[C320-list] 1995 C320 Buyer Information Requested

[argates2nd at comcast.net]

For 1995 hull #182, we had a lot of small blisters (wood pencil eraser size and a bit smaller) around and just below the water line in the forward 10-12 feet of the hull.
Last spring I had a fiberglass man help me fix all of those, including sanding the entire bottom down to the gel coat and applying 4 coats of Interlux Barrier coat, topped off with 2-3 coats of Trinidad SR.
We have better racing results now which I attribute partly to a smoother bottom.
I did a lot of the sanding and painting myself and the total job cost about $5k, which included the haul and 11 days in a do-it-yourself boatyard.
Rollie    Charlotte Harbor, FL
--------
From: 
bruceheyman at cox.net 
To: 
"C320 List" <C320-List at catalina320.com> 
Subject: 
Re: [C320-list] 1995 C320 Buyer Information Requested 
Date: 
Sunday, January 27, 2008 11:37:40 AM 
Larry,
On my previous boat I repaired 1200 very small blisters and then applied a 
barrier coat.  I did the work myself partly because I'm cheap and partly because 
I'd heard so many horror stories where it was not done right.
 
Interlux 2001/2001E is a great product but you have to follow the instructions 
and I've been in quite a few yards where they don't seem to follow them.  In 
addition to doing the right prep and washing with the right solvents to insure a 
great first coat bond you have to follow strict re-coat times.  They are based 
on the current temperature but generally are in the range of 13-22 hours.  
Failure to re-coat with in this window means you do not get the stronger and 
less permiable bonds associated with a chemical bond and must resand the entire 
hull and go for a mechanical bond.  In my case I applied seven coats and ended 
up sanding of most of the last coat which should have given me a barrier coat if 
about 12 mils.  While watching yards do work on other boats you will see the 
worker apply a coat on Friday, go home for the weekend and then apply the next coat on 
Monday with out sanding, not cool.

I agree with your logic of getting it done right sooner rather than later.  When 
the boat was surveyed for sale 6 years later the hull received a perfect report 
so it was a positive factor in the sale.

At the time I had a quote to do the blister repairs and apply the barrier coat 
of $15,000.  I spent just over $2,000 and a ton of personal time.

Good luck,
Bruce
Somerset 671 SoCal
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

-----Original Message-----
From: "Larry Frank" <WindSwept at stx.rr.com>

Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:31:14 
To:"'C320-List'" <c320-list at catalina320.com>
Subject: Re: [C320-list] 1995 C320 Buyer Information Requested


Pat,

Sorry for the delay in answering - just returned from an extended business
trip overseas.

The blisters have appeared randomly distributed from stem to stern and port
to starboard.  Some are at the waterline and some are along the bottom fore
and aft centerline.  I have tried to look for a pattern but have not picked
one out.

What makes these blisters somewhat different is that they are rather large,
but few in number.  Think of slicing off 1/4 to 1/3 of a tennis ball, and
you will get the approximate picture.

Every time the bottom is repainted I have to repair 10-15 of these.  They
didn't show up until WindSwept was about 5 years old, but are now appear at
each bottom job.

A talked to Peter a few years ago about the problem and his experience is
similar, as is his hull number.

It is probably worth noting that both Peter and I sail in very warm salt
water environments.  He is in south Florida if memory serves me correctly
and I sail around Corpus Christi, TX which is very south along the Texas
Gulf Coast.  In the summer water temperature exceeds 85 degrees for 3-4
months, peaking at about 88 degrees.

When the problem first arose, Catalina contributed some money for the first
blister fix since it was still covered by warrantee.

These early Catalinas were not built with the blister resistant resins that
are used now.  Instead they had a barrier coating applied at the factory.  I
am thinking that the barrier coating may have been damaged during an early
bottom painting job, perhaps even the first one during commissioning by the
local dealer.

At the factory tour during the Catalina rendezvous a few years back, Gerry
Douglas recommended to me that the barrier coating should be renewed after
around 10 years.  WindSwept is now about 13 and I may do that this year, but
when I review the problem with the boatyard that does my work, and an
independent marine surveyor the advice is redoing the barrier coating is not
worth the cost with this type of blister.  The advice has always been if the
blister is repaired correctly with vinyl ester resin there is no degradation
to the structural integrity of the hull.

My main reason for repairing the blisters is that I will sell WindSwept some
day.  I would expect a prospective buyer will discount the price they will
pay because of the blisters, so why not pay the bill myself now and avoid
the recurring repairs that are inevitable at each bottom job.

Larry
WindSwept C320 #246


-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com] On Behalf Of pat reynolds
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 4:14 PM
To: C320-List
Subject: Re: [C320-list] 1995 C320 Buyer Information Requested

Larry I have hull 249 and never had a problem.  What
areas were involved

Pat R
--- Larry Frank <WindSwept at stx.rr.com> wrote:

> Peter,
> 
> I have hull number 246 and remember when you
> repaired your blisters and
> applied the barrier coat.  I am glad to hear the job
> was a success.  I too
> have a very similar blistering issue to what you
> described when you were
> doing your repairs.
> 
> This year I am considering the same repair job as
> you described in the past.
> 
> 
> After making your repairs and applying the barrier
> coat, how long did you
> have the boat?  Have you heard anything from the new
> owner in this regard?
> If I am not mistaken you have a different boat now,
> correct?
> 
> I agree with your assessment of a 1995 320.  Any
> thirteen year old boat may
> have issues and a good surveyor and survey should
> bring them to light.
> 
> Larry
> WindSwept C320 #246
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com
> [mailto:c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com] On Behalf
> Of Peter Clancy
> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 1:02 PM
> To: C320-List
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] 1995 C320 Buyer Information
> Requested
> 
> Joe ...... I owned 'AROBAN' for 8 years, a 1995 C320
> hull #222. First, I
> believe it's essential to have a thorough survey
> done on the boat. The
> shallow bilge was never an issue with me as I
> switched to GFO packing which
> seldom dripped. Others have gone to the dripless
> shaft seals with good
> results. The key is to keep water from accumulating
> in the bilge and under
> the bilge tray. The boat probably has the Perkins
> diesel and was presumably
> used in salt water. I'd ask if the exhaust elbow had
> ever been replaced. I
> had to replace mine at 400 hours. Take a look at the
> refrigeration
> compressor unit in the port aft lazarette. Mine had
> rusted quite a bit but
> still worked fine.  I also had a blistering problem
> as Catalina had not yet
> started using vinylester resins in 1995. I repaired
> the blisters myself and
> applied an epoxy barrier coat which eliminated any
> recurrence. I never had a
> problem with the aqua lift muffler. Check for leaks
> around the chain plates
> which may need to be re-bedded. I don't think
> there's any issue especially
> unique to the C320 that a good surveyor wouldn't
> identify. Good luck. Your
> friend is getting a well-made, solid sailboat with
> pleasing performance.
> 
> Peter Clancy
> 'AROBAN' Hull #222 (former owner)
> Miami, FL
>