When immersed in water a fibre glass hull allows water to pass through the skin of the hull to the interior. At some stage this water begins to break down the residual chemicals in the laminate.
Most osmosis stems from microscopic voids throughout the laminate, where tiny quantities of water start to react with any stray chemicals in the laminate, particularly residues of catalyst. A completely new chemical is formed that is too dense to escape through the very fine filter of the hull.
As more water combines with this new fluid the localised pressure is enough to raise blisters in the gel coat on the skin of the hull. In very extreme cases these blisters, particularly if the initial voids are large and deep in the laminate, can create enough pressure to cause localised delamination.
Seafest has the only Gelpac machine in western Australia. Designed and built for shaving fibreglass, antifoul and gelcoat in one operation, it saves hours of labour and hard work. The machine is also useful for those jobs that normally require a lot of grinding, tapering GRP joints and major repqir areas that require feathering out to allow new laminates to be keyed into the existing work.
For a full quote on treating your boat to assist in the prevention of osmosis feel free to contact us.
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