I
had postponed our scheduled 'out of water' survey from February – a
good decision as the weather then was fierce. Now, in April, at least
it is dry though with a bitingly cold easterly. We are catching this
being higher up on the hardstanding.
Trevor,
our Surveyor, came up early from Northampton to do the Hull Condition
Survey. He last surveyed the boat for a pre-purchase in 2003, so
there have been many changes.
Trevor
is renowned for providing a robust traditional hammer testing of the
hull plating.
It
made quite a loud resonant dong when heard from inside!
Trevor with his trusty hammer
The dreaded hammer in action!
Overall,
the plating was sound, being the Imperial 1/4” used by Les Allen
from 1977.
We had the base plate re-soled with an additional 6mm in 2004 when Graham Pearce at Stockton Dry Dock did the work needed to install the re-conditioned JP2.
There
has been some wear, particularly just above the bottom plate – from
inside. Probably due to periods of wet bilges. Given the boat was a
Section 8 recovery and when we got it had flooded bilges, this will
have contributed. Trevor insisted I check for wet bilges regularly.
Ultrasonic plate testing thickness
Local pitting – this one at 2.6mm needs welding up
Overall,
the hull is in reasonable condition for its age – some 36 years
now!
However,
corrosion in bottom of the gas locker, probably over many years,
failed the hammer testing! He noticed the drain holes were higher
than the base?!
The
gas locker will need a new base tray with 3” sides, welded into the
locker after the old base is cut out. The engineers will schedule
this work before we go back into the water.
So,
all in all, a reasonable hull condition survey – a sort of birthday
present?!
We
celebrated my 62nd birthday having a meal in the Overwater
Café with Chris' sister and husband.
Chris and Anton
Birthday Celebrations!
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