MacGregorSailors.com

Hey forum,
Been a while since I was on here but rearing a toddler and moving across the country will do that to you. Family is now in Southern Maryland from St Louis, and ol’ Seaweed has finally made her way across the country as well. I’ve completely cleaned her head to toe, fixed a few cosmetic issues in the cabin and got the motor back into shape. We’ve secured a slip at Herrington Harbor on the Chesapeake and can’t wait to get out in the bay.

One issue, when the boat was pulled out at Carlyle Lake, the lift operators did a quick power wash below the water line, and this exposed hundreds of tiny bumps in the hull. The chickenpox.

Now I’ve read that freshwater is worse for osmosis, and from the looks of things these bumps seem to be superficial, but the bay ain’t exactly ocean salty, and im leaning toward “I’d rather do it right now and save trouble down the road” vs a quick fix.

I’m thinking that if I want to keep her in the water it looks like I’m going to need to strip scrape fair and reseal below the waterline with an epoxy barrier before adding new bottom paint?

Questions I have are:
Will these bumps get worse if I do nothing?
Will it lead to actual structural issues?
Could I just scuff the area as is, and paint over them and save a ton of effort and $, and get on the water for this season and address it later?

If I’m going to do it myself, I’d like to get her off the trailer and up on blocks and stands… has anyone got any advice on DIY driveway hoisting? I don’t have a forklift but I do have bottle jacks, as well a 2-ton chain hoist and could probably build some type of gantry. Is the 26x stable on a pair of boat stands at the stern and a wood block stack under the bow?

I was quoted $600 for a sodablaster to come to my place and take off the antifouling but I’d need to at least get her off the trailer over a tarp on my own. Once the AF is gone, can I just hit it with an orbital and then a fairing compound and roll on some epoxy barrier then a few coats of AF?

Any rec on fairing compound, barrier? Good AF for a slip in Annapolis area for the season?

In the pics you can see when it was hoisted and again on the journey east, not sure how well the pox show up but I can take some better pics in a few days.

Thanks! Hope all is well!

TheLandlady wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 9:25 am Questions I have are:

Will these bumps get worse if I do nothing?

Probably not. My first year in fresh water with a naked bottom developed blisters (that sounds funny). Tons of them. I have done nothing about them. Some have popped exposing the raw fiberglass under the gelcoat.
But they haven't gotten WORSE.

Will it lead to actual structural issues?

I doubt it. Especially if you have bottom paint there now partially sealing it. Even without, I doubt it would cause structural issues. Mine haven't gotten worse and I slip the boat every summer.

Could I just scuff the area as is, and paint over them and save a ton of effort and $, and get on the water for this season and address it later?

If it were me, yes. Is it the ideal solution? No. But you know this already.


If I’m going to do it myself, I’d like to get her off the trailer and up on blocks and stands… has anyone got any advice on DIY driveway hoisting? I don’t have a forklift but I do have bottle jacks, as well a 2-ton chain hoist and could probably build some type of gantry. Is the 26x stable on a pair of boat stands at the stern and a wood block stack under the bow?

Search this forum. There are others who have clever ways to do what you are attempting.
eg: viewtopic.php?p=308826

I was quoted $600 for a sodablaster to come to my place and take off the antifouling but I’d need to at least get her off the trailer over a tarp on my own. Once the AF is gone, can I just hit it with an orbital and then a fairing compound and roll on some epoxy barrier then a few coats of AF?

Search this forum or maybe others can chime in. I believe that is the best solution for the ideal fix. Filling the blisters once removed and cleaned and then epoxy barrier then antifoul.

Some might say the blisters need to be repaired so acid doesn't eat at the fiberglass. I have yet to fix mine and probably never will. Mine dry out each winter and haven't gotten worse.


If it were my boat, I'd powerwash it as good as possible, then add a coat of AF if it's old and needs it and go sailing. Put this off for another project another year.
Your first year on the bay will give you lots of learning of what projects you want to take on.

Russ wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 10:13 am
Could I just scuff the area as is, and paint over them and save a ton of effort and $, and get on the water for this season and address it later?

If it were me, yes.

If it were my boat, I'd powerwash it as good as possible, then add a coat of AF if it's old and needs it and go sailing. Put this off for another project another year.

You just saved me a ton of stress and financial burden.
Next round is on me!
Thank you Russ

Hi TheLandLady!

You’re sure getting around!
Enjoy the adventures!

