Paint Bubbling on new ally boat...

[bigdonk]

Hi all,
I took delivery of a brand new alloy CC in December last year (2010). Ive noticed around bolt on items, drilled rod holders and fixings there is bubbling of the paint.. should i be concerned??
Are other Allum boats doing this??

BD

[timddo]

I have it on my boat. My boat is 3.5 years old. I just scrap the bobble off and leave it.

[winston]

Bigdonk,Should you be worried? Yes you should. This is more than likely galvanic corrosion caused by the connection between two dissimilar metals and an electrolyte i.e salt water. To prevent this you must place a barrier between the two metals i.e. duralic, sicaflex etc. If galvanic corrosion has already commenced, the two metals must be separated, cleaned and then a medium should be put between them to ensure that it does not continue. Basically this is the result of piss poor/careless fitting of these items. Winston.

[Dan5]

Mate thats Galvanic reaction taking place between two dissimilar metals..........in your case stainless and aluminium..........they need to be insulated from each other or it will continue and eventually corrode completly........theres a product called Duralac it's a anti galvanic insulating paste do a search on here for it theres heaps of posts about it you'll find.

The other option is to insulate with nylon/plastic washers...........your aluminium is anoding every time it's wet with salt or fresh and even in your carport dry.

Dan

[peterbo3]

This will not usually affect structural integrity but looks nasty. Can be caused by drilling of holes after paint job, poor paint job or lack of sealant around holes. Salt water gets under paint, does not dry or dries leaving salt which absorbs moisture from air & becomes electrolyte which allows corrosion due to current between dis-similar metals.
No paint = no corrosion = money saved.

[TopBhoy]

Am I alone in thinking that when you spend a large sum of cash on a new item, doing workarounds to cover the manufacturers arse isn't acceptable?

Not that the issue sounds particularly difficult to resolve but if there numerous items, I'm guessing it may be time consuming. Is this not something which should be fixed under warranty on a new boat? It would also provide feedback to the boat manufacture that they need to take more care in their manufacturing processes or change the design.

[deckie]

Dunno the extent but yepp..be concerned. If it gets bad it'll always be a nagging negative for any future buyer.
Probably just another example of poor quality control in this country.

Woulndt stop at fixing any dissimilar metal contacts...i'd be checking the electricals thoroughly too. Would'nt be the first tinnie to be wired up as a disprin.

[bigdonk]

It's all of the above i think.. It's around stainless bolts that the builder installed, ( rear door etc ets ).... But there are bubbles around items that the boat dealer installed, (Live bait tank, rod holders etc etc) All these items the dealer used alloy pop rivets, so im thinking water ingression for those....
deckie, good thinking the electricals but as an electrician i did check that as i installed some lights.. Looks like i have a bit of work to do..

cheers BD

[GLXMAN]

I have the same problem,
I bought a new Allison 4.95 Nov last year,
The same problem has started on my boat around all fittings,
In all cases, no duralac was used,

This has turned into a big job,
Purchase of etch primer,
Purchase of new paint for spraying, ($90/liter)
and, a lot of hours to fix

The time you have to really worry is when you get a line of bubbles or pin hole around the water line, this is a serious electrolysis problem and needs urgent attention, fortunately, this extreme case is not seen as much in new boats these days

IMHO,
I would attack the worst case areas first as this is a time consuming exercise if you address it properly,

A few of tips that have been successful for me in the past,
1. use "Duralac" on all dissimilar metal fittings, don't be sparing, if its looks like you have put too much on, you have the right amount, just wipe off excess
2. use SS bolts, (316 grade), if you can and where possible, use an old rubber tyre tube to insulate the fitting, even then, you will need duralac all over the bolts
3. another tip is to get nylon or fiber washers for the bolts, this also helps

I used the above methods on a 34ft yacht I fitted out, always knew when I purchased a new alloy boat, there may be problems, I guess its a cost factor in manufacture but I would have willingly paid $500-$1000 extra to have the job done properly in the first place

Lastly,
Its not the end of the world, if you like the boat and performance, and the welds are a professional job, the cost of making things right is usually not excessive, although the price of 2 pack paint can be excessive

Regards,
Gary

[mal555]

Hi all,
I took delivery of a brand new alloy CC in December last year (2010). Ive noticed around bolt on items, drilled rod holders and fixings there is bubbling of the paint.. should i be concerned??
Are other Allum boats doing this??

BD

I'd be getting the manufacturer to take the boat back and fix it properly under warranty, this is unacceptable for a new anything.

Don't put up with it, boats are a valuable asset, this is just plain shoddy neglect.

[murf]

sadly I bet the is a clause in the sale that will not cover it under warranty

when I bought my painted 2nd hand 4.75 Bluefin I pulled everything apart that I could, cleaned up and applied Duralac, also replaced some stainless with ally where I could

I tried to buy a new boat without paint, some manufacturers wouldn't sell me one with out paint, some said same price and some took off $1000

all the best with it

cheers Murf

[BM]

Murf is correct. In my experience there aren't any manufacturers that will warrant paint blistering due to electrolysis etc etc

And if you read the various forums there's no shortage of posts about the exact same problem on new boats.

I think it looks ugly and devalues the boat but I guess if you prefer alloy boats then that's something to live with. Or get an old Dehavilland tinny or similar from the 70's. Lots of them around that are painted and not blistered.

Or buy a glass boat and not have the problem but of course they have their own problems.

Ah, just have a crappy boat and then you don't have to worry!!!

[Fed]

Give it back to the dealer to fix their part and also have them arrange for the builder to fix his part if you bought it through them.