 Check out the bookstore at IRBS.com |
|
|
|
|||||
|
||||||
From: Russ Swan (no email)
Date: Fri Jul 04 2003 - 21:40:00 EDT
Gerad,
I'd have to agree with the point made by Alaska Trawler below on prevention
of rust INSIDE a steel boat, and the method Alaska Trawler used.
I had a bad smell coming from a stern bilge which had been covered with
fibreglass by a previous owner. After ripping the old fraying fibreglass off
I found extensive surface rust, and the smell made me a bit light headed. I
was inside a confined space so had to get out pretty quick for a while and
let it air out. There was "black" water in there and blowflies even started
buzzing around, no doubt attracted from a nearby industrial garbage bin.
In any event, I dreaded to think what was happening down inside that bilge,
but I couldn't get my hand down past the stern tube running across the top.
The boat was on the hard at the time, so I cut a square access hole into the
keel from the outside with a grinder and steel cutting disk (a relatively
easy repair benefit of owning a steel boat), and started scooping out the
contents.
(BTW: a quick course at your local TAFE (night school or equivalent), should
soon get you up to speed with arc-welding. At least enough to do most of
your own repairs - and arc-welders sufficient for most jobs are relatively
cheap at hardware stores too).
The filler material was expanding foam. Only the very top outer layer,
about an eighth of an inch (or a couple of mils), was saturated with water
but after that the foam was dry. Old, but dry. It had obviously been there
for a long time (the boat was 14 years by that time). I was astonished to
find the steel underneath in perfect condition.
A previous owner had epoxy-painted the bilge, and then painted the walls
with a bitumen based substance of the type commonly used on roofs, and
filled it with foam. Obviously worked, except that he covered it with
fibreglass which, over time and the movements of the hull, caused cracks in
the mat. The inevitable ingress of stray water from open hatches, busted
water cooling pipe and stuff like that eventually seeped into it ... but not
through it.
Before that when I first bought the boat, I found a football sized lump down
in the main bilge under the motor. I poked it with a knife and it
penetrated to the hilt. After digging away, that lump was also foam with
just a quarter inch or so of the outer surface penetrated with bilge diesel
and oil. Again, the steel surface underneath was as-new.
If you've got any hidden, out of the way places e.g. under the shower or
galley that aren't easily accessible, or even non-accessible, this is one
way to ensure peace of mind. Even though foam forms its own skin, I'd still
suggest you use a pliable waterproof cover (not paint). You'll find several
suitable types in a hardware shop.
Russ Swan
Lowana IV, Darwin, Australia
True stories of unusual travel by adventurous people
http://www.adventureyarns.com.au
----- Original Message -----
From: "AlaskaTrawler" <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2003 1:49 PM
Subject: [world-cruising]
> Hello
>
> In purchasing a steel vessel of any kind (sail or power ) there are some
> very important things you should know. The first thing is in my opinion
over
> all else is how corrosion has been managed. In my view it would be a plus
if
> the vessel had been sprayed with urethane foam from the time it was
> constructed. In my view foam is the greatest extender of life of a steel
> hull. First it completly seals off moisture and oxygen from the steel.
Rust
> can't begin unless those two element are present. Further it fills all
voids
> where water can sit and begin the corrosion process process.
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Free shipping on all inkjet cartridge & refill kit orders to US & Canada.
We have your brand: HP, Epson, Lexmark, Canon & more.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5510
http://us.click.yahoo.com/kP..SB/49VGAA/ySSFAA/A1TolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
|