Hull blister repair

[MattVT18]

I had heard/read about hull blisters but never experienced them. Apparently they were present on my boat and I just couldn't see them. I hit a submerged log about a week ago travelling about 30 mph. I heard and felt the log roll the full length of the boat as I was slowing down from letting off the throttle. After putting the boat on the trailer I was inspecting for damage from the log and it appears the hitting/rolling cracked open all the blisters. There are multiple chips in the areas where the hull contacts the trailer bunks. I've got one more tournament to fish this year then it'll be heading in for inspection/repair. I fish shallow most of the year and scrape/scratch the bottom of the hull all along. I've read about Gator and Gorilla hulls but those ships are 12+ hours away from me. My gel/glass guy can repair/smooth it out like new but I was wondering about more rigid or tougher options. Are the two ships in Texas and Louisiana the only places that do these hulls? I'm guessing something like Line-X would be to heavy and rough to be practical on a bass boat.

[Lightning 6]

Never knew I had them either til I replaced my bunks last year. Crawled under the trailer to check bunk/ hull contact and saw them. I had blisters (all still unopened) the entire length of all 4 bunks. Glass shop completely removed all of the gelcoat under the bunks (between the strakes) and thankfully the blisters had not contaminated the fiberglass. The glass shop owner commented that he was impressed with the way triton finished the boat and what materials they used. The owner said addressing the problem by fixing individual blisters was not the correct/ best practice. They built the areas back up and sprayed gelcoat. Boat looks as good as new (and much better than it did). Pricey repair ($5500-6000….cannot recall exactly) but I plan to keep my boat forever.

I tried to contact both those shops and neither responded.

[MattVT18]

It's an extensive process for sure. I haven't priced it out yet but I know it won't be cheap.

[Jdc09]

I had one shop quote me about $3600 over the phone. I think a majority of the cost was in labor. They also said that it'll most likely happen again if they just repair the gelcoat. I figured that I'll either have a new boat by the point they get super bad or I'll have the money to get a gator hull put on down in the Toledo Bend area.

[Lightning 6]

If repaired correctly and you switch to gatorbacks it has little chance of recurring. Repair quality requires really high end materials.

[04_triton]

Say you have blisters, very very small ones but prob a million per bunk. If you were to switch to gatorbacks do you think you could get away without repairing the blisters?

[Lightning 6]

IMHO, not unless you want to risk further hull damage….like delamination.

[MattVT18]

I've sent pics (not very good ones) to a couple of shops and am waiting on estimates. My regular guy doesn't even want to guess until he looks at it in person (probably be mid-October before I can get there). He did say to do it right (build out and re-spray entire area) wouldn't be cheap but was the only way he'd do it. I'm going to replace my bunks after the repair with either gatorbacks or the ones from Ultimate Bunks. My trailer is not factory, it's a Benchmark (made in middle Tennessee) but it fits pretty nice. The bunks are just a year old and they are warped like crazy. The carpet is a deeper pile than usual, so it holds dirt/grit really bad and is basically sanding the hull when loading each trip.

[MattVT18]

Got quotes back from two different shops. Each estimated $5-6k for the work. I should note that includes removing/installing a new keel guard and smoothing out some other scrapes and such. Not really sure what I'm going to do right now. Might just price it low and sell it instead of putting the money in it.

[Lightning 6]

Tough choice for sure. I intend to keep my boat so, despite the cost, the decision was easy for me.

[ckaihara]

Can y'all post photos so that I know what to look for on my boat? Also, is this only an issue on certain years?

[OverTimeAgain]

Man mine is awful. I've got about 30 on each spot where bunks ride. Most of them are popped and big open holes.


I don't take on water so I don't care much. It is an old boat. I've lost like 2-3mph since they popped.

[crank68]

I deal with this all the time. If you have blisters, they will be fixed, one way or the other.

[04_triton]

What do you mean crank? I have them really bad, none open yet. Debating on just running it or having them repaired.

[OverTimeAgain]

What do you mean crank? I have them really bad, none open yet. Debating on just running it or having them repaired.

He means you'll fix them now due to paranoia or they will be fixed when you glass delaminates and you file an insurance claim...

[Lightning 6]

Insurance will not cover hull blisters. I don’t suffer from paranoia….I maintain everything I own and address issues as soon as they arise.

[Kb444fishing]

i had mine fixed for 2000 though that was probably eight years ago. They took my motor off and flipped it over and totally ground them out.

[crank68]

What do you mean crank? I have them really bad, none open yet. Debating on just running it or having them repaired.

Basically…blisters don’t get better. Left unrepaired they will “at some point” crack, open up, gel will basically fall off. Then, this can allow “at some point’ water to soften the outer layer of the layup of your hull. No one can give you a how long will this take answer but it will “at some point” happen. So if you keep your boat long enough you will deal with them if have em….

[MattVT18]

Both shops said exactly what crank said. Neither pushed me to get the repair right away but both assured me eventually it would be required. I haven't had any time to fish so I haven't really worried about it. I haven't put it up for sale but have shopped it around to folks looking for a boat. I've fully disclosed what is going on and priced it accordingly. If I still have it in a couple of weeks I'll probably get it on the schedule to be repaired. Probably give Toledo fiberglass a call and get some info on the Gorilla hull before making a decision.

[Triton420]

I have an 02 that I have for 10 years now. Has always had opened blisters. Don't really plan on fixing them.