overplating - do i need a new hull survey?

[waterlily83]

Hi

 

I had a pre purchase survey done on my narrowboat when i bought it 3 years ago. I was told it needed a certain amount of overplating asap and some that would need doing in the near future. I'm planning on having the welding done towards the end of this year and was wondering if i need to have another hull survey done or will the one from 3 years ago suffice. Obviously it's more expenditure to have one done but if the hull is in a worse condition i won't know about it otherwise. I dont know how fast the rate of corrosion is, did have it blacked last year though. Would be grateful for any info, thanks

[O'Mali]

Hi

 

I had a pre purchase survey done on my narrowboat when i bought it 3 years ago. I was told it needed a certain amount of overplating asap and some that would need doing in the near future. I'm planning on having the welding done towards the end of this year and was wondering if i need to have another hull survey done or will the one from 3 years ago suffice. Obviously it's more expenditure to have one done but if the hull is in a worse condition i won't know about it otherwise. I dont know how fast the rate of corrosion is, did have it blacked last year though. Would be grateful for any info, thanks

I like that, your told over plating needs doing ASAP yet 3yrs later, it is still afloat.

 

I was told the same for my Springer in 1998, sold it 4yrs later and the new owner has not had it done and still uses it regularly. At some point it will need to be done I suppose but how urgent is urgent.

 

Some one told me you can hire the ultra sound tool they use for reading plate thinness. You don’t need a surveyor for that.

[Timleech]

Hi

 

I had a pre purchase survey done on my narrowboat when i bought it 3 years ago. I was told it needed a certain amount of overplating asap and some that would need doing in the near future. I'm planning on having the welding done towards the end of this year and was wondering if i need to have another hull survey done or will the one from 3 years ago suffice. Obviously it's more expenditure to have one done but if the hull is in a worse condition i won't know about it otherwise. I dont know how fast the rate of corrosion is, did have it blacked last year though. Would be grateful for any info, thanks

 

Talk to your insurers, and offer them a copy of the invoice for the work done, get some photos while it's being done.

 

Tim

[Machpoint005]

Hi

 

I had a pre purchase survey done on my narrowboat when i bought it 3 years ago. I was told it needed a certain amount of overplating asap and some that would need doing in the near future. I'm planning on having the welding done towards the end of this year and was wondering if i need to have another hull survey done or will the one from 3 years ago suffice. Obviously it's more expenditure to have one done but if the hull is in a worse condition i won't know about it otherwise. I dont know how fast the rate of corrosion is, did have it blacked last year though. Would be grateful for any info, thanks

 

It won't be any better!

[FORTUNATA]

In nearly all cases the surveyor doesn't work in favour of the brokerage or boatyard but purely for the buyer (and against the vendor). If your surveyor communicated the boat needed urgent replating then this was his professional opinion. That doesn't mean your boat would necessarily sink straight away but more the case the steel is so thin in places a hard knock could sink it or seriously damage it. Or possibly water could weep into the vessel and create damp conditions.

Nope, you don't need another survey at all unless you have good grounds to suspect you were being the victim of a bit of hoodwinking! How old is the vessel? If it was built in, say, 2005 and the surveyor told you it needs urget replating then that is a wee bit suspicious. If, however, it's an eighties or seventies vessel, it's more than likely the steel is a bit thin in places.

Check out other posts on replating on this site. In my view it's better (but more expensive) to have your old base removed and a brand new base put in its place. The cheaper alternative it to simply overwrap the whole base with a new steel like shoeing a horse but bear in mind this can create problems of air or damp getting between the skins.

Whichever system you opt for make sure you find a good boatbuilding yard where the workmanship will be of a high standard.

 

Hi

 

I had a pre purchase survey done on my narrowboat when i bought it 3 years ago. I was told it needed a certain amount of overplating asap and some that would need doing in the near future. I'm planning on having the welding done towards the end of this year and was wondering if i need to have another hull survey done or will the one from 3 years ago suffice. Obviously it's more expenditure to have one done but if the hull is in a worse condition i won't know about it otherwise. I dont know how fast the rate of corrosion is, did have it blacked last year though. Would be grateful for any info, thanks

[waterlily83]

the boat is late 70s, and i was told i needed the sides plated 4 inches from the bottom all the way round and the counter plate too if i didnt sort out the rust on the inside, which i didnt... but am in the process of now! Spoke to the welder who does work for a boatyard near me and he recommended having the survey done which means craning it out twice... obviously i want to stay floating but im not made of money...

[Chertsey]

Sorry, but why would you need another survey done? And if you are having the work done anyway, why would this mean getting it out of the water twice?

 

You know it needs doing, and you're getting it done, so you don't need another survey to tell you that. When it's out for the work to be done, the person who's doing it should be able to assess what needs doing.

 

If you're thinking you might need another survey done after, for insurance, as suggested previously talk to your insurers and see what they require. If they are not satisfied with invoices, you could get the surveyor just to inspect the new work, before it goes back in the water.

