coast are in better shape but
slips are at a premium everywhere.
Rick.

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 15 Dec 08, Nigel Molesworth wrote:
Where the 300-ish boats will go now is anyones' guess. The Northshore is
full, there aren't any marinas to the west since Gustav, leaving only
Gulfport, Port St Louis or Biloxi as possibilities.

Gulfport Smallcraft Harbor is NOT an option. Every pier and every
piling is gone and haven't been replaced. Probably won't be anytime
soon. People are tying up and anchoring out in the rivers and bayous
inland which isn't a good solution but that's what we have for now.
Some of the other harbors along the coast are in better shape but
slips are at a premium everywhere.
Rick.


Slips are for women.
http://www2.victoriassecret.com/imag...218379_884.jpg

Only girly-men keep their boats in slips. Real men sail them and anchor them
out when they stop during their travels.

Wilbur Hubbard

On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:18:50 -0500, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 15 Dec 08, Nigel Molesworth wrote:
Where the 300-ish boats will go now is anyones' guess. The Northshore is
full, there aren't any marinas to the west since Gustav, leaving only
Gulfport, Port St Louis or Biloxi as possibilities.

Gulfport Smallcraft Harbor is NOT an option. Every pier and every
piling is gone and haven't been replaced. Probably won't be anytime
soon. People are tying up and anchoring out in the rivers and bayous
inland which isn't a good solution but that's what we have for now.
Some of the other harbors along the coast are in better shape but
slips are at a premium everywhere.
Rick.


Slips are for women.
http://www2.victoriassecret.com/imag...218379_884.jpg

Only girly-men keep their boats in slips. Real men sail them and anchor them
out when they stop during their travels.

Real men don't even have a dingy. They anchor out and swim ashore.

Casady