Wet Hull v. Dry Hull for Value

A conversation among Whalers
magothyboy
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Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2017 4:09 pm

Wet Hull v. Dry Hull for Value

Postby magothyboy » Tue May 22, 2018 3:32 pm

[What is the] value difference between a boat with a dry hull (no elevated moisture anywhere in the hull) versus a boat that has some moisture in the hull, but a dry transom?

I am thinking more about some wetness around some deck fittings. No visible damage, no cosmetic damage, and nothing loose. Simply amount of lost value in the what I will call slightly wet versus totally dry hull. Assume boats are identical in all other aspects, engine size, engine type, condition, and etc. How much less, expressed as a percentage, do you think the slightly wet boat is worth?

Kevin

Nota Bene: this topic hs been moved to THE GAM for discussion. Do not post articles to MARKETPLACE which elicit discussions. I also deleted your request for the consensus of opinion.People will have opinions, but whether there is a consensus remains to be discovered--jimh

jimh
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Re: Wet Hull v. Dry Hull for Value

Postby jimh » Tue May 22, 2018 4:32 pm

It seems quite reasonable that the fewer instances that are evident of entrapped water in the interior of a Boston Whaler boat's Unibond hull, the higher the value of the hull. I don't think there will be much disagreement on that proposition.

In order to establish a relationship between amount of entrapped water and amount of value lost, there would have to be some means to measure both parameters. We measure lost value in dollars. What measurement unit is used for entrapped water? About the best that can be done is to say a little entrapped water reduces value a little. A lot of entrapped water reduces value a lot. I don't see where you can get more precise, as suggesting an algorithm to figure it out.

With classic Boston Whaler boats now in the range of 25 to 60-years old, there could be entrapped moisture in almost every hull, coming from the original process of the foam and resin curing together.

magothyboy
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Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2017 4:09 pm

Re: Wet Hull v. Dry Hull for Value

Postby magothyboy » Thu May 24, 2018 12:43 pm

Hi Jim,

Thanks for moving the post to the right place. I appreciate your thoughts on the question. I am thinking that a wet transom (for an outboard powered boat) is a larger problem than wetness in other parts of the hull. A wet transom could effectively reduce the value of the hull substantially while other areas of the deck much less so. I am interested in your comments around the presence of water as a byproduct of the original manufacturing process. Do you see this as inherent in all BW hulls or just ones made before a particular year?

Thanks,

Kevin

jimh
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Re: Wet Hull v. Dry Hull for Value

Postby jimh » Thu May 24, 2018 3:19 pm

I've seen some ugly brown stuff ooze out of c.1985 hulls that have had the utmost care and meticulous protection all their lives from a single owner who was obsessive about maintaining the boat. I think there is probably some area inside old Unibond hulls that have some moisture left over from the day they were molded and the foam introduced.

I don't know the exact chemistry of the foam reaction, but I suspect it probably produces some water vapor as a by-product. And there had to be some air in the interior of the two molds when they were clamped together. If the boat was made on a hot, high-humidity day, there was some water vapor inside to start with. It might not all have been evacuated by the expanding foam.

Yes, I completely agree that water infiltration into the interior plywood reinforcement of a Boston Whaler hull's transom is a very significant defect, will be expensive to repair, and will accordingly negatively affect the value of the hull.

I don't obsess about how much moisture there is or might be or lays await inside the Unibond hull of my 26-year-old Boston Whaler. I haven't seen any evidence of any, I don't drill exploratory holes to find any, I don't want to get a "moisture meter" and go prospecting for any.