Delamination
I need some advice,I have a outfitter apex 8 just under 2 years old,the sides of the camper has bubbles,looks like the mumps. Manufacturer can't seem to fix the problem and it is getting worse,shall ...
Forum Discussion
Osmotic blistering is very different that what I think was described in the opening post. In boats, it is almost exclusively below the waterline and almost exclusively in salt water. It occurs between the gelcoat and laminate, or in-between layers of laminate. They are likely to be small and round, up to 2 or 3 inches across. As soon as you take a blistered boat out of the water, the blisters begin to shrink. It's pretty easy to diagnose - poke a bubble with a knife or awl and water will squirt out, often with a lot of force.
A large bubble that you can push in with your hand is most likely delamination of the skin from the core material. That is failure of the glue bonding the two together and not osmotic blistering.
If the factory can't fix it, you might try injecting glue such as epoxy into a small hole in the middle, then vacuum bagging the area. It will be difficult to keep it from being a mess, and it is unlikely that glues will stick well because the inside is probably covered with whatever was used to laminate it in the first place. Often this seems to be some sort of contact cement, not much will stick to it.
A large bubble that you can push in with your hand is most likely delamination of the skin from the core material. That is failure of the glue bonding the two together and not osmotic blistering.
If the factory can't fix it, you might try injecting glue such as epoxy into a small hole in the middle, then vacuum bagging the area. It will be difficult to keep it from being a mess, and it is unlikely that glues will stick well because the inside is probably covered with whatever was used to laminate it in the first place. Often this seems to be some sort of contact cement, not much will stick to it.