 

If the insurers want a new survey anyway, because the last one is x years old, then why not get that done after the work and before it goes back in?

Edited July 5, 2009 by WarriorWoman

[waterlily83]

basically i want to know if more overplating is required than i was told 3 years ago as whats the point of having it all done only find out more needed doing. dont think the welder's going to come along and do an ultrasound test before he starts...

 

i just wanted to see if anyone thought that the state of the hull wouldnt be significantly worse after 3 years

 

anyway, thanks for the responses, some were really helpful

[O'Mali]

basically i want to know if more overplating is required than i was told 3 years ago as whats the point of having it all done only find out more needed doing. dont think the welder's going to come along and do an ultrasound test before he starts...Why not, hire an ultra sound for him/her and take their advice if yo trust them

i just wanted to see if anyone thought that the state of the hull wouldnt be significantly worse after 3 years.How long is a piece of string, what are your anodes like, how much 240v do you use etc etc but as some one said, it wont be better for sure.

anyway, thanks for the responses, some were really helpful

[Steve Priest]

Firstly, you only NEED a new survey if your insurers require one. Talking to your insurance company and providing them with proof that the work that was flagged up three years ago has been done should satisfy them. If you want reassurance for your own peace of mind then that's a slightly different matter. If your boat was built in the late 1970's then it is likely that it does need some replating, but that does not seem to be in doubt, the question is how much? This depends on the original plate spec, where it's been kept, how often it's been blacked, is it wet bilge or dry ( does the front well deck drain water over the side or into the bilge, the latter was quite common at that time), anodes, electric earthing through the hull, etc. Asking your boatbuilders opinion is o.k. in the short term, but next time you need a survey ( presumably in three years time) the surveyor might find that additional work is required, and you may have to add additional plate to the work already done. Peoples oinions differ, and your boatbuilders opion won't satisfy your insurance company when they ask for a survey. It would probably pay in the longer term to find a good surveyor whose opion you trust ( there are good ones and bad ones, as in all things) and stick with him, for continuity.

[FORTUNATA]

You don't need a great deal of overplating - only the part of the vessel that's below the water line. If your boat is a seventies vessel it's now knocking on 30 years old which is quite a life span for a steel craft. I'm aware it's an expensive business to have a boat plated but once done you should get many more years enjoyment out of it.

It's almost certain you'll need the base of the boat replated and then the sides to the waterline level. You may be able to get a good deal from the boatyard if you negotiate. Bear in mind your boat will weigh far more if it's replated so you need to get some ballast out of it if possible.

Will the hull be worse after 3 years? Nobody can say how much worse. I knew one guy who had his eighties boat hauled and once out of the water it turned out he was a hair's breadth from actually sinking. He winded up having bottom and sides replated and his boat is now blacked and back in the water.

To put your mind at ease I'm sure nobody at the yard is trying to do business out of your situation. For a boat as old as this one it's quite normal to have work done on the hull and you should get the best job done you can afford if you enjoy using the boat.

 

basically i want to know if more overplating is required than i was told 3 years ago as whats the point of having it all done only find out more needed doing. dont think the welder's going to come along and do an ultrasound test before he starts...

 

i just wanted to see if anyone thought that the state of the hull wouldnt be significantly worse after 3 years

 

anyway, thanks for the responses, some were really helpful

 

 

There's a point. Most insurerers won't cover a very old boat for full coverage but if a copy of "work completed" is sent by a surveyor after the plating, all will be well. Nobody would insure my boat till I had more plating work done as it's quite old. After work was done in the yard my surveyor updated his survey and then the insurance company insured me.

Incredibly, after the boat was put into the water it started to sink as the prop box turned out to be also in dire need of plating (as I found out ) Thus it was hauled out again and the prop box plated (or renewed). This cost me nothing at the time as the surveyor should have detected the stern gear condition.

Thus, the moral of the story is make sure the stern gear is taken care of when they do the hull sides and base.

 

Firstly, you only NEED a new survey if your insurers require one. Talking to your insurance company and providing them with proof that the work that was flagged up three years ago has been done should satisfy them. If you want reassurance for your own peace of mind then that's a slightly different matter. If your boat was built in the late 1970's then it is likely that it does need some replating, but that does not seem to be in doubt, the question is how much? This depends on the original plate spec, where it's been kept, how often it's been blacked, is it wet bilge or dry ( does the front well deck drain water over the side or into the bilge, the latter was quite common at that time), anodes, electric earthing through the hull, etc. Asking your boatbuilders opinion is o.k. in the short term, but next time you need a survey ( presumably in three years time) the surveyor might find that additional work is required, and you may have to add additional plate to the work already done. Peoples oinions differ, and your boatbuilders opion won't satisfy your insurance company when they ask for a survey. It would probably pay in the longer term to find a good surveyor whose opion you trust ( there are good ones and bad ones, as in all things) and stick with him, for continuity.