Welding above Diesel tank

[Thewatchmaker]

Just cut through the legs as low as possible and grind the stumps flush with the deck, forget about welding and throw what's left away.

Agree, it's a trad chop em' off and chuck em' away dangerous place for seats if in arc of tiller.

Saw a hire boat get rammed by the trip boat over the Pontcysyllte last summer helmsman of hire boat ended up with a broken finger from tiller whiplash.

Had he been sat on one of those silly seats he would have been dead from the 120ft fall!

[H.C.Astell & Co]

Agree, it's a trad chop em' off and chuck em' away dangerous place for seats if in arc of tiller.

Saw a hire boat get rammed by the trip boat over the Pontcysyllte last summer helmsman of hire boat ended up with a broken finger from tiller whiplash.

Had he been sat on one of those silly seats he would have been dead from the 120ft fall!

So you are saying no rails and seats at all? that sounds less safe, my 13 year old or my dog could fall straight down and get chopped by the prop?

[saltysplash]

So you are saying no rails and seats at all? that sounds less safe, my 13 year old or my dog could fall straight down and get chopped by the prop?

 

The general consensus is that on a trad stern there shouldnt be any body stood on the back deck due to the obvious dangers of standing within the tiller arc. Anybody sitting on rails or stood with the arc will get swept off by the tiller if it is moved through its full arc during urgent manouvers or if it is moved involuntary due to hitting something underwater.

 

The steering position on trad sterns is stood inside the rear hatch with the tiller moving behind and to the side of you. Anyone stood or sitting on the rear deck would have to move onto the gunnels to allow proper movement of the tiller.

 

IMO steering a trad can be a lonely life which is why we changed to a cruiser stern. The whole family can join in getting wet and cold

[by'eck]

I was chatting to a guy a few years back who had built his own steel 46 foot sailing yacht. On first filling the integral diesel tank he was disappointed to find several tiny spurts of diesel from the welded seams.

 

He phoned his mentor who had done the major plate welding & was told that as long as the tank was full of diesel it would be ok to weld as is. With some trepidation he set to with arc welder & tacked over each spurt one by one without issue until he had a leakproof tank.

 

I would definitely get a second opinion on doing this though.

[H.C.Astell & Co]

The general consensus is that on a trad stern there shouldnt be any body stood on the back deck due to the obvious dangers of standing within the tiller arc. Anybody sitting on rails or stood with the arc will get swept off by the tiller if it is moved through its full arc during urgent manouvers or if it is moved involuntary due to hitting something underwater.

 

The steering position on trad sterns is stood inside the rear hatch with the tiller moving behind and to the side of you. Anyone stood or sitting on the rear deck would have to move onto the gunnels to allow proper movement of the tiller.

 

IMO steering a trad can be a lonely life which is why we changed to a cruiser stern. The whole family can join in getting wet and cold

Thanks for the explanation, i didn't know that, and now explained it seems quite obvious, i just thought as the seats were there from the maker its right!, im tempted now to look at the boat with out the ugly rails.

however i cant actually remember seeing a trad with no seats or rails, but that's just my inexperience i spose, i bet there has been plenty..

[Guest]

Thanks for the explanation, i didn't know that, and now explained it seems quite obvious, i just thought as the seats were there from the maker its right!, im tempted now to look at the boat with out the ugly rails.

however i cant actually remember seeing a trad with no seats or rails, but that's just my inexperience i spose, i bet there has been plenty..

 

Tons of em on the system.

 

I would say more without seats and rails than with.

[saltysplash]

Thanks for the explanation, i didn't know that, and now explained it seems quite obvious, i just thought as the seats were there from the maker its right!, im tempted now to look at the boat with out the ugly rails.

however i cant actually remember seeing a trad with no seats or rails, but that's just my inexperience i spose, i bet there has been plenty..

have a look at the seventies boating thread. some good pics of working boats showing the position of the steerer and people on the gunnels

[H.C.Astell & Co]

have a look at the seventies boating thread. some good pics of working boats showing the position of the steerer and people on the gunnels

Thanks very interesting that was.

Ive just googled trad canal boat in images, and was suprised how many are without, hmm now to convince the Boss..