Blisters…
Cause: Water getting into the fiberglass and collecting.
Effect: Water collects in pockets which then rots leading to delaminating of the fiberglass structure. Generally near surface but have been known to go deeper. Tend to gradually increase in size and can potentially join up with other blisters / pockets.
Remediation: A bit involved
First: Generally recommended to haul out and immediately mark as many of the blisters as possible. Take photos for reference later. Once removed from the water immediately Power wash to remove any scum, marine growth, loose bottom paint. Recheck blister locations and remark. Take photos for reference.
Second: Carefully remove any remaining Anti Foul Bottom paint. Wet sand blasting is what most yards use but it takes a skilled operator to avoid damaging the fiberglass. (MacGregor bottoms are thin!) A good pressure washer can generally do a lot of the work at a bit slower and manageable pace as long as one doesn’t get too close!
Third: Remark where the blisters are… might need to use those photos now as it will have been a few days.
Fourth: Using a hand orbital sander gently sand down to expose the blisters so they can be cleaned and dry out throughly.
Fifth: Clean exposed surfaces with acetone and prime with thickened epoxy. Sand flush. Repeat as required until finished and smooth.
Sixth: Prime with a good EPOXY BOTTOM BARRIER PAINT. AT LEAST TWO COATS. LET CURE.
Seventh: Apply at least two layers of good ablative bottom paint.

Getting a boat up in the air, off the trailer and secured isn’t a small task or to be taken lightly.
It takes some preparation, appreciation of the risks and hazards involved. Gravity always wins and Murphy takes no prisoners (and I don’t know anybody who can bench press 3,000+ pounds of boat. )

We were fortunate with Over Easy in that we did not have any blistering even though a previous owner attempted to just put ablative bottom paint on without an epoxy barrier coat. We were LUCKY. We went through an analysis of DIY or hire-out a professional boat yard to do the initial work. We were way ahead of the game having it done in a yard set up to do the work with the skilled personnel, equipment and facilities. The whole process from haul out to loaded back on our boat trailer was less than 2 weeks. Done and over. That was just our choice. No risks, no hazards, no hassles. Excellent job done! We used Marsh Harbor Boat Works in Beaufort SC.
We also had the keel removed and done as well along with the rudders. Glad we did!

You appear to be getting your boat in and out of the water and traveling with it, similar to us.
The EPOXY BARRIER COAT paint will keep the water from penetrating into the fiberglass whether in salt/fresh or brackish water.
The BOTTOM COAT paint keeps the marine growth at bay.

In that kind of usage it’s recommended to go with an ablative anti foul bottom paint rather than a copper coat type.
Ablatives do just what the name says, it ablates as the boat moves through the water which takes away the marine growth for the most part. It also has a biocide to discourage the marine growth. Ablatives don’t care if you are in fresh water or salt water or brackish water. They don’t care if you are in/out/in/out of the water. Drying out in the off season is fine. DEPENDING on use & location one can expect 2 to 3 years out of an ablative bottom coat paint before it wears and loses effectiveness when used regularly and extensively like we do with Over Easy.

Copper coat types are designed to get and stay in the water as soon as they are applied and dried. They are not designed or recommended for in/out usage. They are designed to be used in primarily salt water applications This is because copper coatings react with salt water to create cuperious sulfate which is toxic to marine life (and people) that come into contact with it. Once the coated surface is out of the water, like on the trailer for travel or off season the copper reacts with the oxygen in the air and then forms copper oxide which is now pretty much sealed and chemically inert. This happens relatively quickly in like two weeks or so when in air. While the surface can be reactivated to some extent by the mechanical removal of the oxide formation such as by sanding one then needs to get it back into saltwater almost immediately to avoid the air oxygen oxidation from reoccurring. This is why generally only the bigger blue water ocean boats utilize a copper type bottom paint. It too does wear out with use.

Now once we had the initial work done after we took ownership of Over Easy we’ve kept up with the annual maintenance.

Now, we in our usage have found we get about three years from our ablative bottom paint.
Re-applying an ablative bottom paint it a LOT EASIER than doing the initial setup with the potential repairs, epoxy barrier coats and ablative.

