24 ve bubbles in boat

[Studman]

we have a deposit on a 07 24 ve there are small bubbles all over the bottom the boat. the boat was stored in a boat house. my dealer says they will dry up and not come back. I have second thought about it? any ideas?

[Jason B]

IMO for that much money, that boat would be 110% perfect b4 I accepted delivery of it. Once you accept resopnsibility for a "problem" you won't likely find anyone else to take it off your hands. you have too much riding on it to take a chance.

[dogbert]

Bubbles are usually caused by gelcoat that's been sitting in the water for a long time. Generally, it's not recommended to do that without painting the bottom.

[Domsz06]

um, I didn't have bubbless on mine, but when I picked up on my final walk around I found a small hole in the hull where they had accidently drilled through it when drilling for a screw hole. I showed them, and they kept the boat an extra few days and fixed it no questions asked.

I would tell the dealer you want them gone, if they don't fix it, then I wouldn't take delivery of it.

[gman]

Don't accept it until its right.

[Wake Havasu]

If the dealer is FIC and he says he will make it whole you can take it to the bank.

Otherwise NO.

Boats are big money and you will begin your ownership at their mercy for many trips for repairs.

[T-Pokes]

Have to agree with the rest of em' We bought a "demo" and although we may have saved a few dollars ( and I mean Few!!) we will probably never again buy a demo-- at that much money -- perfect condition is the only way I would trailer one home!!

[Domsz06]

anhaney has bought a demo boat, and has had a lot of problems. Mine was new, and basically no problems.

[Studman]

any ideas as to how much it would cost to fix? Dealer says tige will kick in $1500 but salesman said his gel coat guy will charge about $3000 but there are guys out there that will do it for less??? The boat is a deal other than this problem, I just don't want to get screwed in the long run.

[ragboy]

The thing that would concern me with something like that...

If they left the boat in the water for a long period, which shows some disregard, what other issues may the boat have, due to other areas of disregard that you can't see? I would rather buy a used boat, from a one owner guy, that I can tell REALLY cared for his boat, rather than a demo that has been somewhat mistreated for a season.

[da.bell]

I'd look at another boat and move on. It sounds like the gel coat is bubbling and that can only lead to further problems down the road. Was the boat owned by an individual or a Tige Dealership?

For what it's worth, I would move on and look at other boats. You are paying top $$$$'s for the boat and I agree with everyone, if has to be in great condition.

[T-Pokes]

As soon as we signed the papers on our boat-- it was amazing how many other "deals" showed up,, We live right in the middle of about 4 tige dealerships (no of them real close) but it was amazing what we found right after buying ours--kinda made us sick to our stomaches-- But you just have to "kiss it and let it go"

They are still salesmen doing their job selling a boat and making money... Even if they love the brand they are selling... and think it is the best in the world-- they aren't the one making the payment in January!! Or hauling it back to the shop when the gel coat is jacked up.

Ok alittle off topic-- We love our boat and love being new boat owners,,, but when we had our minor engine problem-- I was just sick...really... and I felt the dealership, and tige company (like all others I am sure) were a little desensitized about how much I just spent on the boat
They were like "what do you want lady a new boat? ! ? " and I was like... "yeah" Needless to say they didn't give us a new boat, but they did fix it and it is running great and we have loved it!! But nontheless Ryan has a new truck and I have a new suv (came back to the US with no cars) The boat cost more than either one of them, and THEY didn't break down after four hours!
Phewey-- just alittle cranky--Rainy and cold here- our season probably ended

[akdoc]

You need to RUN away from that boat. Gel coat blisters are not what you want to start boat ownership with. Yes, boats are made to be in water, however they are not made to sit in water for very long periods of time.

[philwsailz]

Bubbles on the bottom are a bad sign whatever they are. If they are osmotic blisters, (which they likely are) they will NOT go away. Each one is a location where the gel is delaminated from the 'glass and water is in there.

The only fix for osmotic blisters is to grind them out, let the boat dry out, (how long is anybody's guess) and the repair the holes with new gel.

[Ruune]

we have a deposit on a 07 24 ve there are small bubbles all over the bottom the boat. the boat was stored in a boat house. my dealer says they will dry up and not come back. I have second thought about it? any ideas?

Sounds like blistering. On an '07 model this concerns me. I've got a 2004 22v and the paint was absolutely flawless when I picked it up. Apart from the occasional "dock rash" on the sides and "board rash" on the transom, it still is.


Speaking of "dock rash," I've got some pretty deep gouges in my gelcoat from an idiot that tied up to me and didnt properly secure his bumpers. Basically, his SS rubrail's screws dug into my gelcoat.

However....
I put a call in to my local dealer in Austin (The Ski Dock), and after speaking with Charlie, I ordered a gelcoat repair kit. This is made by the same company that manufactures the gelcoat that Tigé uses, only it mixes into a putty form. That said, it should be a pretty good match for my bright red gelcoat (which is kept indoors).

Anyways, they called me today and said that the kit is in. I'm going to pick it up after work, but I wont be heading out to the lake for a couple of weeks. Next time I go out there, I'll take some before, during, and after pics, and then write up a how-to document to post here. Should be interesting....