Cordell
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| posted on 20/6/14 at 05:45 PM |
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gel coat blistering
Hi,
just in the last couple of weeks I have noticed a fair few blisters/bumps within the gel coat of my bonnet. It seems to be getting worse 
Does anyone have any experience/knowledge as to the possible cause? I've done some research, but I would like to hear some advice from anyone in
the know about this sort of thing really.
I initially thought it was due to heat from the engine as the area which is blistering is pretty much touching the top of the engine. I have some
reflectagold which I can use but I don't really want to waste it. Can someone confirm if heat can do this do gel coat?
A bit more info that may help, there are some cracks in the grp in that area. I recently reinforced it underneath with 3 layers of fiberglass cloth
and epoxy, not touched the gel coat so the cracks are still there obviously. Is the more likely culpurate moisture getting in from the cracks?
Any help/pointers would be much appreciated! 
[Edited on 20/6/14 by Cordell]
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jacko
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| posted on 20/6/14 at 06:00 PM |
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I would say Heat is the area changing colour to the rest of the bonnet? just a slight tint
Jacko
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Cordell
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| posted on 20/6/14 at 07:27 PM |
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Hi Jacko, no there is no change in colour although I will keep an eye on that. Thanks for your input.
Have you seen first hand, blistering caused by heat then? It does seem like a likely culprit to me but my experience with glass fiber is extremely
limited. Would rather use the reflect-a-gold (which is quite expensive) on the coolant hoses. But if it is a possible cause then I guess I will add
that protection just for precaution.
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zx12r dug
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| posted on 20/6/14 at 07:29 PM |
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Hi I had trouble with the bodywork on my mev sonic7 turbo ie I built it was the main reason why I got rid .it turned out to be air pockets in the
fibre glass that hadn't been rolled out completely when made the only way to fix it properly was to dig the blisters out and fill them up.
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Cordell
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| posted on 20/6/14 at 07:43 PM |
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Lol, I can see me wanting to get rid too if it gets any worse because I am extremely fussy over things like that.
Thanks for your input. I don't really want to go digging out the bubbles just yet, hopefully I can just contain it how it is atm. Any idea what
would cause the air pockets to expand? Heat or moisture or a bit of both maybe?
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macc man
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| posted on 20/6/14 at 07:50 PM |
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I have a hard top with a similar problem. I think mine is down to osmosis. If you prick the blister and the moisture smells of vinegar it will be
osmosis. This usually occurs after some years service but it may be worth eliminating.
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Cordell
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| posted on 20/6/14 at 08:09 PM |
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Yeah, I think actually repairing it is something I will have to consider at some stage. It's only 2 years old
I may just cover the affected area in vinyl wrap (think viper stripes) and see if it gets any worse. Hopefully the wrap will prevent further moisture
from getting in and will stop the progression.
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Canada EH!
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| posted on 20/6/14 at 11:45 PM |
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Osmosis common in fiberglass boats, large sail boats are sandblasted and re-gel coated, very expensive.
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