osmosis 270 f.v

[alex]

Hi everybody,

Is there any method to check if i have osmosis on my 270 f.v (built 2002).

How can i discover if i have osmosis problem?

any ideas please?

thanks and best regards
alex

[Babyboomer]

For those like me that have no idea what he's talking about here's what it is......I guess!
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/cmb/cells/pmemb/osmosis.html

[zieggy]

I think you are asking whether you can discern if your hull as been encroached by water.  There are instruments to check this, marine surveyors normally have one which they use to check the hulls.  I think it is called moisture meter.  Not sure where you could purchase one.

If your boat is out of the water, it would best time to check the hull.  It can be checked in the water also, but you have limited access.

My boat was surveyed before I bought it and was checked and was OK.

Usual signs of water intrusion would be blisters on the outer hull, and if really bad, seepage inside the hull.

Because RInker has a solid fiberglass hull, I believe we should have less problems.

Good luck

[Capt Ron]

Alex, you didn't mention if the boat is in the water all year or just the summer time? It makes a big difference. If your boat remains in the water all year, Rinker recommends you strip off the gelcoat, add an epoxy barrier coat and then add an antifouling paint. They will only honour warranty claims if this has been completed on the hull. The barrier coat actually seals the hull against water penetration. Anti-fouling paint doesn't, neither does the gelcoat. If your boating is only in the water seasonally, you don't necessarily need to go through all the above. The are some really good hull waxes out there that work at slowing down water penetration. That's what I use and never had any blisters. However, my boat is out of the water for seven months of the year. Secondly, many marinas are discouraging anti-foul paint now in fresh water lakes in Canada. They are advocating keeping the water clean as possible. Although some anti-fouling paints are getting better, they emit pollution to work properly. In salt water, there isn't much choice.

[alex]

Thank you all for your assistance.

Ron,the main issue is that i have purchased the boat from Florida last year and i really do not have any idea what the previous owner(s) was doing.(the boat is the 270F.V built 2002)

when i purchased the boat the under water line surface was painted black and i only applied anti-foul  paint for high speeds on top of the previous paint(i only cleaned by high pressure water jet the painted hull)

I use the boat for abt 4-5 months in salt water only.

Now the boat is on her trailer.

If i do not see any blisters on the hull, it means that i do not have any issue?

In order to apply the hull waxes i should scrape the hull until ingoes white again, or i can put the wax and the anti-foul paint on top of the previous anti-foul i did last summer?


Thanks

Alex

[Capt Ron]

Alex, if your boat already has antifouling paint, just check to see if the barrier coat was completed. You can usually find a spot around the outdrive or other area that the antifouling paint isn't present. The barrier coat is gray in colour. If it isn't done I wouldn't worry about it since it isn't in the water that long and your boat is on a trailer. If you don't have blisters, you most likely don't have any osmosis problems. However, you will notice that your boat will perform faster when you first put it in versus leaving it in the water for a period of time. Water does penetrate the antifouling and gelcoat without the barrier coat. Just so you know, putting on the barrier coat is better left for professionals. The gelcoat is usually removed using a power blaster. Sanding only moves the mould wax around (releasing agent for removing the hull from the mould which penetrates the gelcoat) making it impossible for the antifouling to take. Some are lucky just sanding, most aren't in keeping the antifouling paint on the hull. I had a Chaparral that couldn't keep antifouling on at all. This is how I learned from the experts about this topic. It costed me $3500 to have a 26ft cruiser completed. After having this completed, I never had to repaint again. The shop used an Interlux CSC which slowly washes away.. I think they call it abative release. I also never had any water in the bilge after having the barrier coat applied. Being in the States, you should be able to get this work done much cheaper than in Canada. If you plan on keeping the boat and you need to repaint from scratch, I would definitely recommend having the barrier coat completed. You can repaint over existing bottom paints if the base paint isn't flaking off. If it's flaking off, the mould wax is affecting it, sanded or not.

[alex]

Thanks a lot Cpt.Ron.

Shall check following your detailed  guidance and revert.

Thanks again.

Alex