Gratitude Marina and the BIG B

Hauled out at Gratitude Marina

Gratitude Marina, Rock Hall, MD been coming here to Rock Hall for over 20 years. It's a great little town and am so glad that I decided to haul out here. Nice change of pace from being in downtown Philadelphia for the past 3 years. Plenty of space, good store, restaurants and bars.

Main building for Gratitude marina

Most boats are in the water, have the area almost to myself.

 

Road to downtown Rock Hall.

The BIG B "Blisters" - for my boater friends

From Boatsafe.com -"Water being absorbed through the gelcoat and fiberglass laminates in the hull causes blisters. Once thought impervious to water, it has been discovered that constant contact with water can cause it to be absorbed through the gelcoat from the outside and through the exposed laminate on the inside of the vessel (from standing bilge water).

 The water absorbed causes changes in the physical makeup of the hull and reacts with the resins, which build up residues and finally raise blisters by increased pressure on voids between the laminate and the gelcoat. This is what you see on the hull. This phenomena usually starts occurring, although it may occur earlier, from the fifth to tenth year after the manufacture of the boat. It occurs when boats are left in the water for long periods of time and happens more frequently in fresh water. It is estimated that one in four fiberglass boats develops hull blisters. Most will never be more than a cosmetic concern, particularly if they're treated rather than ignored." 

These are blisters that I chiseled and the liquid oozed out. 

I have about 100-120 per each side of the boat, not a hard process to fix, but a tedious one. 

Find And Grind ( simplified) 

• Break open each blister.
• Grind away the broken dome of the blister.
• Scrub until squeaky clean with a stiff brush.
• Paint the inside of each cavity with epoxy resin.
• Trowel the filler into the cavity, smooth it, and then fair it.

After 3 days, I believe I've gotten all the blisters ground down, since they are calling for rain, I covered the boat to try and dry them out. I should be able to fill them in 2 -3 weeks. Fun stuff!