- Thread starter sardine
- Start date
I think @spaffmonkey is the resident expert on welding narrow boats
ajlelectronics
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I'm no welding or narrow boat expert but it does look a bit rough......
I wouldn't be taking it anywhere on the water, that's for sure.
Bullet2012
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Bit of bitumen paint, be as good as new
sardine
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There are no standards for the construction or welding of private inland waterway boats , only a survey for insurance purposes which few if any surveyors have any clue about welds. The boat safety certificate you need to licence a boat for the canals doesn't cover the hull even if it was full of holes and patched with pastry.Will that work need a inspection and sign off by some authority ?
Over here, my neighbor welded up a boat on a job, and the Coast Guard had to sign off
on his welding, and then final inspected.
I didn't know they had "Canal Submarines"....
Here you can largely get away with things like that. It might even be stricter on inland waterways what with the Boat safety scheme but im sure someone would know more? Sardine has answered that one!
Certainly on the sea you can still pretty much do as you please, providing your insurance will cover it. One reason why many people are opting for Third party only insurance through Basic boat liability, no expensive surveys just pay your £80 & you have third party cover for anything.
I have seen some horrendous overplating done to steel boats down the local yards for many they barely bothered to scrape of the barnacles just whacked steel over the top & blobbed weld on where they could. Squirt of mastic & tar & away.
For commercial vessels it was suposedly stricter. We used to have the New Skylark tripper boat in every year for a refit, (early 80's) She was about 65ft, carvel wood & built in the 1930's. She was licenced to carry about 50 passengers with a crew of two.
The week before her inspection the owner would go round the boat placing putty into the rust holes on the safety rails & painting over it. The seats that doubled as safety floats were actually nailed to the deck to stop punters throwing them over the side.
The Board of trade inspector would turn up in his uniform with scrambled egg on his hat & sleeves & he would promptly repair to the pub next door with the Owner of the Skylark, some time later they would emerge roaring drunk to conduct the inspection which always went very well for some reason!
I expect its slightly more stringent today.
addjunkie
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Good example of just because you think you can, doesn’t mean you should. But I bet in most non posh with marina type boat yards there is at least one example hiding under sheets in a corner somewhere.
That used to be and probably still is a nice little retirement number for some ex skipper, trying to keep out of his Mrs way! I knew the one who did this area, suspect he got the job interview down at the lodge! Didn't have the first clue about anything under 5000 tons.
finyuk2005
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how do you thnk he got the plates from the steel stockists to his boat? ha ha!
