Blisters?

[mschiemer]

Hi folks,

I'm going to inquire about a CP23 that is at my marina and hasn't moved in the 4 years I've been there, and whose registration decal is from 2008.  This is a freshwater lake in Austin, TX.  Water temps low 80s all summer and mid 50s in winter.  This is a pre bow pulpit model, so that makes it 70s or early 80s right?

Question is:  were blisters a problem on that vintage of CP23s?  It's possible this things been in the water for 5+ years.  Should I even go down this road?  Or run away?

Thanks!
Matt Schiemer
Austin, TX

[USMCR O-5]

Starting in 1994, they started using vinylester in the hulls which made them much less prone to blisters. My 1993 23/3 is built the way the boat you describe is and I've never had blisters, even after the boat sat in salt water behind a friend shame for over 5 years. I previously owned a power boat that I bought knowing it had blisters; repairs and a barrier coat and no blisters for the 12 years I owned that boat after the repairs. If the rest of the boat looks good, go for it!

[wes]

Blisters, at least on a Com-Pac, don't deserve to be feared. My 27 sat in the water for six years while the previous owner was sick, and ended up with a few dozen dime and quarter size blisters which have been simple to repair.

I'd be MUCH more concerned about soft deck areas, indicating water intrusion. That's a problem with many 27s where the cabin house meets the foredeck, but to my knowledge very rare on other models.

I can't think of many situations that would make me walk away from a Com-Pac. These are such well designed, strongly built boats.

Wes

[MacGyver]

Blisters can come from a few sources. Inside going out, dry mold issues from when the boat was made, as well as from when it sits with scars on the bottom, and transfer in the hull.

You will find blisters more so on fresh water boats than that of salt, because salt water is denser.

Are blisters a big deal?? Not in my opinion. From all my years as a repairman I can tell you that like Wes said, the deck issues, structural, etc are a much bigger deal..... Blisters, not so much. I can tell anyone how to repair them super easy. Just takes some work.

Mac

[sparrow]

Hi:  Be sure to check out the mast step area.  The boats built around '81-'82 had plywood encapsulated incorrectly, and any water intrusion caused the plywood to rot.

On my 82 the result was bleeding of mushy rot into the interior from the small opening where the wires ran for the mast light fixture.

A couple years ago I removed and replaced the whole raised mast step.

One of the things I've always liked about the Compac 23 is no balsa core in the deck, an ongoing problem with many older boats.  The mast step is the only weak spot that I know of and it was only in some boats in those years.

If you have that problem, there are threads on this board about fixing it.

Mine is an old boat.  Some years it stayed in salt water for two seasons.  No blisters.

[HeaveToo]

Most of the time Blisters are the boogie man.  They can be fixed in most cases and in a worst case they require a peel. 

You know how I handled the few small blisters that I had on my Catalina 30?  I just painted over them.  Lots of boats have blisters and it doesn't do anything to their structural integrity. 

Take a look at the boat.  Realize that you will have to add a lot into your budget for refit on any boat.  If it seems worth it, go for it!