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Buying a boat with some 3mm pitting


howdykellyann

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Hello there! I am new to this and new to boating so please be nice to me!! My partner and I have put a deposit in a boat from 1996 and it had a survey two years ago. How much would gave changed to the boat since then? I ask because the survey says it's a 10 6 4 boat and there was some 1.4 mm pits on the side with a few 3mm pits. He said this was no cause fit concern however ( dies this seen right?). As a result if the survey the boat was bought two years ago and was blacked with new anodes as had been advised. After 48 engine hours in two years do you think much corrosion would have taken place? Is re lacking every two years sufficient to keep it afloat or would some people definitely recommend some remedial work? Thanks for your time!!

Edited by NB Alnwick
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Hello there! I am new to this and new to boating so please be nice to me!! My partner and I have put a deposit in a boat from 1996 and it had a survey two years ago. How much would gave changed to the boat since then? I ask because the survey says it's a 10 6 4 boat and there was some 1.4 mm pits on the side with a few 3mm pits. He said this was no cause fit concern however ( dies this seen right?). As a result if the survey the boat was bought two years ago and was blacked with new anodes as had been advised. After 48 engine hours in two years do you think much corrosion would have taken place? Is re lacking every two years sufficient to keep it afloat or would some people definitely recommend some remedial work? Thanks for your time!!

 

it depends where the boat is moored ... the information suggests it is in a marina and has been sat amongst and been possibly used as a liveaboard and the pitting has been a result of possible galvanic corrossion.

 

I did answer on your original post , but will welcome you to the forum again!

Rick

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Welcome from a fellow Coventrian.

 

IMHO I would not buy a boat without a new (to you) survey. Could save a ghastly mistake and / or put you mind at rest.

 

Also you can ask the surveyor his opinions whilst the survey is being executed.

 

The various canal magazines will usually have adverts for surveyors.

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Thank you for replying. A fellow coventrian? Nice to meet you! It's a bit complicated as we had a survey done on another boat ( built 1983) but it came back with 'done if the worse corrosion I've ever seen'. We were offered by the owner to have a whole bottom replating at his expense but thought as it was an older boat and did not have enough going for it, we walked away but on the same day, the broker from a boat we had put an offer on a month ago ( it was refused straight away) phoned to day the owner was considering accepting the offer after stewing on it. The owner had spent a lot if money on it and addressed all minor issues that arose from the last survey and was reluctant to let it go for less than the asking price. We have access to the two year old survey and it says there are no problems with bottom plate 8.4 to 9.5 thickness but the sides were ( from two original plates of 6.5 and 6,0) 6.4 to 5.8 which isn't itself a Problem. He went on to say there was a fair bit of pitting with majority depth of 1.3mm with a few deeper pits of 3mm. he said there was no cause for concern providing the area is kept well blacked. We were reluctant to have a survey as the old one is 2 years old, showed nothing put of the ordinary and issues had been dealt with. Also it would be our second survey and cost would be an issue. Do you think were being unwise?

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Thank you for replying. A fellow coventrian? Nice to meet you! It's a bit complicated as we had a survey done on another boat ( built 1983) but it came back with 'done if the worse corrosion I've ever seen'. We were offered by the owner to have a whole bottom replating at his expense but thought as it was an older boat and did not have enough going for it, we walked away but on the same day, the broker from a boat we had put an offer on a month ago ( it was refused straight away) phoned to day the owner was considering accepting the offer after stewing on it. The owner had spent a lot if money on it and addressed all minor issues that arose from the last survey and was reluctant to let it go for less than the asking price. We have access to the two year old survey and it says there are no problems with bottom plate 8.4 to 9.5 thickness but the sides were ( from two original plates of 6.5 and 6,0) 6.4 to 5.8 which isn't itself a Problem. He went on to say there was a fair bit of pitting with majority depth of 1.3mm with a few deeper pits of 3mm. he said there was no cause for concern providing the area is kept well blacked. We were reluctant to have a survey as the old one is 2 years old, showed nothing put of the ordinary and issues had been dealt with. Also it would be our second survey and cost would be an issue. Do you think were being unwise?