We did ours last year on our own in the driveway without fully removing Over Easy from her trailer.
We detailed that process in our “A New Journey Begins for OverEasy - 2023/2025” postings.
viewtopic.php?p=368694#p368694

We have a Sea Lion Trailer and used a teeter-totter approach to get the hull up off the trailer.
I made a substantial pressure treated rear incrementally adjustable support brace to help with the process and to keep everything & everyone safe. This way Over Easy basically stayed over her trailer at all times while being supported at the bow and widely at the stern.
At that point the hull was throughly pressure washer twice, dried and throughly repainted with two coats of good ablative bottom paint.
Once the bottom was done Over Easy was lowered back onto the trailer via the same teeter-totter process, the rear support brace removed and the spot where the hull had been resting on the brace was then given two coats of new ablative bottom paint. The whole process took two weekends but I’m an old foggy who doesn’t move as fast I once did and likes to take lots of breaks. You’d probably get it done in less time.

Hope this might have been of some use. The call is up to you.
As always, this is just what we’ve done within our circumstances, limitations and abilities. Each person has their own to work within and around.
Your boat, Your rules.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

The landlady,

You told Russ that the next round is on you. OverEasy is just trying to get in on that deal

Sounds like my bottom on my 26 x when I purchase 7 years ago . Got a good deal on my boat because it sat for 9 years in a slip on a fresh water lake and of course motor did run or batteries had no charge. The bottom had hundreds of those chicken pox soars . I just happen to be experiencing in fiberglassing ( build hundreds of surfboards in my 20s and 30s . So I spent 3 months in the driveway upside down sanding out loose blisters one at a time to solid glass then glassing them to a smooth hull. That’s what it takes to get it right so you might want to pay someone to do the job . My bottom has a gloss finish now because I keep on a trailer. And still looks great .good luck

Gotro wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 2:32 pm Sounds like my bottom on my 26 x when I purchase 7 years ago . Got a good deal on my boat because it sat for 9 years in a slip on a fresh water lake and of course motor did run or batteries had no charge. The bottom had hundreds of those chicken pox soars . I just happen to be experiencing in fiberglassing ( build hundreds of surfboards in my 20s and 30s . So I spent 3 months in the driveway upside down sanding out loose blisters one at a time to solid glass then glassing them to a smooth hull. That’s what it takes to get it right so you might want to pay someone to do the job . My bottom has a gloss finish now because I keep on a trailer. And still looks great .good luck

I’ve got almost no experience with epoxy other than occasional
Jb weld, but the shop at the marina just quoted $5000 for zero to hero full soda blast, scrape and fair, barrier coat and antifoul paint and that’s not including marina hoisting off/on the trailer and lot storage while the work is done. I can’t in good conscience spend that right now, but I can save up for it for the winter… how much worse can it get this summer if I’m just going to do it later anyway? I’ve yet to find a story of a boat that sank due to osmotic blisters, and I’m not going racing. I could also DIY at my house but have read the right way to do it is with enough time to let the hull completely dry out after removing all the blisters, which could take months and should ideally have some sort of indoor storage or a tent.

Really leaning toward just slapping some more antifouling on it and having fun this season instead

OverEasy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 1:51 pm Hi TheLandLady!

You’re sure getting around!
Enjoy the adventures!

Blisters…
Cause: Water getting into the fiberglass and collecting.
Effect: Water collects in pockets which then rots leading to delaminating of the fiberglass structure. Generally near surface but have been known to go deeper. Tend to gradually increase in size and can potentially join up with other blisters / pockets.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hey there he is! Glad to see you’re still poking around here.
As for the bold section, I’m just wondering what kind of timeframe I’m looking at for this to happen. The boat was in fresh water in Illinois for about a year and these tiny blisters are what is showing. I’m not even sure if they are new, I just know that they showed up when it was power washed at haul-out and the ablative paint flaked off in tiny spots over each blister. If they were already there before I put this boat in the lake, and you weren’t specifically looking for them, I’m not sure they’re big enough that you would even notice them before the paint was flaked off. It has a pretty thick AF coat.

I’ve been seeing claims that saltwater osmotes(?) at a far less rate than freshwater, and haven’t seen anyone claiming that the actual hull is damaged by this rather than just the gel coat and I have seen no evidence of any sunk boats that have been determined caused by osmotic blisters.

The boat would be this season in the water from next week until October. At that point I can prob figure a way to prop her up and at least afford a hired soda blast and then DIY scrape in my yard, and I wouldn’t mind waiting for it to dry out enough all winter to where epoxy filling and barrier coating won’t just be trapping water inside. I’m afraid if I do it now that my DIY fix would be worse than doing nothing.

I’m also wondering how bad marine growth would be in the relatively small percentage of bare hull below waterline that is currently exposed. There is still a ton of bottom paint left. Each of these blisters is no bigger than a tic tac, and even that size is a vast minority. Would the additional marine growth scraping at the end of this season really be much more effort on top of scraping all the AF off?

