Is blacking a must after hull survey?

[NarrowEscape]

Hi,

 

I'm looking at buying my first boat and am currently waiting for it to be surveyed in a week's time.

 

The boat will be washed down when it comes out of the water prior to the full survey. The surveyor has also explained that he may need to scrape off paint on the hull in order to accurately gauge the thickness of the steel. I'm presuming that the pressure washing/scraping will mean post-survey the boat will not be able to re-enter the water until these spots are 're-covered'.

 

Is it necessary to get the hull fully blacked because of this? Or is it possible to just do the 'spots' where the paint may have been stripped off/scraped off?

 

I'm aware that blacking generally has to be booked ahead of time so I'm wary of getting the ok from the surveyor, then having to wait for several weeks with the boat on hardstanding for a space to become available for blacking.

 

Alternatively if it's more of a 'touch-up' job it needs, perhaps I can do this in a few days in a few days and worry about a full blacking next year.

 

Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice.

[Sea Dog]

Ask your surveyor to tell you whether what's on there is bitumastic, comastic or 2 pack and get him to recommend a coating he thinks would be compatible. If the blacking is the most common type, i.e. conventional bitumastic, and is otherwise in good shape, you'll be able to touch up the patches yourself quite easily. 

[ditchcrawler]

The booking ahead for blacking is not for the time to do the work but for when the dry dock is free. If the boat is on hard standing I wouldn't thought a reblack would e a problem provided you can get it lifted back in afterwards

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

4 hours ago, NarrowEscape said:

Hi,

 

I'm looking at buying my first boat and am currently waiting for it to be surveyed in a week's time.

 

The boat will be washed down when it comes out of the water prior to the full survey. The surveyor has also explained that he may need to scrape off paint on the hull in order to accurately gauge the thickness of the steel. I'm presuming that the pressure washing/scraping will mean post-survey the boat will not be able to re-enter the water until these spots are 're-covered'.

 

Is it necessary to get the hull fully blacked because of this? Or is it possible to just do the 'spots' where the paint may have been stripped off/scraped off?

 

I'm aware that blacking generally has to be booked ahead of time so I'm wary of getting the ok from the surveyor, then having to wait for several weeks with the boat on hardstanding for a space to become available for blacking.

 

Alternatively if it's more of a 'touch-up' job it needs, perhaps I can do this in a few days in a few days and worry about a full blacking next year.

 

Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice.

When was it last blacked ? 

If it needs blacking then perhaps that’s something you can work out with the seller. 

Perhaps make it a condition of sale? I’ll buy if freshly blacked. 

(Plus other things the survey will pick up)

 

 

[Detling]

If it has 2 pack epoxy the owner will not be happy with a surveyor who scrapes it off, there is no need as there are ultrasound testing devices that will work through the coating and tell you steel thickness and as an aside they also tell you coating thickness.

[blackrose]

If you visit the boat beforehand with a white rag and some white spirit you'll be able to find out if ordinary bitumen blacking has been used and then you'll know what you're dealing with.

 

Clean a small area of blacking with the dry cloth and then put some white spirit on the rag and give the blacking a rub. If the cloth turns black and the paint comes off on the rag it's probably bitumen. 

 

Or just ask the owner if he/she knows.

 

If it is bitumen and you paint over the areas the surveyor has scraped back then you'd want to wait a good few hours before the boat goes back in the water. Ideally a minimum of 12 hours but you won't get that unless it stays out overnight.

Edited September 27, 2019 by blackrose

[ditchcrawler]

But the OP mentions hard standing, so maybe its already out

[blackrose]

11 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

But the OP mentions hard standing, so maybe its already out

 

The OP also says "The boat will be washed down when it comes out of the water prior to the full survey" . So maybe it's still in the water.

[Richard10002]

Whatever the case, if a boat comes out of the water for any reason, it is a good idea to give it a couple of coats of blacking. Doing this means that it will not have to be lifted for blacking for another couple of years.

 

Clearly, if it was out for blacking last week, and it is coming out next week for a look at the prop, or something else, it would not make sense to black it, but you will get the gist. If it was blacked a year ago, and it comes out, 2 coats of blacking resets the blacking clock.

 

When mine came out for survey in 2011, I asked the yard to give it a couple of coats, as it made sense to do so. I DIY these days. 5 days out of the water is enough for 2 or 3 coats, dependent on what preparation might be needed. This time out, I jet washed it first day, Vactan on the rust spots and bare metal, (not much), second day, one coat of blacking per day for 3 days. I was actually out of the water for 3 weeks so, every now and then with some spare time, I would put another coat on the waterline. Probably got 3 coats all over, and maybe 6 or 7 coats total along most of the waterline.