Anchors Away Boatyard can now repair badly blistered fiberglass hulls in a fraction of the time other yards require.

Properly repairing yachts damaged by osmotic blisters traditionally ranks among the most difficult and time consuming yard services. "It isn't unusual to see a boat sit in the yard for nearly a year, drying out the damp fiberglass caused by blisters," said Bill Lowe, Operations Manager for Hampstead, NC-based Anchors Away.

By contrast, the new process takes just a few days. "Our customers want to go boating, not visit their yacht at the yard," said Lowe. "We're very sensitive to that. We think this technology is going to be a big hit with owners who want to go boating."

The proprietary HotVac equipment applies a warm area of vacuum pressure to a boat's hull, drawing out moisture and impurities. In addition to greatly reducing the time required to dry a damaged hull, the process actually restores structural integrity. The technology also diminishes recurrence of blistering by removing acids, glycols and other compounds that cause delamination. Traditional drying techniques usually fail to remove these chemicals.

Manufacturer HotVac Hull Cure Ltd., based in Suffolk, England, has distributed its product to qualified yards in more than a dozen countries. The HotVac process was invented by British engineer and ship surveyor Terry Davey in 1995.