NiceAft wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 2:24 pm The landlady,

You told Russ that the next round is on you. OverEasy is just trying to get in on that deal

Haha

Again, your boat has been this way for years. Mine sure has (16 years). One season isn't going to be the end of the boat. It's likely those blisters won't get any worse. Certainly not one season in the slip.
As you mentioned, salt/brackish water is denser and less likely to penetrate the gelcoat further. Mine appeared after the first year in the lake (fresh water) and haven't gotten worse or more numerous. Some have popped and I see raw glass. But nothing worse has happened.

I am still running original factory bare bottom. No epoxy, no antifoul. I power wash each season and call it good. I used to wax the bottom each year. I even bought expensive "bottom wax" that was supposed to inhibit marine growth. I don't do that anymore. I don't see a significant benefit.

In my view, if the blisters have been there this long and haven't grown larger, they probably wont. For me, the effort to "fix" it isn't worth the money and trouble for what I perceive as a mostly cosmetic benefit. I'll keep inspecting them and if it gets worse I'll change my attitude.


You just got the boat. You just moved across the country. Enjoy it. Sail it. Go out exploring the bay. Learn all you can about the uniqueness of the Macgregor. Take a boating course (if you haven't). Read this forum for tips (That's what I did at first).

You will have a ton of more questions and ideas. For this season, I wouldn't focus on the blisters.

Hi TheLandLady!

Yes, still kicking…just not as high

Osmotic (chicken pox) blisters are variable dependent upon how the boat was made, the conditions of when it was made, the way the boat is used, how long it sits in the water and how it is stored when out of the water. There are lots opinions of speculations and a few factual articles about what and why osmotic blistering occurs.

First a little bit of simplified ‘how it was done’ processing….
The manufacture site was coastal Southern California a region known for susceptible to large temperature, humidity and climactic changes.
The hull female mold is sprayed with mold release.. generally a silicone.
The gelcoat is spray applied to the mold interior.
Then a polyvinylester resin is sprayed over the gelcoat.
Glass cloth is applied and rolled.
More polyvinylester resin is applied either manually or by spray.
More fiberglass cloth is layered and rolled.
(Repeat until desired thickness of structure is reached)
Then typically a layer of resin incorporating a wax is applied to seal the exposed surface and the assembly is allowed to cure.

The production was done in non-environmentally controlled open shop areas generally with the doors open for ventilation.

Now if there are cold days, humid days with gaps in the processing time it makes it more or less apt to entrain moisture which leads to porosity of the structure.

In designing composite structures for things like aircraft and jet engines ( yes jet engines use quite a lot of composite materials particularly in the fan section casings, fan blades and stators) one of the most critical aspects are the conditions under which the composite parts are assembled. Environmental conditions are critical and must be controlled for the materials to react, cure, and work properly.

An open shop floor subject to uncontrolled humidity (Low? High? Foggy?), temperature (Hot? Cold? Alternating?) and other environmental factors like the amount of time an in process hull coat/layup is allowed to rest between sequence steps ( A few hours? Overnight?, Over the weekend? Over a holiday weekend? Longer?) all come into play when making a composite structure like fiberglass resin structures are susceptible to moisture migration into the laminate.

If say the mold is prepared first thing on a cold winter morning with lots of fog or a low dew point with high humidity that’s gonna trap a fair amount of moisture into the gelcoat making it more likely to be porous due to the entrained moisture.

Take that susceptible porous hull and now age it over a decade or two.
Maybe in a cold climate, maybe in warm climate.
Maybe just wet it for a day or soak it for months.
Maybe in fresh water or salt water or brackish water or all of them on a variable basis.
Maybe haul out a long term slipped boat in late August or wait until the lake nearly freezes and winter sets in with freezing temps.
Maybe add in damp cold humid and snowy weather alternating with hard freezing cycles where the structure never really get to dry out.

This can result in the inward migrating moisture being trapped within the porous fiberglass repeatedly expanding & contracting.
Add in some bacteria with the migrating moisture to generate some trapped acidic guck to eat at the pocket surfaces and inbetween the material layering. Kinda get a bit complex trying to give a simple uniform answer of which particular hull will be afflicted and to what extent the affliction will present itself. Hence why some hulls get blisters and some don’t. Why some have mild cases and some have worse cases. Why some …
You get the picture.