[Guest]

Thanks very interesting that was.

Ive just googled trad canal boat in images, and was suprised how many are without, hmm now to convince the Boss..

 

If you want extra ammo -

 

They are considered dangerous in some circles because if you do fall over them you are theoretically more likely to go in head first towards the prop rather than fall in length/sideways.

 

We have them on our semi-trad and are very concious of this. We also rarely if ever actually use them when on the move and the steerer never sits on them in the locks when there is a risk of the rudder getting knocked jarred and the tiller sweeping them off. A lady was sadly killed in a lock last year near Cropedy when she fell over the back rail of a cruiser stern.

 

We generally sit on them when moored up though.

 

 

 

 

..

 

We found anyway that if you both try to sit on them on the move it prevents proper full movement of the tiller.

Edited November 3, 2011 by MJG

[H.C.Astell & Co]

If you want extra ammo -

 

They are considered dangerous in some circles because if you do fall over them you are theoretically more likely to go in head first towards the prop rather than fall in length/sideways.

 

We have them on our semi-trad and are very concious of this. We also rarely if ever actually use them when on the move and the steerer never sits on them in the locks when there is a risk of the rudder getting knocked jarred and the tiller sweeping them off. A lady was sadly killed in a lock last year near Cropedy when she fell over the back rail of a cruiser stern.

 

We generally sit on them when moored up though.

 

 

 

 

..

 

We found anyway that if you both try to sit on them on the move it prevents proper full movement of the tiller.

Just read this out to my wife and she agrees 100%, so this weekend i will be wealding a grinder, and the welder is staying inside my van!! cheers all for the help.

[H.C.Astell & Co]

it's off!!

I ground it off, with my cheeks of my aris tense throughout the ordeal worrying about the sparks etc, but im happy to report it all went well and we both feel it looks much better now.

[ditchcrawler]

it's off!!

I ground it off, with my cheeks of my aris tense throughout the ordeal worrying about the sparks etc, but im happy to report it all went well and we both feel it looks much better now.

Good for you

[Radiomariner]

I know the OP is finished with this thread now but felt I MUST add comment.

 

not sure if elfin safety would approve,but welding on diesel tanks is often carried out,one way of reducing fire risk is to duct exhaust gases from a diesel engine into the tank while welding is carried out.

Do not EVER EVER try this. Oil tankers use exhaust gasses to inert tanks, but first they "scrub" cool down, carefully monitor content. flow and pressure of exhaust gas before doing so. I hate to think of the consequences of a diesel tank being pressurised with very hot gases!!!

 

I have no vent welded to the uprights, but that said could the tube be used as a vent with no vent socket welded in situ?

Its a niggly job i would like to do, and can do easily, but i do worry about that tank!!!

I thought diesel had to be compressed to combust, or thrown on a fire to go up? i didnt think (or hope) fumes from diesel caused a worry.

The process i had in mind, had 2 options

grind of at base, cut out 4" weld back

or

cut 4" out from top and pop it back together again with a weld

 

On the contrary, diesel vapour is volatile.

 

I was chatting to a guy a few years back who had built his own steel 46 foot sailing yacht. On first filling the integral diesel tank he was disappointed to find several tiny spurts of diesel from the welded seams.

 

He phoned his mentor who had done the major plate welding & was told that as long as the tank was full of diesel it would be ok to weld as is. With some trepidation he set to with arc welder & tacked over each spurt one by one without issue until he had a leakproof tank.

I would definitely get a second opinion on doing this though.

 

Absolute Madness!!!

Edited November 16, 2011 by Radiomariner

[Timleech]

 

 

Absolute Madness!!!

 

I don't agree, provided it is only a slight weep, at the bottom of a full tank, and the welder knows what he's doing (not a cowboy).

 

Not recommending it, just saying I don't believe it to be madness.

 

Tim

[bizzard]

I don't agree, provided it is only a slight weep, at the bottom of a full tank, and the welder knows what he's doing (not a cowboy).

 

Not recommending it, just saying I don't believe it to be madness.

 

Tim

Agreed.Done this myself more than once on lorry fuel tanks.