Today I carried out a technical inspection on an 80-foot sailing boat that had recently undergone a repainting operation. The objective of the inspection was to clarify the origin of a series of surface defects that appeared a few days after the boat was returned.
From the first visual inspections, localised bubbles and surface irregularities appeared on the new finish, concentrated in some areas exposed to the sun. The inspection was conducted both with instrumentation to check the surface temperatures and through a precise analysis of the thermo-hygrometric conditions and the response of the coating.
As evidenced by the images, at some points the surface temperature reached over 64°C. This condition made the anomalous behaviour of the paint film clearly visible: the bubbles swell and shrink as the temperature changes, indicating the presence of trapped solvents between the finishing and sub-layers. The phenomenon suggests an inadequate preparation of the substrate, probably lacking sufficient sanding or cleaning to ensure adhesion and proper evaporation of solvents between successive coats.
The client approached me as an expert witness to acquire objective technical documentation and to be able to protect his rights against the contractor.
The technical report produced includes high-resolution photographs of the defects, thermal measurements
