Cobaltchat.com

Lake Chickamauga (fresh), Chattanooga TN

My wife and I bought a 2013 24SD new.

1st year - wet slip

Year 2, 3 & now 4 - dry dock

In the time I’ve been in dry dock, Marina ownership changed hands.

I just requested to be put on a wait list for a wet slip. They brought up blistering....repeatedly. I asked if I could pay to have a lift put in. They said no.

With exception to this boat, for all intents and purposes I’m an inexperienced boat owner. And I knew nothing about blistering, so I utilized The Google.

While finding many, many, many things pointing to this as a really big potential problem.....I also realized that Cobalt being the professional craftsmen they are, apply Z-Thane Barrier Coat.

So my next stop - HERE.....to ask this question (I did a search on the forums and found nothing).

Has anyone here, who keeps their boat in the water year round (season here is basically 9 months), had any hull blistering issues? If so, details if you don’t mind. How long did it take? Etc.

Thanks for your time,
Deke

Welcome to the site!! Pics of boat required

I have a 1995 Cobalt that I just bought 2-3 months ago. I was told that the boat was kept in an uncovered wet slip every summer from March through October. There are no blisters anywhere on the boat. I got service records with the boat too, and there is no mention of any type of gelcoat repairs done. So...not firsthand experience, but the evidence points to it not being a problem here.

Hey deke
Welcome to the CobaltChat forum. So glad you found us!!!

Check out page three of this link:

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=720&hilit=Bottom&start=20

Any chance you could post a couple of pictures? We love them here.

Again welcome aboard!!!

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Anytime a boat is left in the water for a period of time can get blistering. That's why they put bottom paint on it. Not sure how many out of the thousands left in the water across the country get them though. I just emailed a member on here but he hasn't posted in awhile and he didn't have pictures anymore. I checked my phone to see if I still had them but I don't. They were real bad when pulled at the end of the season and by the beginning of the next season you couldn't really see them. It was on a 2000 Cobalt 226. It was pretty bad. I don't know of the boat was left in the water before he bought it but I think it was by looking at the scum line still on the boat when he bought it.

It certainly seems to be less of a problem in newer Cobalts, but you do still hear about the rare case. I’d probably trust a Cobalt more than most fiberglass boats in a slip, though.

I agree with John. But, if you have to wet slip, I would consider paint as insurance.

Well thanks for all the replies! That was quick.

So pic-wise, I’m sorry to say my wife and I are the world’s worst. I think we have 2, and neither of them are on my iPad nor phone at the moment...but I will get them posted.

I guess, more specifically, my question was about Cobalts with the Z-Thane Barrier Coat on them....and I’m not really sure when they started applying that. I was planning on calling them today.

I REALLY want to move back into a wet slip since we are planning to move back closer to the lake and use the boat a whole lot more, literally almost daily. I’m currently shopping other Marinas for availability - to be honest, I can’t believe she said I couldn’t pay to put a lift in. Anyway.

I guess technically I could still do this with dry dock...just have them put the boat in the water late in the afternoon for an evening cruise.

Since I’ve been in dry dock:
- found small damage on swimstep they had to repair from letting another boat bump mine - they paid
- had to replace 4 of the stainless bars in my Bimini top because idiot lift operator partially crushed it (enough to bend bars), and then he promptly quit - they took it out of his last check
— Marina changed owners —
- watched helplessly from the office while lift operator and ONE dock hand tried to put the boat in the water on a gusty day, gust came by, swung the boat hard out of the dock hand’s control and wedged between the two sides of the dock, damaging the front of the boat on the V just about a foot above the water mark - they paid
- after paying to have it detailed at the beginning of the season, apparently the detailers put the top up...then down. When they put it down they didn’t detach the back support bars and just folded them under. Small tear in the upholstery where it was folded. I always remove all four bars and lay them in the floor because I’ve noticed this potential - I get to pay for patch job since we can’t “prove” whose fault it was. Like I’m trying to scam them to pay for this...yet I’m willing to put a lift in?
- and finally, bought a new cover end of last year (granted, the cheapest one I could find since it is for dry dock), it’s grey. First time I show up to up to use it, the boat two slots above mine had leaked a good quart/quart and a half of gear lube all over it. - nobody paid......
- and I’ve probably cleaned off about 600 lbs of diesel dust (exaggeration of course).

Thank you sir may I have another

My one year in wet slip:
- had to clean the waterline every time we went out - didn’t mind this really
- had to clean really well once per season
- had a lot of spider webs
- aaaaaaand that’s about it

Perhaps I’m just in the middle of a “grass is greener” feeling about drydock.

