Where does all the resin go ??

Not me, Last time I sailed Frisco was Late 90's and I haven't raced in about 10 years , mostly cruise local lakes and go down south every now and then

 

Where Does The Resin Go !!

Have ya never heard the storys of polyestermites ??
they been round for donkey years !! they slowly eat you boat away and before ya know it ya standing knee deep in wet stuff !!

 

a very quick search reveiled that they on the loss again !!

This specially for Mr Frosty ,so hitch up ya skirt and sit and read !!

What To Do About Polyestermites

By Don Baker, JN


Not many years ago the entire boating industry and every boater learned
about a new problem with fiberglass boats, osmotic blisters. A walk through
a boatyard will reveal that the problem is still with us, but boatyards have
learned to deal with this expensive problem. At least, a cure was found,
and boat builders seem to have developed resins and application methods that
have substantially, although not completely, reduced the problem in new
boats.

And now the Environmental Protection Agency has alerted boaters to a new and
equally expensive problem with the gelcoat on fiberglass boats. Like the
Zebra Mussels that first invaded the Great Lakes and killed off oysters and
clams and completely fouled water intakes on boats, we are now alerted to
the problem of polyestermites. They were first noted in the Bahamas, and
then a few were detected in Florida. It is assumed that they were
transported to Florida by boats spending the winter in the Bahamas and then
returning to Florida in the spring.

Like the Zebra Mussels, they were not native to U.S. waters, but with today's
mobile society, critters in one part of the world are easily transported to
another. If the environment is hostile the transported species soon die
off. The EPA has been tracking the spread of Zebra Mussels for the past
several years to see just how far the infestation will spread. There is not
much they can do about them at this time, but ocean scientists are still
searching for a method to control them.

Nothing has been written in the boating press at this point about
Polyestermites. However, this spring their infestation was noted as far
north as Rhode Island. Scientist had thought that Polyestermites could not
survive in the colder northern waters, but the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection has now issued an alert for New Jersey boaters. An
obscure article in the Federal Register has not received much attention by
the press, but you can be certain that the pages of our boating magazines
will soon carry large, bold headlines about this new problem for boaters.

So what the heck are Polyestermites, and what is the problem. They are
small barnacle size snail-like creatures that attach themselves to bottoms
of boats, pilings and bulkheads. They seem to have an affinity for boats,
however, because most are now made of fiberglass.

Other than their slimy appearance, they do no damage to pilings and
bulkheads. Fiberglass boats, however, are another matter. Polyestermites
are not deterred by anti fouling paints, and, in fact, they seem to thrive
on it. They eat their way through bottom paint, and then have gelcoat for
desert. They seem to secrete a substance that dissolves gelcoat into a
paste that is then consumed. What is left are areas about the size of a
dime where the gelcoat is completely gone leaving the fiberglass and resin
exposed to salt water. Interestingly, Polyestermites can not survive in
fresh water, but most of us operate our boats in salt water.

The Federal EPA has prepared a twenty-page booklet fully explaining
Polyestermites, and the procedure for their detection and repair of their
damage. It also discusses preventive measures we can take to prevent their
damage.

Whereas New Jersey is just now being invaded by Polyestermites, it is
something with which we boaters will have to deal. The EPA says this
booklet will be placed on its web site, but that probably will not occur
until winter. In the meantime, we can obtain copies from the EPA in
Washington. If you would like to have a copy of the free booklet, you may
order one through my e-mail address, , or by leaving your
name on my answering machine at the number listed in the roster.

Once the gelcoat is consumed and the fiberglass and resin exposed to the
water, the water begins to degrade the fiberglass resulting in expensive
repair. Repair is similar to that for osmotic blisters. The gelcoat has to
be taken down to the fiberglass, and several coats of special resin that
these pests seem to abhor has to be applied, and the bottom then painted
with antifouling paint. Whereas the antifouling paint itself will still be
attacked by Polyestermites, they can not penetrate into the fiberglass. And
since most of us haul our boats during winter, other than pockmarks in the
paint, no further damage is done.

 

its not to be sneezed at heres another case history !

STORY: Polyestermites on Proxie
Summer was gone but the sun burned brightly as the pace around Lake Tahoe slowed. The morning-coffee gatherings of the boatyard gang tended to stretch out toward noon even though snow and skiing still were not yet on the agenda.
On a Wednesday in mid September as a high-pressure system hovered over the area, many boats appeared on the lake. They provided a booster shot in the lull between seasons.

Everyone wandered out into the sunshine for look-see in the mid-afternoon. A graceful, cutter-rigged sloop came smoothly up from off Sugar Pine Point. She was a pretty sight even with her loose mainsail; she was alive and in keeping with the sparkling day and its whisper of autumn.

After one false start the skipper tacked, eased the sheets, and brought Proxie gently alongside the empty, outer dock of the boatyard. Uncle Ken, a regular, was parked in a faded, plastic-strap yard chair on the dock. He raised himself with his arms and ambled over to take a line from the skipper, a tall man with a shiny head and a giant mustache.

"I'll handle it myself," instructed the skipper sharply as he made ready to drop onto the dock from mid-ship. But he caught the toe of his back foot on the top lifeline as he high-stepped to clear it. With a thud his body made its acquaintance with the timbers, shoulder first; he dropped his white dock line in the process. Proxie, still moving, separated from the dock. With an effort, Uncle Ken bent over and grabbed the dropped line before it slithered into the clear water.

