Why Blacking?

[Popsie]

Brand new to this forum and in the early stages of planning a move inland from living aboard a yacht. Please excuse my ignorance.

 

Bit puzzled by this blacking business. I have owned a steel sailing yacht in the past and the only thing ever put on the outside hull below the waterline is primer followed by antifoul paint.

 

The old adage is that steel boats 'rust from the inside' and the culprit is usually sea water trapped between frames and stringers. One of the pre-requisites in a good steel yacht is that, as much as is possible, internal steelwork can be inspected without major surgery to internal fitout.

 

What is different in a NB, spending its time in fresh water to require blacking every year/two years or whatever? Is it the nature or the steel? Galvanic corrosion? or what!

 

Thanks in anticipation.

[Ray T]

February 2013 "Canal Boat" has an article on blacking.

 

Help protect against galvanic corrosion and rusting.

I believe it is against CaRT rules to use antifouling on a canal boat as the antifoul is designed to degrade and release poison to keep the hull clear of marine growth.

Also antifoul is less waterproof than blacking.

 

 

[JDR]

A narrowboat on a canal will be mooring at lock landings every mile or two, spending most of its time in shallow water and have plenty of opportunites to lose the existing blacking through contact with stonework/brickwork/banks/moving in ice.Epoxy coating is available but blacking cheaper, tried and tested and generally doesn't require anything more high tech than a high pressure jet washer to remove.Narrowboats that spend time on rivers can have a healthy growth on the baseplate.Some people say it is not worth blacking the basepkate as the lack of oxygen at that depth prevents rust.Others say steel is steel and needs to be protected.Most boatyards don't offer baseplate blacking as standard.This may be related to the fact that it is not a fun job.

Edited January 8, 2013 by JDR

[RLWP]

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sea water trapped between frames and stringers.

 

<snip>

 

This isn't problem with canal boats as they don't have stringers, frames or for that matter, sea water

 

Richard

[Popsie]

Thanks for all of that everybody. Making sense now.

 

I must be getting the bug as I had a vivid dream last night. I was on my maiden voyage in my NB. I was pottering along a canal when a widebeam boat approached. I did not know whether to drive on the left or leave the approaching boat to port as at sea.

 

In a panic, I turned the throttle (a twist grip on the tiller - no less!) and my NB boat surged forward on the plane!! - Aaaaaargh!!!!

 

Thankfully I woke up at that point.

[PaddingtonBear]

You have got the right attitude to broadbeams, horrific things, work of the devil

[mayalld]

Thanks for all of that everybody. Making sense now.

 

I must be getting the bug as I had a vivid dream last night. I was on my maiden voyage in my NB. I was pottering along a canal when a widebeam boat approached. I did not know whether to drive on the left or leave the approaching boat to port as at sea.

 

In a panic, I turned the throttle (a twist grip on the tiller - no less!) and my NB boat surged forward on the plane!! - Aaaaaargh!!!!

 

Thankfully I woke up at that point.

 

 

Did this dream happen in Brayford Pool?

 

Oh and you drive on the right!

[TimD]

Oh and you drive on the right!

 

no, unless it's a very wide canal you drive in the centre. You only pass on the right.

[Popsie]

no, unless it's a very wide canal you drive in the centre. You only pass on the right.

 

That is comforting; at least one habit i shall not have to change!