Sooooo…. Once blisters appear the owner has a choice of how to deal with it or not which is solely their choice and circumstances.

There are a couple ways to mitigate the blister problem depending on the owner’s preferences and resources.

The clean, prep, sand, fill, epoxy barrier coating, ablative bottom paint method.
—- This generally removes the damage and cures the problem…

The give it a good long dry out in a hot dry climate, clean, prep, epoxy barrier coating, ablative bottom paint and hope this stops it from recurring or at least minimizes the problem going forward method

The dry out, clean, prep, epoxy barrier coating and hope this is good enough given the owner’s usage patterns and minimized the problem going forward method.

The pretty much leave it alone as the usage is intermittent and there is lots of time between usages to dry out method

And the ignore the issue entirely, leave the boat in the water with minimal use and only deal with it if it really becomes something that can’t be ignored any longer (although I have seen cases where the entire thickness of a fiberglass hull has degenerated into a spongy porous rotten mess which oozed water to the interior bilge… )

It’s the owner’s choice.

Now back to the TicTac blisters…. They show up as the old embrittled antifoul bottom paint is stretched and loses adhesion as the blisters swell. Blisters swell because the bacterial growth in the entrapped moisture generates gasses and gunk… (when ‘popping’ larger osmotic blisters there is a peculiarity unpleasant stench associated with it given the age and volume of the problem).

There is no right or wrong answer to dealing with the problem and it is entirely the owner’s choice.
The owner needs to assess what extent of a problem there is to be dealt with and the anticipated usage style.
The owner has to address their budget and time and options that works for their situation.
The owner needs to understand and monitor their vessel to ensure that it is safe to use, operate and doesn’t become a hazard.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

OverEasy wrote: ↑Thu May 01, 2025 12:22 am Hi TheLandLady!

The owner has to address their BUDGET AND TIME and options that works for their situation.
The owner needs to understand and MONITOR THEIR VESSEL to ensure that it is safe to use, operate and doesn’t become a hazard.

Thanks for the deep dive, brother. I’ve now got a pretty good idea of what’s going and what “needs” to be done, but the blisters are so small and numerous that treating them individually would take years of DIY.

A thorough blasting then scraping, possibly complete removal, and restoration of the gel coat below the waterline would be faster but that involves learning a new skill set and investing in both time and capital for an end result that may or may not be safe, let alone aesthetically adequate. I’ve also been quoted by a highly recommended shop $5000 for the job, which is honestly less than I expected.

However, today I finally got title transferred to MD, and of course they needed to pick my pockets for 5% of market value, but their research indicated under $10k for the vessel, so I can’t justify spending $5k to the admiral at the moment but would probably be able to save up for a few months to schedule it for this winter. I also need new sheets, new keel line, new potable water bag, and a bunch of loose screws on the interior and the pedestal to fix. I’ve got a boomkicker, an anchor light for top of the mast, and some new decals for the outboard to be installed. I’ve got burning desire to fabricate an entire new wiring harness with bus bars, and I’ve got to do something to replace those nasty carpets. Thinking foam teak mats. Already I’ve cleaned her better than she’s ever been cleaned before, i replaced the broken T molding and lock on the head door, removed cleaned and replaced the working alc stove, replaced the beat up fuel line and filter and impeller and a sticky thermostat on the engine and I even learned how to use a sewing machine and replaced all the failing zippers on the interior cushions and found this crazy space age rigid but breathable plastic spaghetti membrane that lies under them to prevent condensation. All of these things take or have taken a bunch of time and money. But it’s a labor of love!

So as for the bold, I’m a little lacking at the moment. But as for the italic, the slip is 20 minutes from our house now instead of 90 when we were in St Louis, and the marina has a gym, private beaches, pool, kid pool, playground, pickleball/tennis, two great restaurants, and great parties and social cruising… plus my schedule is way better than my last job, and my daughter demonstrated a real knack for scrambling up and down companionways while wearing fairy wings at the Annapolis sailboat show last weekend, so I expect we will be spending a lot more time on and near the boat, allowing for me to keep pretty good tabs on it. Heck the admiral and her cabin girl are probably going to be spending even more time onsite than I will! (If I recall correctly the cabin girl was only about a week or two away from arrival when we met you guys!)

As for the hull I’m going to touch up some gel coat scars on the leading edge of the V, roll on a coat or two of AF paint (how many gallons per coat for a ?), have fun this summer while closely monitoring the situation, and do it right when I have the time and money. I’ve got a new set of sails that are itching to be hoisted.

