Some fiberglass AIRPLANES have suffered from blistering and these are landplanes, not flying boats sitting on a mooring. Even humid air can eventually do it.
I am glad my 35 is a solid hull now she is headed for 50 years old. It would be nice to have the stiffness and insulation of balsa, but I worry less about hull issues. Speaking of tanks, the wood supporting my fuel tank rotted due to condensation from the tank. It now rests on starboard. Joe Della Barba Coquina C&C 35 MK I Kent Island MD USA From: Matthew via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Sent: Friday, September 17, 2021 10:25 AM To: 'Stus-List' <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Matthew <wolf...@erie.net> Subject: Stus-List Re: Balsa core history That is not a safe assumption. We did extensive repairs to the core below the waterline on my Custom 42, including from the keel back and the keel forward. Arguably, water in these areas resulted from failing to isolate thru-hulls and the prop shaft strut. Two areas we did not consider, because there is no access point like a thru-hull, was amidships (port and starboard). When we completed the work, we put over 10 coats of barrier coat on the bottom. About four years ago I noticed blistering amidships, both port and starboard. You would think this is impossible – there is no way water got through all those barrier coats. To access these areas, we needed to remove the water tanks on both sides and the diesel fuel tank (starboard). Our conclusion, after scratching our heads, was that constant condensation under the tanks for 45 years resulted in the core getting wet from the inside. The inside glass was very thin in much of these areas. There may be no bad balsa, but construction techniques can be a factor. And there is water, and there is time. Matt From: Hoyt, Mike via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > Sent: Friday, September 17, 2021 9:21 AM To: 'Stus-List' <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > Cc: Hoyt, Mike <mike.h...@impgroup.com <mailto:mike.h...@impgroup.com> > Subject: Stus-List Re: Balsa core history There is no bad balsa. Only bad owners (or prior owners) I think it is safe to say that pretty much all water saturation of balsa is caused by poor bedding of fittings
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