 

if you arnt to sure abouts boats i'd get a fresh servey off a reliable surveyor,some are completely over the top others that tend to have been in the game a few yers are realistic with there comments.a servay dosnt just cover the hull condition.as for pits it could be as simple as docking/craning the boat out and a few hours filling pits in with a welder or replating..the type of insulation plays a part in the cost of any welding repairs.if its been spray foamed the cost will ratchet up as the foam needs to be removed from the area were the repair is needed then replaced..there's hundreds of boats for sale and your hard earned money talks...dont jump in and buy a money pit..on the other hand it could be great and you will enjoy years of happy boating....BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!

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Thank you for replying. A fellow coventrian? Nice to meet you! It's a bit complicated as we had a survey done on another boat ( built 1983) but it came back with 'done if the worse corrosion I've ever seen'. We were offered by the owner to have a whole bottom replating at his expense but thought as it was an older boat and did not have enough going for it, we walked away but on the same day, the broker from a boat we had put an offer on a month ago ( it was refused straight away) phoned to day the owner was considering accepting the offer after stewing on it. The owner had spent a lot if money on it and addressed all minor issues that arose from the last survey and was reluctant to let it go for less than the asking price. We have access to the two year old survey and it says there are no problems with bottom plate 8.4 to 9.5 thickness but the sides were ( from two original plates of 6.5 and 6,0) 6.4 to 5.8 which isn't itself a Problem. He went on to say there was a fair bit of pitting with majority depth of 1.3mm with a few deeper pits of 3mm. he said there was no cause for concern providing the area is kept well blacked. We were reluctant to have a survey as the old one is 2 years old, showed nothing put of the ordinary and issues had been dealt with. Also it would be our second survey and cost would be an issue. Do you think were being unwise?

 

I think you have already made your mind up, which makes me wonder why you are asking in the first place. In my opinion, if you can't afford a survey you can't afford the possible consequence's of not having one done.

regards

A

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Hello there! I am new to this and new to boating so please be nice to me!! My partner and I have put a deposit in a boat from 1996 and it had a survey two years ago. How much would gave changed to the boat since then? I ask because the survey says it's a 10 6 4 boat and there was some 1.4 mm pits on the side with a few 3mm pits. He said this was no cause fit concern however ( dies this seen right?). As a result if the survey the boat was bought two years ago and was blacked with new anodes as had been advised. After 48 engine hours in two years do you think much corrosion would have taken place? Is re lacking every two years sufficient to keep it afloat or would some people definitely recommend some remedial work? Thanks for your time!!

 

Ive never had a survey but if I saw one that said that the steel sides had in places already lost fifty percent !!!! of the original thickness I wouldnt touch it with a barge pole as there are approximately eighteen billion, seven hundred and sixteen million four hundred and forty four thousand eight hundred and twelve boats for sale today so why risk it unless its well less than 10 k.

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I feel I am unable to comment on your wisdom !

 

I do not know enough about boat corrosion to make any comments. I'm afraid it's "Caveat Emptor".

 

We bought a 1997 Reeves hull boat 2 & 1/2 years ago and the worst pitting was 1.9 mm in the base plate and 0.5mm at the water line.

 

You may also want to check the condition of the sacrificial wear edge to the baseplate.

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Questions like this are pretty much impossible to answer as it depends wholly on the buyer's financial position and attitudes.

 

I bought my current boat with no survey because even if it turned out to be a total loss it would not break me financially. In addition, I wanted it anyway and am prepared to spend whatever it takes to fix whatever might go wrong (e.g. the gearbox jamming in reverse and needing a rebuild ;0).

 

On the other hand if I'd stretched myself to the limit to buy it and any unexpected major expenses would stress me financially to the limit or beyond, then I'd probably have had a survey done. Same boat, different buyer circumstances, different decision about having a survey.