Hi TheLandLady!

Sounds like you’re enjoying the move and new surroundings as is your family!
Great to hear!
Time flies!
How is your Princess? She must be a beautiful handful!

The ablative touch up should be a gallon or so to do the whole bottom or less.
$5k turn key isn’t a bad deal…vs doing reverse pushups in the driveway…. Just a mater of perspective…

Tax/registration valuation fees are not actual values, just a formula the state uses across a variety of assets.
A GradyWhite or Bayliner cruiser most likely have the same formula applied so I wouldn’t use that to valuation your boat.
Insurance companies like to use similar algorithms to under value assets too.
Best to look at boats currently on the market and build a market analysis of your own based upon similarities to your vessel.
That way you can get the appropriate value for your own reference as well as the data to get it insured appropriately should it ever need to be replaced.

Sounds like a great marina too!
You should have a wonderful summer!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

TheLandlady wrote: ↑Thu May 01, 2025 8:53 pm I also need new sheets, new keel line, new potable water bag, and a bunch of loose screws on the interior and the pedestal to fix. I’ve got a boomkicker, an anchor light for top of the mast, and some new decals for the outboard to be installed. I’ve got burning desire to fabricate an entire new wiring harness with bus bars, and I’ve got to do something to replace those nasty carpets. Thinking foam teak mats. Already I’ve cleaned her better than she’s ever been cleaned before, i replaced the broken T molding and lock on the head door, removed cleaned and replaced the working alc stove, replaced the beat up fuel line and filter and impeller and a sticky thermostat on the engine and I even learned how to use a sewing machine and replaced all the failing zippers on the interior cushions and found this crazy space age rigid but breathable plastic spaghetti membrane that lies under them to prevent condensation. All of these things take or have taken a bunch of time and money. But it’s a labor of love!

So as for the bold, I’m a little lacking at the moment. But as for the italic, the slip is 20 minutes from our house now instead of 90 when we were in St Louis, and the marina has a gym, private beaches, pool, kid pool, playground, pickleball/tennis, two great restaurants, and great parties and social cruising… plus my schedule is way better than my last job, and my daughter demonstrated a real knack for scrambling up and down companionways while wearing fairy wings at the Annapolis sailboat show last weekend, so I expect we will be spending a lot more time on and near the boat, allowing for me to keep pretty good tabs on it. Heck the admiral and her cabin girl are probably going to be spending even more time onsite than I will! (If I recall correctly the cabin girl was only about a week or two away from arrival when we met you guys!)

As for the hull I’m going to touch up some gel coat scars on the leading edge of the V, roll on a coat or two of AF paint (how many gallons per coat for a ?), have fun this summer while closely monitoring the situation, and do it right when I have the time and money. I’ve got a new set of sails that are itching to be hoisted.

Kudos. I think you have a good plan. The first full season will be learning. It sounds like you have a nice marina also to spend time and keep the family happy.

Again, my boat has hundreds of tiny blisters. Been that way now for over a decade. I can't see them while in the cockpit sailing. They haven't gotten worse so I ignore them and focus on more important items.

Enjoy the boat.

Probably a quart of AF paint to touch up spots will do you for this season. Spend the Summer drafting projects and get out on the water.

I believe the Manuall says if u r going to leave the boat in the water for more than 6wks at a time u should put some kind of protection on it to prevent this issue . from 2008 to 2016 I gave my boat 2 coats of wax each spring & her hull always looked as good & smooth as the day I picked her brand new Feb 2008 this is one of the cheapest ways of protecting the hull depending on ur area , the biggest mistake people make is skipping the epoxy barrier coating to save money before applying the ablative bottom paint, wrong wrong wrong U just opened up a big can of worms for future fishin expeditions on ur hull , when I hauled my boat out to Victoria BC in the fall of 2016 I let the hull dry out until May 2017 & decided to go with epoxy barrier coating & ablative bottom paint & the boats been in the water for almost 8yrs just had a diver clean the hull each yr & havin one come in next week for another scrub . Before hauling her out for a dry out & hull inspection & remove the rudder brkts for strengthening & reseal & with new hardware as they r seeping inside at the bolt holes been saying I should do this for 2 yrs now so I,ll see if i,ve left it too long
I know some people who would b in salt water & would give their hulls two coats of wax twice a yr to each their own but blisters r not something thats going to go away on it,s & it,s only going to get worse each yr depending on how much the boat is in the water each yr . that being said I,ll soon find out how mine is looking shortly

J