I think, ultimately, I’m not going to move to a wet slip until I can put it on a lift.

I personally could never leave my boat in the water unless it was a nice big boat like lilhascker. He didn't paint his 360 cleans it at the end of the year and it looks new. But he's done some drive paint maint. To it. There's no way I would dry stack it if that was happening to my boat. Are there any other lifts at that marina? Where are you boating and want to keep your boat. I would love to have a covered slip and jump in and go. I don't mind towing. I would tow prob up to the size of a r7. I have no idea when they started that z barrier.. I think strongman and a few other members keep them in a wet slip.

Big Block Power wrote: Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:11 am I personally could never leave my boat in the water unless it was a nice big boat like lilhascker. He didn't paint his 360 cleans it at the end of the year and it looks new. But he's done some drive paint maint. To it. There's no way I would dry stack it if that was happening to my boat. Are there any other lifts at that marina? Where are you boating and want to keep your boat. I would love to have a covered slip and jump in and go. I don't mind towing. I would tow prob up to the size of a r7. I have no idea when they started that z barrier.. I think strongman and a few other members keep them in a wet slip.

No other lifts at the Marina.
Lake Chickamauga in Chattanooga, TN. There are other Marinas, but at this point - there’s waiting lists at all of them.

To be fair, a lot of this has been truly bad luck - outside of the first two incidents - but this last time I spoke with her about the upholstery tear - well, she had a pretty serious ‘tude....I’m going to go in and talk personally with her when I get back, see if I can’t soften her up a bit about the lift. I mean we could make it a legally binding contract - I cover full install. Maintenance. Repairs. And removal if/when I leave that marina....I just don’t see the big deal.

And I loathe towing. When we bought the boat, I didn’t have a truck, and didn’t ever plan to buy another truck. The plan was always Marina....so we didn’t even buy a trailer. And I know I would use the boat less if I had to tow it and all the other things that go along with towing it.

Will let y’all know what I find out after my call to Cobalt.

Good luck on your talk with her. If there are no other lifts there prob is a reason for that. It could even be the dnr. How much does the water level change? I hear you on the truck and towing. Pros and cons to each. But yes it helps if you already own a Truck or Suv hybrid thing
You can always email cobalt. Aslan the great might be able to find you those details too but he's prob up in the clouds somewhere.

You can't fix stupid, or ignorance or laziness. That's why I trust "me" and me only. My boat is never out of my control, unless my dealer is working on it.. on the trailer.
I'm simply too OCD.

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Sorry to hear about your Marina storage woes. I don't like anyone touching my boat unless I'm around for just those reasons. Things get broken easily.
Sounds like you are heading toward a bottom paint job with a wet slip....unless you can sweet talk her with a case of beer and/or flowers to obtain that lift.

Keep us posted, Deke. Great to have you on board here.
....and keep working on posting a pic or two.
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This is the first ad I saw that mentioned zthane. So I think it started in 2012. I think it has 310hp.lol inside joke
https://m.boatdealers.ca/boat-reviews/2012/cobalt/26sd
I think your ok. Zthane ahead

Big Block Power wrote: Sat Nov 18, 2017 8:13 am This is the first ad I saw that mentioned zthane. So I think it started in 2012. I think it has 310hp.lol inside joke
https://m.boatdealers.ca/boat-reviews/2012/cobalt/26sd
I think your ok. Zthane ahead

310...

Polycryl Z-thane blister guard is some good stuff. 2012 sounds about right for Cobalt boat's using integrating it into their gelcoats.

Outdrive electrolysis can also be an issue eating away at the precious metal in the water. Something to be aware of depending on how many boats are around you.
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Largest swing in the last three years was 6 feet. And that looks like the average. So the back of the cove is definitely off the table for me.

She said some of their slips the roof was too low...but aren’t there floating lifts?

I don’t know, I’ve really just started this pursuit. I’ve got a long way to go. As I said before, I was just curious if anyone knew off the top of their heads when they started with the Z-Thane, and if there were any/many who’ve had blistering problems. As I said though, ultimately, I’ll err on the side of caution and keep it in Dry if I can’t get a lift put in. Unless there is a CLEAR antifouling hull paint...MAYBE I’d consider it. But any Google info I found on that was questionable...including one that lead to law suits back in the early 2000’s. We’ll see....one step at a time.

We are planning to build a house in that area in the next year or so...so it would be a long term deal. Trying to get within 5-10 minutes of the Marina. So we can wear that thing out and make it worth every penny.