 

So how would it affect you if you bought the boat then found you needed to spend £6k on it over the winter to keep it afloat?

 

Mike

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Thank you for your posts. I am pleasantly surprised at just how fast people wrote posts on here! I hope I can help people out in the future once I know more. It will take some time. I will strongly consider getting a survey as I understand one surveyors ok is another's nightmare! thanks again!

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Hello there! I am new to this and new to boating so please be nice to me!! My partner and I have put a deposit in a boat from 1996 and it had a survey two years ago. How much would gave changed to the boat since then? I ask because the survey says it's a 10 6 4 boat and there was some 1.4 mm pits on the side with a few 3mm pits. He said this was no cause fit concern however ( dies this seen right?). As a result if the survey the boat was bought two years ago and was blacked with new anodes as had been advised. After 48 engine hours in two years do you think much corrosion would have taken place? Is re lacking every two years sufficient to keep it afloat or would some people definitely recommend some remedial work? Thanks for your time!!

 

48 engine hours in 2 years means the boat has hardly been used. Much more significant will be whether a shore line (mains supply) has been left plugged in, even if switched off, with no galvanic isolator or isolating transformer fitted.

 

If you don't know if you need a survey, then you almost certainly do! A survey will give you solid information which should enable you to negotiate a reduction in price.

 

David

 

p.s. NEVER EVER buy a Springer Waterbug with 3mm pitting.

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David

 

p.s. NEVER EVER buy a Springer Waterbug with 3mm pitting.

 

 

classic...really funny quote!!!...with all the worry about thin boats it's not a bad thing to remember that they were only ever built with 3mm plate and most of them did atleast twenty years or so without needing plating...10..6..5..4 isnt a nessesity

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48 engine hours in 2 years means the boat has hardly been used. Much more significant will be whether a shore line (mains supply) has been left plugged in, even if switched off, with no galvanic isolator or isolating transformer fitted.

 

If you don't know if you need a survey, then you almost certainly do! A survey will give you solid information which should enable you to negotiate a reduction in price.

 

David

 

p.s. NEVER EVER buy a Springer Waterbug with 3mm pitting.

 

Depends on the definition of hardly been used. It suggests the boat has either been permanently connected to a shoreline (maybe as a live-aboard?) or maybe neglected for 2 years. Sorry if I sound judgemental, but we can only comment on the information in the OP. The boat might be OK, but the amount of pitting for a boat of that age suggests that this might not be a good buy.

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6mm steel with 3mm pitting is almost certainly an insurance fail although at 1996 they are unlikely to demand a survey. Will happen sooner or later though and you could be faced with £10Ks worth of remedial work.

Did you know about the pitting before you put the deposit down? If not then you have grounds for the return of your deposit.

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We walked away from a badly pitted boat (after paying for a survey) and, on reflection, we are glad we did.

We did have our deposit returned in full though.

 

As stated by others there are lots and lots of lovely boats for sale at all price points.

 

I was gutted at losing the money we paid for the survey but we now have a solid, well cared for ( regularly blacked etc )boat.

 

Yes it needs a fair bit of work to the inside - but it is reassuring to know that we are working with a good solid hull.

 

Good luck ;)

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A question from an ignoramus:

 

If a boat has been hooked up long term in a marina without much cruising time, does that then mean that it is more at risk of corrosion?

 

YES But dont panic your fat narrowboat may well be fine it doesnt always concur that plugged in means ruin, if it has the correct protection and built of good steel it should be fine.

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A question from an ignoramus:

 

If a boat has been hooked up long term in a marina without much cruising time, does that then mean that it is more at risk of corrosion?

 

If you are hooked up to shore power for any length of time, then in order to have a safe installation and one which doesn't risk corroding your boat away, then you need either a galvanic isolator or an isolation transformer on the shore connection. More info, although it rapidly gets very technical, at http://smartgauge.co.uk/galv2.html.

 

Note also that because the problem arises from the shore line earth connection, the risk is just as great if your shore line is plugged in but switched off as it is when you are actually using mains power.

 

David

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