Fibreglass and Oil question

ezra_

Good morning,

A question came up over the weekend.

If someone was careless in servicing an inboard and managed to drain the oil directly into the bilge, will that work its way through hull?

This came up as we saw a boat that has what looks like an oil stain on its hull underneath where we assume the engine is. I would have assumed that the oil wouldn't permeate the hull but I'm told I'm incorrect, and that it can.

Any thoughts? The boat in question looked like it had been lying up for a long time.

fergal.b

Fiberglass is slightly porous and any liquid thats left sitting on it for a long time can leave staining also the fibreglass in a bilge wont have the extra protection of a gelcoat so a lot of the time they are painted to help protect them.




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ezra_

Thanks Fergal.

Ferris

Ive heard of this happening with diesel, basically seeping into the laminate and weakening it. It can be an issue to fix as the it remains in the laminate and you cant really bond to it. I would imagine engine oil would have a similar effect.

If the bilge is painted out / gel washed like Fergal said I would think its less of an issue

nokiatom

if the hull is porous then it could have osmosis. that's a bad sign as underneath the boat is the strongest and thickest