By this time other observers had arrived in force. Quietly, order was restored as Proxie was secured fore and aft. It was obvious to those gathered that the skipper had some parts wounded, in addition to his ego. Without a word to anyone, despite several offers of help, the tall man re-boarded his boat, limping, and he disappeared below. Eyebrows raised, shoulders upped, the group dispersed. Uncle Ken returned to his chair in the sunshine.

The Next Morning
Around nine the tall man came ashore and meandered through the boatyard toward the office where he could pay his bill for the night of moorage. He deliberately picked his way through a few sloops on braces, handsome powerboats on blocks, one derelict on 55-gallon barrels, and several boats on trailers ready to go down the hill for the winter. Two guys were busy with power sanders on the hull of one sailboat that was about Proxie's size. They were grinding away the fiberglass surface from stem to stern.

Tall man stopped to watch. Algae, old bottom paint, and white dust flew in all directions. As he edged closer, he could see the bottom looked like a teenager with acne. There was a random pattern of small craters and blisters. The sloop had a bad case.

Boat Acne
He ducked beneath the boat. Poking the ends of his index and middle fingers into two of the holes, he yelled, "What are these holes?" at one of the goggled guys holding a sander. The guy shook his head. "Can't hear you," he shouted over the sound of the sanders. "Ask Bill about it," and he gestured with his shoulder and elbow toward the nearby office.

"Those are blisters," Bill replied matter-of-factly after tall man stumbled through the open door and across the threshold. Bill had overheard the shouted question.

"What causes blisters?" tall man asked, with a frown on his face.

"Many fiberglass boats get them," Bill continued. Proxie's skipper squirmed a bit.

"Well, I'm sure I don't have to worry about blisters," tall man said unconvincingly. "Do they appear suddenly?" he rushed on.

Bill paused, looking down at the cluttered desk in front of him. He was undecided on what tack to take. "No, they take time to develop. You're probably okay. Just keep an eye on your hull."

"I just purchased Proxie this week, down at South Shore. They told me it was in perfect condition, except for a few scratches here and there. The skipper shifted his weight from one foot to another as he unconsciously rubbed his shoulder.

"Did you get the boat surveyed before you bought it?" inquired Bill, innocently.

Tall man didn't answer. He didn't need to. "What causes the holes?" he pressed on with some trepidation.

"The blisters are caused by polyestermites," Bill drawled in an even tone. It had been a long summer. "You see," he continued, "polyestermites are little bugs that crawl up dock lines onto plastic boats, particularly those in marinas. The mites seem to like party boats best; pieces of wine cork and cracker crumbs are their favorite foods. The mites sneak aboard, eat what they can find, and then they burrow into the hull from inside as they try to work their way back to the water. A few make it all the way through the hull and that causes chunks of fiberglass to pop out. Other mites get trapped in the fibers, die, and bloat, and that causes the blisters," Bill deadpanned.

Tall man looked grim. "How does one prevent them?"

"Well, you see," Bill twinkled and tightened his upper lip slightly, "you can do one of two things." He was warming to the task before him. "You can play a lot of classical music when you are in your slip, especially at night. The mites don't like classics for some reason, and it tends to keep them out of the boat.

Or..." and Bill paused, "you can use black, braided dock lines. The mites lose their sense of direction in the dark braid, die of hunger, and fall into the water before they get aboard. Smart skippers I know do both. They shift to black lines AND play Bach tunes when they aren't aboard."

Tall man looked suspicious, but he nodded, paid his overnight stay, and returned to Proxie. There he dove into a catalog containing a wide selection of colored dock lines.

 

See its spreading again !!!!

This organism is capable of injesting polyester resin in the solid state. It was recognized many years ago in England, but has been kept secret by the petroleum industry whoo supplies polyster resin for boat building.Much information has been classified, but marine zoologists have shared that this creature may have evolved from the gribble, (lignoria lignorum), which eats wooden boats.

More details are available, but I cannot post them. I will share what I know for a few Sam Adams. Call for an appointment.

oh my God !!!

 

Hi Tunnels,
Where did you get that stuff ? EXCELLENT READ.... Keep it up...
167

 

Silly people being themselves !!

When you been alive as long as i have you see all kinds a things . this polyestermite thing was all the rage and really caused a stir in the 1980s and some people never did see the funny side and got quite angre about it if you tried to take the mickey !!

 

I think I have I was after the link - I was in remote regions of Melanesia during the 80's... - - - You may see something of interest - see my post on 'Boat Jokes' to do with taking things literally in the bible...

 

Polyestermites are nothing compared to Dihydrogen Monoxide.
http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

 

To long to read !!

 

Well, here's an important part of it. The stuff is insidious, it ought to be outlawed worldwide.

 

LMAO, di hydrogen monoxide... for those of you who dont know the dangers of DHMO, its otherwise known as H20, or water... does kill alot people everyday tho...

suckers...

 

Scoff all you want! You'll see, and probably too late!
Here's just some of the places it's been a factor....

 

i found a picture of just one of the little blighteres

Here we go !! a frosty special . If ya get enough they good steamed and on a slice of fresh bread buttered and thousand island dressing !!

 

Have ya tasted polyestericed butter? That's the strongest flavour there is. Beats Habaneros 5 to 0..